זין
June 25, 1906.]
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
which exist in China. This overstatement | and general purposes or may be thoroughly | has done much to engender a distaste for mastered with an idea of gaining au the study of Chinese among commercial acquaintance with Chinese, literature, and men, who are well aware, from their own so obtaining a knowledge of the views and experience, that the view is a fallacious feelings of the people, The latter is of ore. It is, however, pointed out that it is course of very great value to persons in essential that Europeans should very soon | official positions, but it involves far too be able to deal direct with Chinese in many extensive a study to be undertaken by matters; and this opinion when endorsed ordinary people. On the other hand it is by Mr. GUNDRY, the President of the not enough, even for merely practical Association, at the annual dinner was received with marked approval-n circum.
purposes, to have a bare acquaintance with some dialect of the spoken language. This stance of significance, seeing the number of should no doubt form the main object of important representatives of the China the mercantile student, but it must also trade then present. "Whatever else may be accompanied by a fair knowledge of the be in doubt," Mr. GUNDRY said, "it written character. will be
This latter can only urgently and increasingly be approached as a serious study. To a necessary to enable us to hold our own great extent it is a matter of perseverance, that men of the rising generation who and sheer plodding; but the study may be look forward to a career in China should greatly facilitated by European professors acquire a working knowledge of Chinese."
who know how best to present it to the One great difficulty, however, which has European mind, who have experience in stood in the way of any general study of the teaching and who are acquainted with Chinese language by those engaged in those arts by which the attention of pupils mercantile occupations has been the doubt is fastened upon details unattractive whether they may after all be able to turn in themselves, hut which can be made their knowledge to any practical account. interesting by skilled and tactful teachers, If a man who intends to make a career in There is no reason why English youth China goes through a course of study as a should not be able to master so much of tes faster or silk inspector, he knows that the Chinese written character with three or he is not wasting either his time or his four years' study at home, as with a little money in so doing. He has not long to rseverance wait before he obtains a good opening will give them a sufficient knowledge of it after they arrive in China and, if he is a competent man, he maybe for any business purposes for which it may has every chance of making use of his be required. A bard, and it must frankly attainments as long as it suits him in China, he acknowledged, a somewhat grinding and, as has often happened, of pushing a study of this kind, can be much better valuable business either
as broker attached to some large establishment on
or undertaken in a bracing healthy climate than in one which taxes the nerves and his return home. But if a man has by energies, as is the case in most places in dint of three or four years' hard study made himself fairly acquainted with Chinese, it
In order, however, to induce young is quite an even chance whether in reality must be some definite advantage held out men to go through such a course, there this acquirement will advance his career at to them, and it will be well for those all in China, and it may be taken as certain largely interested in tra le with China to that it will be no practical advantage to consider whether some arrangements can be him on his return. The matter stands upon made by which suitable inen would secure a totally different footing in regard to appointments in the Consular Service or establishments as interpreters, in some- appointments in banks or large mercantile in the Imperial Chinese Customs. either of these services there is no doubt of the like capacity for the
In what the same way as they are engaged in the student obtaining ample return in the services. way of promotion for his trouble in master- ing the language but in a mercantile career, it is by no means certain that any material advantage will be obtained; though of course the probabilities lie in that direction, especially in the present day, when the larger mercantile houses aud banks often undertake very important matters in which Chinese who speak nò English are largely concerned,
The time may, however, come when it may be worth the while of some of the banks and also of some of the large houses to inake use of the services of European interpreters very much in the same way as is done in the Government service; and if so it will be of very great advantage that there should. be auch facilities for learning something of the language as a preparation for coming to China as are afforded by the School for Chinese in Londou. The Chinese Associa tion will do good srvice in continuing its support to it, and may possibly find mean of encouraging the study by making certain appointments dependent upon a knowledge of Chinese or even in time arranging for the employment of ap cial European inter- preters in some bouses.
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Government
THE CHINESE ARMY-AND OTHERS.
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(Daily Press, 19th June,) Calling our attention to some comments in a London newspaper, a correspondent there remarks that the position in China is beginning to be understood in England." As based on the particular comments cited, we cannot accept this opinion, one of them being that "a few years will put China in possession of forces which will be large nough and effective enough to make foreign Powers think seriously before undertaking expeditions to China". China will then be | abio, if she wishes, to revive the principle of the shut door". The continuing remarks show that it is our old acquaintance the
which is just "yellow peril
beginning | to be understood " by the English daily, Readers will remember that some weeks ago we published a long article on Chinese army reform by the Rev. E. J. Hardy, British Army Chaplain. Mr. HARDY told us that | until two or three years ago China held the profession of arms in something like contempt. "A military mandarin of the The great point is that the teaching highest rank was less considered than the which is given should be suited to the lowest civilian one. He was thought to be purpose for which it is designed. It is ex-officio a fool, and his subordinates coolies apt to be overlooked that there are two too lazy to work". It is a fair question if very different ways in which the Chinese, in the last two or thre› years those old- |
any other language, may b. studied, standing prejudices can have really died It may be learnt merely for colloquial ' out. Mr. HARDY seemed to think so; the
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London daily cited by our correspondent, if is doubtful, seems to have assumed their it took them into account at all, which disappearance. On the principle that nothing succeeds like success, it might be thought that Japan's example bould not fairly well what is the nature of the Chinese fail to have a powerful effect, yet we know point of view of all things Japanese. We have only to consider the position of the British people their fighting forces to admit that prejudices the most foolish spring into existence more easily than they can be uprooted.
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of the British Army officer as those
Such weedy opinions · attributed to China by Mr. HARDY-the ex-officio fool idea, for instance-are not section of the Press is even found to en-.. unknown in great Britain, where a certain courage them. Au officer of His Britannic Majesty's army recently made a witty remark to us, when he likened the Member of Parliament to a compradore. "Your M.P.," he said, "is told that nothing but cheaply as possible, and keeps the British a first class article will suffice. He buys as public proud of its army by declaring, This b'long nampa course if the nation had a proper respect for wan: welly good.' Of
its fighting men, it would never tolerate cheeseparing and the rest of the conduct Englandism. which is really so much unconscious Little Here we curious fact that the Little Englanders are encounter the
always more advanced products of civilisation. As intellectuals", representing the a rule, the men who smash their windows for them, in default of better methods of giving expression to their very natural feelings, are less highly civilised. In China the same thing has been observable for a much longer period. The conclusions to be drawn now seem fairly obvious. There is a point in the march of civilisation at which the old, heroic ideals lose force. Great Britain seems to have reached it; China passed it long ago. Our HANNIBALs and ALEXANDERS are forgotten. NAPOLEON is remembered merely, as a wholesale mur. derer, worthy only the contempt and execration of bonest men. The coward · skulks no longer; he marches in the open, proud of his new definition as a man in whom the intellectual perception of danger happeus to be more clearly developed. Hyperesthetics denounce "methods of barbarian" with all the airs of conscious superiority that the Chinese philosopher assumed when speaking of that ex-officio fool, the mere fighting man. Society listens respectfully to our anæmic STEADS; and frowns disapproval at any public appearance of our champion lightweights. Even with gloves, the whilom "noble art general consent a "brutal and degrading is now by
spectacle ".
The happy mean seems impossible. Society goes to one extreme, and reaction takes it to the other. That is, if it endures long enough. History usually shows it leaving the stage, and another entering, beginning where it began. Nearly a hundred years ago, MILL wrote of the noble ideals of China, the chief of which was their 5.- putting of intellect above muscle. Surely the people who did this," he said, “have discovered the secret of human progressive- uess." But no, even then it was realised that if they were ever to be farther improved, it must be by foreigners. That was to say, by barbarians and methods of barbarism. Europe, MILL feared, would tend to become another China, There are people who already profess to see signs of | it, in the case of certain nations.
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The Chinese, in addition to, and no doubt owing to, their philosophical abhorrence of war, have suffered other disabilities in