January 12, 1907.]
action in the matter". The answer of the CHAIRMAN to this will be, of course, that Mandarindom was therein shown to be in earnest, and that it was therefore necessary for the China Association to press for Imperial intervention. In that case, the severely logical may perhaps ask him where the earnestness of the Opium Edict can be shown to fall short of the earnestness of the Customs Edict.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REFORT.
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to China, he pointed out what harm, in loss | marked as those which, differentiate the of credit and so oo, woull have resulted various nations say of Northern and if Mandarindom had succeeded in doing to Southern Europe. This is naturally not the Customs Service what he, hlieves
so clear to the foreiga observer as it is to it tried to do. And he remarked, "it is the Chinese themselves; but the latter draw a strange sort of unfriendliness that works very accurate distinctions between the to hinder the progress of such misfortunes." inhabitants of various parts of the Empire; It is not at all strange, really. The (and in doing so, show enough of human unfriendly friend will be common to man nature to entertain a wholesome appreciation so long as the road to Hell continues to be of those belonging to their own districts We join issue if there be an issue, with paved with good intentions. JOHN STUART and a corresponding contempt for those those critics who deny the usefulness of the MILL has dealt faithfully with the typ; from other parts. It is not by any means China Association. The CHAIRMAN claims the well-meaning person who wants to the Foreign Devil who is alone looked that it is at least as useful as the Japanese make us good and happy against our will down upon by the average celestial. The shrapnel which, missing the snipers on the and inclination. The late PHIL MAY drew Chinuman has a similar narrowness of mind® gate-tower, gave such an excellent object a most funny illustration that fits. He in respect this own countryman -and lesson in the heart of the Forbidden City | depicted in London working man dragging, very low Chinese ara fquad whe fully beliovo itself. · That, by the way, was another of his little boy along the Brighton beach, | that any of their compatriots come up to the Mr. STEWART's pretty analogues that may the child hanging back and weeping. The standard of those who have been fortunate be seen as a two-edged weapon, or a sort loving father's face wore a savage expres- enough to be born in the Province to which of boomerang. It would be grossly hyper- sion to fit the words: I've brought yer, they themselves belong. critical to demand of him where else he daha here ter enjoy yerself, and enjoy expected shrapnel to drop; we are quite yerself yer shall, or—, That helps to sure he did not mean his auditors to think realize China's point of view. The ideal be wanted shrapnel aimed at the wall it policy for the China Association outlines self; but we will point out that his reference itself in our mind somewhat to this effect-- to the feelings inspired by it would lose all to avoid any philanthropic pose, to be its force if applied to a people with a stiffer | honestly and avowedly an Association con- lip. Such ruin in a warlike people's cerned only for the good of British tradal sanctum might inspire greater deter-, and other interests out here, to hold a midation to resist ; assume that the British Foreign or Colonial office is less easily intimidated than Mandarindom, and we see the flaw in this demonstration of the Association's usefulness. Its representa ว tions, we hope, will never come to be regarded as shrapnel; we hope that five unfortunate words used by the CHAIRMAN may never be dragged from their context and applied to the Association-the five words being we grumble; that is all." As he bimself said, "it should be one of the aims of the China Association to correct this error" the error of Home-staying critics who write of "the shrieking colonists of Hongkong "—and that aim can best be reached by a scrupulous care, and dignity, and restraint, in jogging the elbows of the powers that be. It should mcst decidedly not be the aim "to persuade the Home folk that we [China Association] are men of like passious with themselves." They must be persuaded, as far as possible, that the Chinn Association has no passions at all, But rather that it combines within itself all the "savvy" of the man on the spot, with the dispassionateness, of a disinterested and distant observer. Its patriotism can then be taken for granted. We do not think that the critics who charge our colonials with race-h-tred deserve all the notice gives them by the CHAIRMAN. The criticn who deserve attentiou, if it egotism to say so, are those who deprecate the first semblance of fuss or hurry or magnification of molebills. The speech we are, somewhat unfairly, an lysing, shows us the CHAIRMAN taking Mandarindom's bad motives too seriously and its good motives too sceptically. We have all sinned in much the same way, but then we are not all chairmen of the China Associatica's branch bere. In such a responsible office we expect more; the CHAIRMAN ought to be something more than mortal. Causar's wife must be above suspicion.
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watching brief, to calmly assert itself (the metaphor breaks down) as an expert witness, not Chauvinistic but patriotie, not bauging; the war-drum at the first pin-prick, bat watching both ends of the line carefully and speaking, when the real nead see.s apparent, with the deliberation that com- mauds a respectful hearing. We have never, as some have done, put it on a level with the geese that saved Rome. It's function is not altogether that of seatinel hailing each new movement policy with a peremptory
who gos there? Although the simile dos not fit at all points, we would like to regard it as sharing the task of the skilled general who surveys the opposing forces from a height,| aud who, noting the varying developments of the battle, directs his
orderlies accordingly. But the China - Association nay not direct, it may only suggest. It cannot even be said to be on the staff, Very often it chales at its own impotence, but that is because it naturally wants to see the orderlies galloping off at once as a result of its suggestions. That is a little unreasonable. It is thinking of a regiment only; the general has the whole brigade to think of. Sometimes the general may seem very thickbeaded and stiff-necked, but it has to be remembered that after all his is the responsibility,
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This provincialism is not merely a matter of disposition or taste; but also finds its way largely into, political life. Local interests have become largely developed during the centuries that Čuína has been dependent upon very slow and defective means of inter-communication. Although the system of changing high officials from time to tim is adopted in order as far as possible to counteract thes; influences, they are always such as have to be reckonel with at headquarters; and the Chiness officials are too wise to incur needless opposition by going counter to locul feelings where is possible to avoid doing so. this manner China, centralized though it may appear to the outside observer, is in reality very largely in the nature of a confederacy of individual states, over which' the imperial hold is by no means so strong as it seems to be. Instances have been known where the local power of the inhabitants has been great that they have been able to refuse to receive governors appointed from Peking; and a case is on record and is mentioned by Huc where a Provincial Offizial who was unacceptable was simply sent back to Peking by the people over whom he had been appointed to rule. The manner in which the Empire has been maintained has always been a matter of surprise to those who are acquainted with the nature of the system which actually exists. It is notorious that no very strong feeling of patriotism is to be found among the masses in China, nor is there any great love for the Dragou Throne; but there have nevertheless been certain forces at work which have kept China together as one nation in spite of influences which would have been sufficient to cause disruption in any other country. One of the' chief combining forces has undoubtedly been the innate respect which all Chinese have for authority and their desire for prosperity and quiet rather than national glorġ or advance- ment. They are inclined to make the best of a system, of whose defects they are well aware, rather than make any great sacrifices for its improvement. Another element which has kept Chiua together is the force of a comun language and literature. The spokeu dialects in different districts are as wide apart as many European languages. But the written language is the same every where. This latter fact has tended perhaps more than anything else to keep China together—and it is a force which may be reckoned upon probably for many years to come. What are now only individual prov- inces under the central government would the Chinese in different provinces are as in all likelihood long ago have been separats diverse as the inhabitants in various parts nationalities each with its own language of Europe. It is true that some broad
were Chinese writing on a phonetic instea l features of character are common to af!, but | of an ideographic basis. As it is the written there are local modifications, which are asl character is sommon to the whole empire
CONSIDERATIONS OFTEN
OVERLOOKED.
(Daily Press, January 9th.) One of the greatest difficulties which stands in the way of improvement in the administration of China is undoubtedly the heterogeneous nature of the population of the Empire. To the ordinary observer it might appear that the Chinese are one of the most homogeneous nations upon the face of the earth. To au outsider, it would There are many other passages car- seem that, go where you will, you find the marked for criticism or comment, apprecia- Chinaman and his ways one and the same. tive and otherwise, but we have space only But this impression is in reality the effect to refer to one more. In claiming that all of a mental delusion, uot unsimilar to the the criticisms of the Chinese Government optical delusion which makes all Chinamen
·were directed by n saue view of what cou seem alike to the new comer. In reality stitutes genuine friendship for China, Mr. MURRAY STEWART was certainly not obliged to indicate the possibility of other points of (sane) view. Repudiating earlier all sug- gestions that the Association is unfriendly
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