December 23, 1907.)
"food for thought." The whole thing is a mare's nest, and the students who cultivate queues do so for the same reason that many of the foreign missionaries do it, and with no more harm. Messrs. WALTER KINGSLEY and WALTER KIRTON, so coincidentally | named, were not writing for people who know, but for people who don't know, and that sort of thing is anything but fair to the latter.
SHANGHAI.
(Daily Press, December 16th.) The letter we have taken the liberty of reproducing from the columns of our Shang. hai contemporary came too pat after our own comments upon at least one China man's obstructive attitude with regard to foreign railway loans to be ignored. We had to write strongly about SHENG KUNG-PAO and his politics, because always, when one has ascertained the facts, and is reasonably sure of them, odiosa est oratio, cum rem agas, longinquum loqui-or, as an impudent school. boy very freely translated to a somewhat weak-minded tutor of our acquaintance. beating about the bush is a beastly bore." The remarkably mild and temperate argument of our contemporary's corres pondent, however, deserves more gentle handling. Indeed, it were extremely foolish not to re-examine our national position, to cross-examine our conscience, on such a friendly hint that our prestige has been lowered, and our commercial hopes im- perilled. We certainly shall not take offence at such criticism. The weakest position of all those taken up by this anonymous correspondent is with regard to railways, and perhaps these points were added, on insufficient reflection, to bolster up an argument that opens much more effectively than it concludes. The sugges- tion that the new line from Shanghai to Chinkiang has cost too much is most un- fortunate. It was Chinese opposition, and later Chinese business "smartness," that added largely to the expenditure. The N.-C. Daily News reports that certain Chinese effected a "corner in stone" and caused the Corporation to pay a million dollars more for ballast than they need have done under normal conditions. If British be. haviour to China is to be judged solely on its connection with railway enterprise, we can hold up our heads with anybody, and in days to come the Chinese will admit that we gave more than we got. By herself, or with others less disinterested than the British have been, China would have had far less to be thankful for than she has. It is the earlier portions of the indictment that seem harder to answer, and even there, after fair consideration, there need be no besitation in de- claring that the friendly critic's feelings have run away with him, The attitude of the Municipal Council, which we are told the Chinese regard as a British body, may have appeared unnecessarily hostile and anti-Chinese at times. We also have noticed it, but naturally found it easier to understand and make allowance for than this Chinese critic does. It must be re- membered that the City Fathers have had to face many
insidious attempts" to undermine their most undoubted rights- rights, which, moreover, they have again and again had the mortification of seeing treated cavalierly by the British Govern- ment or its officials from whom they expected support. The Chinese demands have not alwas been more considerately made than the answers to them, and if this Chinese critic lives in Shanghai, as we assume he does, he must admit that the
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. maintenance of those rights is a matter of moment to far moro Chinese than foreigners. There have been times in the history of the | Settlement, indeed, when it would have been worse than foolish for the Municipal Council to risk ambiguity for the sake of politeness. An honest cause should not suffer because of plain-spoken champions. The position has been at times not unlike that of the father of a cherished daughter resenting the attentions of a suitor whose intentions were, well, not strictly honour- able. The careful parent could not benefit more than did his child, by his watchful care; and it is certain that the foreigners of Shanghai have never gained anything for themselves that was not directly advant- ageous to the great native population that finds shelter and support, honest admin- istration and personal liberty, between the Yangkingpang and the Point.
It appears to be an old grievance that prompts the reference to "the different treatment meted out by the Council to Chiuese and foreign residents," probably the exclusion of Chinese from the Public Gardeus, about which many unjust things have been said. He might as well have asked that the Shanghai Club be thrown open to the Chinese public.
The Gardens would be of no use to either side, were they not so managed; and is is not as if no provision had been made for the Chinese residents, However, no amount of argument is likely to overcome a really healthy prejudice; and it is not only in China that the British have had to work for others without expecting gratitude. It is pleasant to think, at least, how they would be missed, and their depar- ture regretted, were they suddenly to leave the Chinese of Shanghai to their own resources. Perhaps the best answer of all is this, that the Chinese quite understand the power of the boycott, that there is no com- pulsion upon them to throng into the Settle ment in increasing numbers, and that that is just what they continue to do-sufficient indication, surely, that the rule of the Shanghai City Fathers is perhaps not so intolerable to the majority as it would appear to be to a few.
SOLDIERS AND SYSTEM.
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into that point of view, realizing all that it looks at and allows for, there is a risk of misjudging the men responsible for the British Army, and of too hastily and too heatedly condemning them. This is the line that the civilian public seem to be inclined to take; and it is desir- able that someone should point out that if there be anything to condemu, it is the system, which demands and compels such bias as we are bound to attribute to those who felt obliged to treat Lieut. Woods as they did. With that we have no present occasion to deal. There would have to be a system of some sort, and it is fully probable that if this wide subject were to be threshed out, the discovery would be made that the ideals and principles of the code which has found Lieut. Woods so incompatible are as good and as useful, from a purely utilitarian point of view, as any others that could be suggested. The prima facie aspect of the incident, for the general public, amounts to something like this. Here is a young officer of admittedly good character and studious habits, anxious te get on in his profession, who is disliked by his colleagues and superiors because his taste for sport, and possibly his respect for appearances, is not equal to theirs. It is quite believable that they used the usual mena to get rid of him, endeavouring to make him feel his unpopularity so that he would of his own initiative take the necessary steps to leave them. It is easy to jump thence to the horrible suspicion that, these means failing, unjust reports were concocted and sent in; and it is this suspicion which the decision of the Court of Inquiry finally removes.
At the inquiry,
家居
E
WOODS
it is important to note, Lieut. himself recognize and accepted the esoteric motive of the Service code, the same moving spirit and impulse that prompted their treatment of him, led him to refuse to complain definitely of his seniors' conduct. It was impossible, not to be thought of. Very well. If that were not merely conventional humbug, a pose for the benefit of the Court, it seems that be ought to have thought of it sooner. His demand for enquiry might be according to Regulations, but it was against the spirit of the ideal be professed to share. Even (Daily Press, 17th December.)
before that, he should have considered, if In the case of a Military Court of Inquiry be accepts the system, his position with such as that which was opened at Chelsea regard to his colleagues. Perhaps it would Barracks to investigate the circumstances be a good thing to stamp out of the Army of Lieutenant Woods' complaint that his
ragging," and class customs," and professional character had been unfairly esprit de corps": to let each man be a reported to the War Office, the proper thing law to himself, and pursue his own path to would seem to be that we should accept its the hatrack where the spare cock-plumes decision as final, and say no more about it. droop to insist upon the admitted fact That would be correct procedure as a rule, that a man is a man "for a' that." That and in the present case it may be that the would be to change the system, however ; telegraphic summary of the decision does perhaps even to abolish the army; for it is not really warrant an exception. As it not easy to form a conception of an army of stands, however, and trusting that it does
socialista keen on the liberty of the in- not inaccurately represent the finding of dividual and equal rights. The victim in the Court, it seems impossible to express this instance, however, does not seem to satisfaction with a decision that includes quarrel deliberately with
the system, statements so mutually destructive. If the though be bas, perhaps unconsciously, reports complained of were abrupt and in offended it by being too independent, some cases unnecessarily strongly worded,'
unclubable." In these cases it very often how can we reasonably be expected to be happens that the victim is rather a superior lieve that they were "unbiassed?” Strong fellow: that his social or professional en- words necessarily indicate bias, though itvironment is of a sort to tempt his sort of may not be improper or unwarranted bias. After reading the instalment of the report of the trial which did not reach us in time
rogue elephant" bas no right to resent for publication before this morning, and the resentment of his fellows, who naturally after thinking the whole situation well over,
do not appreciate peculiar people. In an we faucy it possible to guess what the ver- organization like the Army, such men are dict means. From the Service point of view undesirable, until we provide a special the complaining officer's superiors had done regiment for them. Till then, they must nothing wrong; they had not been unfairly compromise, consider the other.' point of biassed. Unless, therefore, we can enter ❘ view more, be clubable; otherwise theirs
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mind to contempt; but unless he has the courage to go clear away from it, our