February 3, 1908.1
certainly be held blameworthy, (i.e. re- sponsible) for the excessive issue of the past without implying that it knowingly and deliberately issued in such excess for profit. It is admitted that such implication is an warranted, but whether the thing was done in ignorance or short-sightedness or howso- ever, the moral responsibility remains. A British subject expects n British promise to pay (which is what the King's head implies) | always to hold good, and it is his ambition to see the whole world sharing his faith in that idea. Unhappily circumstances at Hongkong have arisen in which that now appears impossible; there are honest but unfortunate bankrupts, and we will not. deny the local Government that status. We make these comments because the argument attacked by Mr. MANSFIELD happens to have been our own, and we certainly never entertained the suspicion which he claims to be an integral part of the argument.
So far, so good, but we are not much for. toward practical issues. Neither can the Commitive be said to be. Four members sign one report; three another; (we reproduce both iu another column) and in transmitting them to Government, Mr. THOMSON indicates that further delibern- tions could only have meant an interminable controversy. The Jury disagrees, so at present there can be no verdict.
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(Daily Press, January 27th.)
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him uncomfortable, to exercise the tyranny of implacable "form. Fear of such ex- pressions makes the average person conform in unimportant details of life and conduct in which he may be inclined to deviate ; makes him, for instance, buy clothes he cannot afford, or abstain from business helpful to himself that could not injure any other. Implacable form," finally, encourages the worst kinds of proselytism, with no higher motive, it is to be feared, than that of the fox in the fable, who, having lost his tail, tried to persuade his fellows to discard theirs. At school and in life, it so happens that the tailles foxes constitute the majority. They cling to the limitations imposed by "implacable form" just as the Chinese cling to their queues. The slave becomes the ardent champion of his chains. We almit that in reporting His Excellency's speech we made a mistake; we submit the above reflections merely as an example of how a mistake may sometimes be an occa- sion of profit.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
gons. If the new boy makes his appearance in the realm of "form" wearing to ne garment fancied by a fondly foolish inother, but too individual for the taste of his new environment, it is implacable "form" that tears it from hem to collar, or bespat'ers it with ink. In China we have a nation peculiarly slavish under this implacable thing. That Europeans have ben raved from the stagnating uniformity of the Chinese civilization is largely due to their wholesome leaven of rebels against "form." They cannot claim any mental superiority, any racial advantage, other than their blessed diversity of character and culture. "Britons never, never — We have to thank those singers
who were shrewd enough, or cantankerous enough, to see that the "nevers of their protestation involved a deliberate flouting of "form." Empty as they are, the churches would have been emptier still had it not been for "form." Far advanced as science is, it might have projected the pier of knowledge further still, if int llect had always been as sturdy a rebel against "form" as it has grown to be. MILL feared once that "frm" was master- ing the race; he complained that Britons were all reading the same things, listening to the same things, going to the same places, sharing the same hopes aud fears-trivial hopes and fears and uniting in the same demand for the mischievous illusion of 'form" that insists upon uniformity as the chief nim and end. But implacable as it is, form" is happily to a great extent futile. Its antithesis may be carried to excess some- A bygone English writer complained that times, and in such cases we can sympathise though an angel should write, s'ill 'tis when men, as did His Excellency, put in a devils must print," and in these days of friendly word for the chastening influence of rapid journalism, many a public speaker, be he never so careful and precise in his reference with its context, we find, how forin." Taking Sir FREDERICK LUGARD's choice of words, has to endure the morti-ever, that it was not fication of seeing the children of bis brain ing of, but "esprit de corps," a respectable form" he was think mishandled by that overworked accoucheur, cousin of " form," but by no means the the reporter, or by that monthly nurse, the same. The force with the French name (for proof-reader. It is not always that the which it is to be regretted we have no exact orator profits by the blunders of his inter-idiomatic English equivalent) is a noble preters, as we are fain to think his Ex-leader, a worshipful captain, whom it is ensy cellency the Governor has just done. Sir and pleasant to follow; "form," whether in FREDERICK LUGARD probably will not Public School or public life, is too ofteu a agree with us, but when we inadvertently harsh tyrant, driving with whips and scor misreported his reference to that im-
pions, Forw, palpable" thing spoken of at School as
implacable impalpable "frm," made charred corpses of nonconform form,"
," and made him call it "implacable," | ists;
"form
is the collective opinion of the we are not submitting vain excuses when we majority, often right--for "bal forn" oftett claim that we thereby gilded the goldens wanting in consideration for the public speech. We have not lost our loathing yel weal-but often wrong,--as when it meddles for the pedagogic unction with which boys with individual educt that affects only are sometimes toll that school is an epitome the interests of the individual. We were of the world, but we have ascertained the able, in weighing the individual fact, and can admit it without unctuous Lieut. Woons, to decide that in his circum- case of satisfaction. In schol and out of it, in stances, presumably working less for his owu extreme youth and in the subsequent half interests thau for the good of the army of dozen ages, that impalpable thing "form is also one of the most implacable forces of There was an aspect of "implacable form
which he formed a part, he was misdirected. society. Britous of all sorts and conditions, about those who dealt with him, but a little whether at Public School or Board School, in Society or only ambitious to be, though would have saved him. Every man has a 'esprit de corps" in his owu make-up they all take joy in singing that they never, duty to biniself, but he also bas, unless he never, never shall be slaves, are all subject be a volunt ry and avowel Crusoe, a duty to the tyranny of "form," however various to others. The ly it may be named. We are not saying placable too often exaggerates the scope of "form" that is so im- that it is altogether a bad thing, though we the latter and ignores the former. would like to see it less implacable.
Even It was MILL, that subil: thinker on the social this very
"form"
which made Lieut. relations, erred, in our opinion, when be Woods recently resign his commission iu the Army; it is the same thing which displeases us, we have a right to express our sa'd that if a person's self-regarding conduct makes many dwellers in Suburbia struggle dist iste, and hold aloof from him. If it harder under the yoke of competitive ex-
were really & If regarding conduct, (ie. istence, striving in ways that really do not
conduct that does not affect us personally matter to respect the exigencies of the im. the correct procedure would surely be to palpable, implacable Moloch of "fon." | take no notice of it whatever. We could do The "
sees it in its best and that without having to force ourselves to new boy worst forms. It is "bad form ' to be a endure at close quart rs his distasteful tale-bearer or a sneak; it is not "good form" manners. to work harder than his fellows at his les-case of the average individual, is to make But to express our distaste, in the
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TIPS AND MORALITY.
(Daily Press, January 28th.) The perusal of a correspondence which appeared recently in the London Times strongly recalls the celebrated saying of MACAULAY that there is nothing more ridiculous than the British nublic, when it guts into one of its periodical fit of morality. This remark was made in reference to the unreasoning antagonism that was displayed people have bezom infinit ly better sinc with regar to WARREN HASTINGS, but
those days, and we find that the columns of "the leding journal" are now taken up important subject of Christmas boxes, which with a correspondence on the enormously
discussion by an eminent judge and of an is not considered beneath the dignity of
opinion by the Attorney-General. We are certainly getting very good indeed when Sir EDWARD FRY indicts a letter, a column long, on this stupendous subject, to the public Press, and deals with it with all the important trial. scr'ousuess of a summing up in some "The Prevention of Corruption Act," which was passed to prevent manifestly corrupt practices in connection with commissions on contracts and other mercantile transactions, and also touched upon commissions to servants in large houses, to secure custom formed the discussion was hung. peg up in which this very high-toned
"The approach of the first Christmas" after that Act had been
It
passed "naturally "Sir EDWARD tells us, "called attention to the question how far comes within the scope of the Act." the giving or receiving of Christmas boxes
almost seems a pity that Christmas was 30° the circumstances. It should have refrained unreisonable as to approach at all under from doing so, and so have avoided the shock to such sensitive consciences as Sir EDWARD's. He has no doubt that "most Christmas boxes given by tra lesmen to favour to the tradesmen." With this most servants are given as inducements to show
people will, to a qualified extent, agres these donations from pure philanthrophy. as nobody suppos s that tradesmei mike But whether this inducemen' is an undue
opinions may differ, and it seems that some one or a corrupt one is a point upon which tra/lesmen issus circulars to the servants inviting them to proure their master' assent to their receiving the gift, an undoubt odly prudent course, and on eminently calculated to redure the necessity of giving the customary "cumshaw.” to a minimu4 790. ciently cleared up on this particularly busi- One would think that the matter was suffi-
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