CO129-531-10 Hong Kong University- encouragement of Chinese students to counteract American influence 30-5-1931 - 1-9-1931 — Page 84

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classical system which he felt was preventing China from taking

part in the world's progressive movements.

But the Renaissance in Europe was definitely a retrograde

step if we regard if from the point of view of European cooperation

and unity, for it destroyed the international republic of letters

and of religion and substituted the narrower but more virile

system of nationalism which demanded the vernacular as the medium

of culture. We see today the persistence of this spirit, in the

strenuous efforts that are being made to revive such a language

as Erse, and in the tenacity with which the smaller states like

Wales, Scotland, Poland and Alsace maintain their national culture.

Just as no individual allows himself to be submerged and lost in

the community so the community refuses to sacrifice its identity

in the larger group.

China was therefore similar to Europe in that the unity,

which she enjoyed before the 19th century, was due to the accept-

ance of a classical and ethical system which cut across all pro-

vincial barriers, but if the same development takes place in China

as in Europe, not greater but less unity will follow: for China

is also rich in vernacular languages. Even where there is sup-

the posed to be the same language spoken, namely, Mandarin,

vocabulary of two places can be so different, that two persons from distant parts can hardly understand one another.

With the development of roads and railways the need for a common language will become more and more pronounced; but that will mean not as in Europe permission for each area to develop its own language, and ignore all others but the necessity for acquiring two spoken languages. A great part of China must therefore become bilingual, the Cantonese, the Fukienese, the Swatow and Amoy communities will all of necessity, have to become acquainted with a form of liandarin which they will speak in addition to their own language; for Mandarin in some form or other is spoken by the greater part of the population of China.