Directory_and_Chronicle_1903 — Page 608

CHINA

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bridge. The whole trend of Chinese education is especially calculated to ensure a hostile bias towards change, towards reform of abuse, and towards the adaptation of environment to new conditions, on which depends the continued existence of men and governments alike. The governing and influential classes have an enormous vested interest in retaining things as they are in every phase of Chinese life. There can be but one issue to a policy like theirs in these days, though the Chinese, unlike their more nimble-minded neighbours in the East, are unable to see it. As in all countries where an enormous population lives on the narrow ledge that divides poverty from famine, there is ever a large element of social discontent ready to be moulded to whatever end crafty or plausible leaders may determine. In many places this has been directed against Missionary converts and the Christian propaganda, and has given rise to a wide-spread idea that the Christian religion is in itself hateful to the Chinese, It may be admitted that in cases the indiscretions of the Missionaries, and in a few more that of the converts in claiming special privilege and in using the aegis of their teachers for the advance of their private ends, gives some colour to the charge that Missionary enterprise is the main cause of anti- foreign feeling in China; but by anyone who knows the relatively small field of Missionary influence, and the huge area over which the blind national enmity obtains, it must be dismissed as incommensurate to the phenomenon, though it undoubtedly assists in swelling the tide of anti-foreign hatred. A more just explanation may be found in Education and in the recent history of China. Shallow observers deny that there is patriotic sentiment in the Chinese but that is an error. Patriotism has not the fine edge that it has in Western countries, and is not so active in personal or national conduct, but to say that it is non-existent is absurd. The antional conceit in their own ineffable superiority implies a strong feeling at least akin to love of country. This conceit had, among the educated classés, received severe and deadly wounds from the issues of the Japanese war, the seizure of Kiau-chou, Port Arthur and Wei-lai-wei, from French aggression in the South and the ill concealed designs of Italy in Chekiang. The degradation of high officials at the call of foreign Ministers, the overbearing attitude of strong men like von Heyking and Pavilow in Peking, even the extension of the foreign Settlements in Shanghai and other places, and the utter insouciance with which the partition and general treatment of China is usually discussed in the foreign Press, have all contributed to accentuate and to intensify the chronic bitter anti-foreign feeling. To this we have but to add the unfathoniable ignorance of the outside world and its resources displayed by the harem-ridden and secluded Manchus in Peking, to get most of the elements in which the recent troubles originated.

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The sedition arose in Shantung, the very shrine of Confucianism and Chinese patriotism-such as it is. At first it had its inception in that vague and ill-defined social discontent to which we have referred as originating_in_poverty. Shantung is the home of secret societies and of bold blackguardism. The Ta-tou-tse or "Big Swords "--- long ago developed a kindred society, which took the sententious name of I-ho-chüan Patriotic Harmony Fists," roughly rendered into English by the word "Boxers." These people have a ritual which is largely composed of gymnastic posturing. During the last few years it has focussed in its membership all the vague discontents arising in Christianity as a better system of morals, in poverty, in political "loss of face," in discontent with the Dynasty, &c. It is the easiest thing in the world to direct a feeling of general discontent exclusively toward one of its elements; and if cleverly done, the whole force of the storm will be directed against this one object to the complete neglect of all the rest. This was cleverly brought about in Shantung. The last two Governors of the Province seeing the trend of events, skilfully represented to the Throne that it would be wise to guide the coming storm into channels into which it could be made subservient to Imperial resistance to foreign design; otherwise, they pointed out the society would as likely as not follow the example of the secret societies of the South and adapt primarily an anti-dynastic policy. The Boxers were consequently encouraged in their baiting of Christians, and only half-heartily punished when they added the murder of Europeans to their pro- grauime. When they began to harass Catholic Missions and converts, Bishop Anger, a strong-minded but somewhat tactless Bavarian, made strong representations to his impulsive Imperial master. The latter instructed his Minister to demand the instant dismissal of the highest provincial authorities, and so intensified the anti- foreign feeling among the high officials in Peking. Things drifted from bad to worse. Li Hung-chang and other great Chinese officials, who were under no delusion as to foreign strength, were not listened to, and were sent to places where exclusively anti-