April 3, 1895.J
viceable aid to getting over the threshold of the | dificulty.
947
Chinese bankers put their chops in red ink on the shoes, but not always,
ཟུན།
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
neither doubt nor mistake, have been swept into the limbo of the past; and in place of them Japanese female costume is essentially suited what standard has been set up Simply, in to Japanese modes of life, and reeds but little their poor minds, a hazy, shapeless idea that they nese seems to Western ideas rough and primitive,
"The mode of assaying followed by the Chi adaptation to fit it for life in the Western style, must never forget to be patrioti. Of the right-yet the results they arrive at ar not, as a rule European female costume, or the other hand,ful aim and scope of true patriotism, in their very far from the actual fineness of the metal. is incompatible with existence à la Japonaise country's present eiroumstances, they know no If, then, says the Japanese reformer, our wo.
"The Kung Koo's' valuation seems often to more than the babes in the wood. For nine out be more a confirmatiom of what the melters men can be induced to wear foreign attire, their of every ten of such folks this forlorn state of make the fineness of the sycee to be than satisfy- husbands will be obliged to modify the dwellings mind is, fortunately, neither painful noring himself by actual assay, although at times they inhabit, and to adopt in a greater or less ruinous; but in the breasts of morbid, brooding he will bore holes through the shoes or chip bita degree improved systems of domestic and even lads like the soshi, filled to bursting, as not a off them, and assay them by touchstone. The social life. Women will also be working out, in few of them unhappily are, with the wild notion melter seems to work by rule of thumb; for in- part, a change for the better in their own con- that it behoves them to sacrifice themselves in stance, when he melts down foreign bar silver- dition and status, and gradually raising them some way, even unto death, for their country, the fineness of which he knows, as it is stamped selves to a place in the household in their hus- such a blind, unformulated, and rudderless spirit on the bars, and taken by him in good faith- bands' eyes, and in society, which shall fit them of patriotism cannot but be fraught with ele- he adds a certain weight of chopped dollars--the for cooperation in the work of Japan's advance- ments of disturbance of the public peace. And fineness of which he also knows➡bringing down ment.
polities, of course, are at this epoch alike the fineness of the mass of metal to what he con- the decoy and the goad of the misguided and siders it should be, or to the premium he wishes turbulent fraternity. There are to-day dozens it to bear. The melter, being responsible for all upon dozens of youths in the empire whose crazy time and his heirs after him, and having deadly dreams of patriotism are ever impelling them, penalties hanging over him, exercises great care, not, happily, to such brutal deeds as that of last and fraud in this particular is almost unknown. Friday, but at least to acts and agitations of The Kang Koo is also responsible, and while kind which brand them, as in truth they are, the being careful keeps a sharp eye on the melters. worst possible foes of their country. Unfor. So much for syces making." tunately, too, as there is a soshi class, so there is also what may be called a soshi press. The My Diary on a Chinese Farm. By Mrs. ARCHI writers in these vehement sheets are for ever
BALD LITTLE. Shanghai, Hongkong, Singa- dinning into the ears of their clients attacks on
pore, and Yokohama: Kelly & Walsh, Limited. the Administration, complaints that the national WHILE living at Chungking Mr. and Mrs. Little honour, resources, and diguity are being sacri.went out to spend the hot season in a farm ficed or the Constitution set at naught, fervid honse amongst the hills. Mrs. Little kent exhortations to every thinking Japanese to bestir diary there, which is now published in the himself in his country's cause-everything, in Tolume before us. It gives a very interesting short, best calculated to work upon the feelings Picture of life on a Chinese farm, with its dis- and passions of youthful, discontented, and comforts and its pleasures. Unfortunately while desperate readers.”
on the farm the foreigners were the victims of a robbery, which brought much misery and an- rosiding, one of the farmer's sons being locked happiness on the family with which they wono up and tortured on a charge of being the thief. The following entry refers to this matter ~—
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Much that has been said here regarding the national dress of Japanese women applies equally to that of the men.
The idea of most Europeans, from noblemen to tailors,' is that an Oriental. though possibly one of God's creatures, hails from some substratum far down on the human scale, and is to be treated accord ingly. That is the kind of teaching which has inclined this most patriotic of peoples towards the adoption of expedients which, without sacrificing their national individua- lity, may tend to make Occidentals forget the differences between them. Dress, without doubt, is an important factor in this ques tion. As long as a Japanese wears his country's costume, it marks him conspicuously as an Oriental, and tells against him in his intercourse with foreigners. Substitute European clothing, and the contrast becomes less striking. He at once receives greater recognition and respect. Similar considerations help to account for the willingness that is already being shown by a few The Currency of China. (A Short Enquiry.) ladies of the upper classes to abandon their own charming and graceful apparel for ba bili-
By JAMES K. MORRISON. London: Eling ments which must be utterly repugnant to their
ham Wilson. Hongkong and Shanghai: Kelly artistic taste. Seeing that Japan's keenest aspira- Mr. MORRISON in his preface tells us that worrying the people round so much on the plea of
and Walsh, Limited.
"We are beginning to wonder whether the tion is admittance into the circle of Christendom, his book has been written from notes made our stolen goods is not in order to make them ob- we can hardly be astonished if her daughters during some aim at dressing themselves like the rest of the with the money it attempts to describe and here. Directly the robbery occurred one mis- years of practical experience jest to our going on the land we have rented near ladies of Christendom, even though the change is put before the public in the hope that sionary said he should not be surprised if it bad be, as it certainly is, for its own sake, unwel-it may be of some come and against the grain."
practical assistance been done by order of the Magistrate in order to We are tempted to make many extracts from will be fulfilled, for Mr. Morrison explains the outside the city walls. This seems too elaborate to those interested in the subject. The hope say he could not undertake to protest foreigners General Palmer's pages. but must refer our intricacies of sycee and the different taels and a plot. But that they should utilise the theft to readers to the book itself. a perusal of which we their exchange relation to dollars. On page 36 make us disliked in the neighbourhood would can assure them will afford them much pleasure. In all there are twenty-six letters, treating on
some figures are given as a foundation for making only be natural. We hear no more of having such various topics as the earthquakes and and in other parts of the book calculations are rented last year and have not so far been allowed a table to assist the checking of Shanghai sycee our money returned us for the piece of land wo volcanic explosions which occurred during the worked out which will be found useful to to build upon, nor of our being allowed to go on anthor's residence in the country, the Japanese those interested in dollar and tael exchange. building, and the three months we were to spend Ballet, the Shrines in Isé, Japanes Polo, Cor. The following description of sycee making is at this farm in order to accustom the people to morant Fishing in Japan, the Flower Art of the interesting:- Japanese, and the various semi-political sub.
us, et cetera, are nearly up jects to which reference has been already r
"The word sycee, we are told, is taken from all through, indeed, the country people have been From the first, and There is one extract, however, referring to a
Sai-sz, meaning fine silk; the Chinese, however, only too friendly and cordial. It seems the conn- matter of some immediate practical importance as used in Shanghai is cast in ingots or shoes were murdered" [the Sungpu victims] “and now it Wan Yin,' meaning pure silver. Sycee try people were so to those two missionaries, who that we must give. If we are not mistaken we are likely in the immediate future to hear a good Smaller ingots are seldom seen there, although them also bring accusations against the two dond weighing about 5 taels Chauping weight. they are all being tortured and rained to make deal of the soshi, whose activity has been excited in other parts of China they are met with. The men. by the present war, and to whose influence the ingots are called shoes from a fancied resem- everyone who was in friendly relations with them It makes one's blood boil to think of it; anti-English feeling which at present charac-blance to a Chinese woman's shoe. terises a large section of the Japanese press is
In former is being persecuted, and the men from a distance due. In his letter on the attempted assassina-ars old sycee was met with containing gold in who killed them-p.id to do so, of course are tract it or to ship the ingots to Europe. This sufficient quantity to make it profitable to ex- | untouched.” is seldom the case now, and never so with Shang-run ;- hai sycee, which is now generally made by melt- ing down silver bars imported from Europe and red eyed, disfigured creature threw himself in * One day a most wretched looking, emaciated, America, together with Mexican dollars (gen- the dust before me, and knocked his head rê- impress on each shoe their chop or name, and cause there were the farmer and his wife, asking erally chopped) and other coins. The melters peatedly. I rather hurried away from him “be- also one or two characters giving reference to A. to sit down and drink wine with them to celō- some record as to date of casting. weight, and brate the release of their son from prison, and I premium. After the shoes are cast they are wanted to congratulate them and ask how he inspected by the Kung Koo, an individual was; then with a sudden horror realised that the who cannot be said to be appointed by or con-wretched creature who had just knelt before me nected with the Government of Chiua, but who had once been the strong, hearty man who used is selected by the Chinese bankers and money-always to call out in such loud, cheery tones: chaugers and paid for his services by a small Is it cool enough for you. T'ai t'ai ?' on his fre- fee of so many cash on each shoe he inspects quent visits to his parents' home. We felt then This personage examines the shoes, weighs, and we could not take part in the feast of congratula- assays them in a rough sort of way by the tion. But he is a Chinaman. And since thes touchstone-if he considers such to be necessary he seems quite to have got over his torturing in and when satisfied and also pleased with the the yamen. Our things have been recovered, the look see the way of shape, colour, and lustre, writes on the farm house, and the honour of the farm or general appearance of the shop in thieves have been exhibited in four cages outside each shoe in black ink in large Chinese charac-family is intact once more." ters its weight and the premium it bears. This writing is done in a peculiar style, and it is said types and photo-engravings in
The book contains a number of excellent to be difficult to copy. The shoes of sycee are style. For the printing the then ready to be put into circulation & Some Type Foundry responsible and
tion of Count Okuma General Palmer gives the following account of the soshi :-
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"The soshi not only have not yet eradicated but still ardently cherish the old spirit of patriotism or loyalty-Yamato-damashii, as the Japanese call it-which for ages was samurai's idol, and at whose shrine it was his the highest glory to lay down his life' whenever the canons of feudal practice required it, and to thereby write down his name for ever and ever in the pages of Japanese history. Bat Yamato damashii, for all its lustre in the past, is at this day entirely out of joint with the times Of old it found its chief expression in fealty of every kind-above all else in loyalty to the lord of the clan and in rigorous observance of the ven- detta. Patriotism in its wide and true sense was hardly understood. because, as things were then, the opportunities for its exercise were so rare. Wherever, then, at the present day the old spirit survires—as it undoubtedly does among no in considerable section of the people of this empire thero can be little wouder that many of its more ignorant possessors are for ever groping About in sheer perplexity as to the line that their patriotism should take. The ancient shib. boleths and precepts, about which there could be
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Things came right, however, in the long
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