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THE DUTY OF THE WHITE TO
THE COLOURED RACES.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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"burlesque which are connected in some degree with the foulness in evil. I think "the most perfect type of a true English "mind in its best possible temper is that of Chaucer; and you will find that, while it "is for the most part full of thoughts of beauty, pure and wild, like that of an April morning, there are even in the "midst of this sometimes momentarily jesting passages which stoop to play "with evil; while the power of listening to and enjoying the jesting of entirely gross persons, whatever the feeling may be "which permits it, afterwards degenerates "into forms of humour which render some "of quite the greatest, wisest, and most moral of English writers now almost use- "less for our youth. And yet you will find "that whenever Englishmen are wholly "without this instinct, their genius is com- paratively weak and restricted." The passage quoted will commend itself for the justness of its critical insight, and, if we accept it, it shows how unsafe it would be to follow the writer of "Occupy till I come " in his condemnation of the moral tone of modern society simply because its conversa- tion sometimes turns to jesting on subjects
of coarseness.
[March 4, 1896.
while as to the mercenaries, as the writer of the paper under notice calls them, we are utterly unable to find any ground for his condemnation. The members of the Foreign Customs Service in China are mer- cenaries, and very good work they are doing; but even if it were admitted that the theoreti cal result of their work was to strengthen China at the expense of the civilised powers it could not but be deemed quixotic if they were to throw up their appointments for such a shadowy reason. The same consi- derations apply in other departments. If China wishes to engage engineers to make her railways or to open her mines, lawyers to establish a rational system of jurisprudence in the country, or doctors to introduce the healing art, no man need feel himself de- meaned by hiring out his services to her or fear that he is committing immoral acts.” Such an idea-we say it with all respect to the talented writer of the paper -appears to us absurd, as absurd as it would be to accuse a doctor of demeaning himself because he attended a person of lower social standing than himself or a lawyer because he gave his professional services to the un-- learned. Sociological studies are no doubt very interesting and in many respects valuable, but sociology is as yet a young science and it is only by violence that it can be made to furnish arguments applicable to the great problem of the relations of the West with the East, of the civilized with the uncivilized.
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THE JAPANESE IN FORMOSA AND OPIUM SMOKING.
We publish to-day a rather remark- able paper on the relations of the white to the coloured races and the duty of the former to keep the latter down, or, at all events, not to assist them to rise. We differ from the writer in many of his premises and in all his main conclusions. He speaks of the advance in physical and intellectual civilization having outstripped the advance in moral civilization. A dic tionary definition of the meaning of civiliza- tion is given, but he appears also to use the word partly in the sense of evolution. And in that sense it is doubtful whether the advance made by the human race physically or intel- lectually within historic times is in any way appreciable. Accepting the doctrine of evolution we are bound to believe that there has been some advance, but thousands of years are required to effect radical changes in racial characteristics, and the book of history is but a little page as compared with the greatbook of nature. The accumulation and diffusion of knowledge do not neces sarily imply a raising of the intellectual standard, but only that the stock of know- ledge is augmented and the number of
All this, however, is of merely academic individuals who approach the standard of in- interest. The practical point to which our tellectuality increased. The whole race of author's arguments lead is that while the modern poets laureate are but pigmies in pursuit of morality is at present the greatest intellectual grandeur as compared with the need of the white races we should not assist writer of the book of Job, and, taking a
the black or yellow races in the same pur- shorter interval for purposes of comparison, suit, nor yet in the pursuit of physical or the last two hundred years have failed to intellectual civilization, lest they should out- produce a second Shakespeare or Milton; strip us and take possession of our heritage. while if we turn to philosophy and science Hence both missionarics and mercenaries we find no modern who has displayed a more
are to be condemned for the services they That the Japanese have a talent for admin- sagacious or penetrating mind than Aris-render to those races, and to the Chinese inistration unique among Asiatics there can totle. The difference between now and then particular. Is this so? Does our interest be no doubt. The fact is abundantly proved is that whereas in ancient times knowledge lie in the shutting up or the opening up by the wonderful manner in which they and learning were the property of the few of China? The opening up is advocated have, since the Revolution of 1867, when they are now, amongst the civilized races, for commercial and selfish reasons mainly, the Shogunate was overturned, adopted generally diffused, and that the present age but it is impossible to make any progress in Western systems and improvements, and in enjoys the use of the accumulated wisdom it without at the same time incidentally the brief period of thirty years become one and discoveries of previous ages. The race contributing to the intellectual advance of the great Powers of Asia. Japan is now lives on a higher plane of comfort, but the ment of the inhabitants of the country. without doubt admirably governed, and law individual man remains in intellectual force Philosophical argument, even if sound, and order are enforced throughout the much the same as he was at the dawn of would no more avail to stop Western com- MIKADO's dominions in a way and with an history. Solso with our physical advance-
merce in its search for new fields to exploit impartiality that might well be emulated ment: we diminish the death rate by in the Far East than a piece of thread to stop in some Western countries notwith- keeping the weakly alive, but who will say a wild elephant. For the present there is standing such occasional glaring instances of that the strongest man of the present day is money to be made in the Far East and miscarriage of justice as the decision of the stronger than the strongest man of two thou-
Western traders and manufacturers will Hiroshima Court in Viscount MIURA'S sand years ago? The same may be said of the come to make it without thinking very case. Hitherto, however, Japanese ad- department of morals; the rule of justice is much of what the effect may be a thousand ministrators have had a rather easy field now more closely observed by untions than
years hence. If they did think about it, for their operations, being almost limited formerly, but individual types of moral however, the majority, we fancy, would not to their own islands. It is true that beauty and grandeur are to be found in arrive at the same conclusion as the writer of they have had a little outside experience olden days of as high a standard as any Occupy till I come," but rather at the in the Loochoo Islands, now the Okinawa yielded by modern times. But if the ad- opposite conclusion. More trade can be ken, and have succeeded in imposing vance of the race in morals has not been done with civilized than uncivilized races, their institutions without much difficulty greater than the physical and intellectual
so that from a commercial point of view the on those somewhat apathetic islanders." advance it has certainly not been less. The civilization of China is to be advocated. In Korea they also made an attempt, but writer of "Occupy till I come" draws an Moreover, as in our national life we deem with only limited powers, and yet more unfavourable conclusion as to the moral it necessary to try to cut out the canker of limited success, to administer the country. tone of modern society from the newspaper pauperism and vice and to raise the lower In a district of Manchuria, however, they reports of murders and divorces and the classes to a higher plane of social existence, set up a provincial government during their style of drawing room conversation. The as much from prudential as from philan- occupation of the country, and were far conclusion, we maintain, is not a sound one. thrapic considerations, so in international more successful, their rule being apparently It is beyond the power of man to divest life it may be deemed necessary to more acceptable to the natives than that of himself of his animal nature and as long as try to raise to a higher plane the the Chinese. These essays at ruling alien the race endures animal coarseness and nations that are sunk in complete or races, however (we except the Loochooans), crime will characterise it. Indeed the too semi-barbarism, for the existence of bar have all been temporary and made under great forcing of the intellect may in itself barism is a standing menace to the security the various difficulties and drawbacks in- tend to the increase of insanity, and in- of our civilization. We cannot if we would cidental to a precarious tenure of power, sanity in its various degrees is responsible for erect a wall of separation between ourselves Hence they afford no very safe criterion most of the crime that exists. As to the and the barbarous races, and hence we must of the amount of success likely to attend the grossness of conversation to which our try to eliminate their barbarism. As to establishment of Japanese institutions in-a author refers, we would commend to his at- missionary effort, while most of it may be foreign country over a conquered people, tention the following passage from Ruskin :- lamented as labour wasted, we fail to see "There is one strange but quite essential how any Christian can condemn it in face "character in us, ever since the Conquest, of the direct command of the founder of the "if not earlier:—a delight in the forms of religion to preach the gospel to all people;
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Such an opportunity is now given by the annexation of the island of Formosa to the Island Empire. Peopled almost entirely by Chinese, who are estimated to number two
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