November 23, 1901.]
from the naval, wilitary, or police author- ities, for various reasons. These are not hard to imagine, for all three branches have their own work to attend to, which only great emergencies warrant their postponing to outside labours. Nevertheless it is un- fortunate that no aid can be secured from them. Dr. ATKINSON, however, spoke hope- fully of being able to appoint the necessary men in a few days and of two or three being already heard of. It is earnestly to be entrusted that sufficient inducements will be held out to secure the right men in sufficient numbers, for on them rests nearly the whole responsibility for the work being done in a manner which will make it of real use to the Colony. Complaints were many during the past epidemic of the futi- lity of some of the cleansing operations, and it is plain that a half-hearted conduct of these, while it tends to irritate the native population almost as much, fails to achieve the object in view. We are about to make a new experiment for Hongkong, and it is urgent that every chance of success shall be afforded to it.
deaf ears.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
ENGLAND'S POLICY.
!
1
417
Men
time to remove all their furniture--as was even these men were rather the creatures than done frequently before the disinfection ear- the creators of the circumstances of their lier in the year-then the houses alone are times. They were standing by the helm, and made clean and part of the squalor is were strong enough to hold the tiller when On the question weaker men were carried off their feet. A immediately brought back. of the hours for the house-to-house visitation similar position seems to have lately come on the stage. Only a twelvemonth ago no it is unfortunate that there was such a divergence of opinion, but the time sug statesman was so popular as Lord SALIS- No Prime Minister in his century gested by Mr. FUNG WA CHUN Would' BURY. have been eminently unsuitable for the had been so fortunate; he had come into European supervisors, whose interests office when his predecessors, mistaking their must be considered, seeing how much, vocation, had been advocating strange mea.
the depends
efficiency of their sures tending eventually to reduce the work. It is impossible to expect that their Empire to the condition of a Greek city. without any Greece hal been great in the individual labours will be carried on friction, but it is sincerely to be trusted that character of her statesmen, but one and all all concerned will do their utmost to lessen had failed to grasp the conditions of empire, An effort is about to be made to and Greece had fallen when brought in this. check the course of the greatest evil which contact with the imperial spirit.
recognised that spirit in him, and it was can attack any settlement in the Far East. Such an effort must necessarily be drastic, his glory to have presided at the rejuvenes- but the inconveniences should be borne cence of the Empire. But the spirit once cheerfully in view of the great results hoped revived saw other fields to conquer, and to his guidance fell the task of reuniting the for.
colonies to the home land. This year saw the capstone of the edifice placed in position. But the work was not to be accomplished The second difficulty is the opposition of the Chinese to the work of disinfecting and (Daily Press, 18th November.) without bloodshed, and the disorganising The English people have not the character instincts of certain settlers in South Africa cleansing, an opposition which was abund-
Under antly manifested during the similar opera- of fickleness. On the contrary, one of the bil fair to mar the great work. tions carried on against the period of
reasons for the professed dislike to England Lord SALISBURY the great colonies rose up epidemic. At the opening of the new Tung on the Continent is her supposed inflexible to a man to help the Old Country in the Wa Hospital on Monday afternoon, H.E policy. England's policy has in fact grown work of completing the task. Lord SALIS- the Governor made an appeal to the Chinese into a settled tradition in Europe as denoting BURY was manfully supported by the home community which we hope will not fall on something that never varies, and owns not constituencies--apparently too well for the He asked the Chinese to think even the suspicion of turning. Other nations well being of his cabinet; the old Liberals over the matter, convinced that they would vary in their ways according to the moods of as a protest against whom he had been then agree
with him as to the necessity for their rulers or the doctrines of the prevailing called to power mistook growing dissatis- Yet to the eyes of Europe Eng-faction and attributed it to a reaction what is being done. It is not of course to dynasty. be imagined that the poorer Chinese will of land is ever present as a nation of settled against the national aspiration to Empire, convictions, to which every Government in and attacked him in his strong point, only themselves proceed to think the matter over.
At home this stability of to be ignominiously defeated. They how- It rests with their well-to-do fellow-country-turn must bow.
ever proved that the nation was even more men to induce them to see matters in the purpose never seems an element in affairs: right light, and unless the richer Chinese on the contrary, no nation seems to change imperialist than its supposed leader. The exert themselves to bring the state of affairs its moods so rapidly, and in none is high natural Liberal leaders came forward sup Nine porting indeed the Minister's policy but home to the others, it cannot be expected office held on so uncertain a tenure. that everything will be carried on smoothly. teen times during the reign of Her late questioning his energy. For the moment, It is both the duty and to the ultimate Majesty did England change her govern- by one of those peculiar revolutions that interest of the Chinese of the better classment, and the changes were not merely have at times marked Great Britain the voice that they should do all they can to minimise superficial, but went down to fundamental of party has ceased almost to be heard. Whether SALISBURY, CHAMBERLAIN, and discontent likely to drive the native working-principles of policy. In the eighteenth cen- men and women away. The European tury two bitterly opposed factions calling officials in charge of the work will require tact, but above all the Chinese must be prepared to accept the disinfection as a measure which aims at their good in common was that of the rest of the Colony, As has been seen from the report of the proceedings of the Sanitary Poard on the 21st instant, the attitude of the Chinese was discussed, and Mr. FUNG WA CHUN came forward to represent them. He in- sisted that it was the duty of the Board to show the Chinese what great use fummigation would be, but he did not suggest the way in which the Board was to do this. We fear that there is no likelihood of the Board being able in the course of the next few days to convince the obstinate opponents of disinfection. As we have said, the better-class Chinese are those who can bring their influence to bear with most effect, and it is on them that we must rely. Mr. FUNG WA CHUN's point about the housing of women and children during the cleansing operations in their homes deserves atten- tion; as he said, to march small-footed women and children from street to street to the matsheds is a hardship which the Chinese cannot be expected to support. Some effort should be made to mitigate the annoyance
which is bound to be caused to the inmates of the houses visited. As to Mr. FUNG WA CHUN's suggestion of three days' notice of the disinfection, this would in the case of the dirtier quarters defeat the object of the cleansing, for if the inhabitants are to have
themselves Whigs and Tories alternately undertook to conduct the affairs of the nation. They differed not merely in abstract opinions on the relations of the classes, but they varied even more as to the foreign relations of the country. If Whigs desired a close friendship with France, Tories lost no opportunity of exhibiting their hatred and contempt of that nation. If Tories stood aghast at the revolutionary principles of the continental states, Whigs found in those very principles a solution of all their woes. Nor were affairs changed when with a new century parties gradually changed, and old Whigs found themselves cheek by jowl with new Tories; or when as the nine- teenth century progressed Whigs and Tories became things of the past, and the two factions resolved themselves into Liberals and Conservatives, respectively. In one thing Whigs, Tories, Conservatives and Liberals were in thorough agreement; when they were out of office the country was going to the dogs, and everything the government did or tried to do, only aggrava- ted the danger: when they vaulted into office they went and did exactly as their predecessors and the country survived. Individual men indeed from time to time arose who seemed to change the current of affairs. A PITT carried the nation success- fully through the desperate struggle with NAPOLEON. A PEEL stemmed the tide of financial ruin, almost equally dangerous; a GLADSTONE let in the great democracy. Yet
LANDSDOWNE more fitly represent the people than such a trio as ROSEBERY, GREY, and ASQUITH has come to be a practical ques- tion; but the question has lost the virulence with which but a few months ago it was surrounded. Lord SALISBURY indeed stands in more danger from the triumph of his principles than ever he did from their defeat. Such is the present position; the nation feels itself safe with either, and the triumph of the leader seems quite com- patible with the fall of the party. In any case Lord CALISBURY has proved a worthy successor to his great ancestor, whom iu bis weakne-ses, as in his strength, he so much resembles.
We have received a copy of a pamphlet entitled Vezata Quaestio: or What shall be do with the Friar by Mr. W. Brecknock Watson of Manila. This is intended to be a vindication of the much abused friars, but the case is entirely given away by Mr. Watson's reckless and intemperate language. As in the eyes of their enemies the friars can do no right, so in Mr. Watson's they can do no wrong. The writer apparently has Freemasonry on the brain, and this is a fair sample of how he writes:—“I leave it to the common sense of any one who has read Foreman's history, or what Worcester stoops so low to copy therefrom, whether a man whose Alpha and Omeza is truly anti- Catholic and often anti-christian, and the ink of whose pen savors of Catholic blood shed upon
the altars of Freemasonry, can be a Catholic, at least an honorable one." The better for their friars will be none the champion's advocacy.
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