June 21, 1902.] THE FUTURE OF FORMOSA,
(Daily Press, 19th June.)
The announcement made by the Japan Mail to the effect that the Chinese in Formosa are beginning to discard the queue and cut their hair after the fashion of the new rulers of the island is a fact of SoDie significance. Not only is it an in- teresting development, indicating the spread of Western ideas into the Beautiful Island from Japan, but it is also a matter of the highest importance to the Japanese Govern- ment. Formosa first attracted Chinese settlers carly in the seventeenth century, and in 1661, the Chinese pirate chief KoXINGA established a kind of sovereignty over the island, after first expelling Dutch who bad established several settlements on the coast Since that period, owing to constaut and regular intercourse with the neighbouring province of Fohkien, the Chinese popula- tion of Formosa grew steadily, until at the time of its cession to Japan there were upwards of two and a half millious of Chinese on the western side of the island; the eastern half was then, and is no doubt still, practically in the almost un listurbed possession of the aborigines. When the Japanese assumed control of their new dependency they were confronted with the difficulty of how to govern these millions of their hereditary rivals. Large bands of the Chinese assembled in the hills and bid the new owners of the soil defiance, engag- ing in a guerilla war of a most exasperat- ing character, subversive of order and productive of much loss. How to bring these people into proper control was the problem the Japanese had to solve. They did not commence the administration parti- cularly well. They showed little tact in the treatment of rebels, they did not inspire confidence in the law-abiding classes, and they evinced a disposition to treat the people harshly at first. More conciliatory methods were subsequently tried, and of late some progress has been made in the direction of restoring confidence. This policy must have been carried on actively of late, for now we have the proof before us that the Chinese in Formosa are leginuing to get reconciled to the rule of the Mikado, and are willing to admit the logic of events. The Chinese in Formosa now evidently recognise that the island has passed under Japanese rule permanently and they begin to see that the queue, which was a badge of subjection to the Manchu Government, is not likely to prove any advantage to them as subjects of the Mikado. On the contrary, it has probably been brought home to them that if they wish to prosper and live comfortably under the new administration they must conform to the customs as well as the laws introduced by it. By cutting their hair and adopting the same dress as their conquerors they will soon be merged into the Japanese population, more particularly if-as is very probable the Formosan Government insist on Japanese being taught in all the schools and made the medium of all transactions in the island. The advantage to the Formosin Government of this change in the mode of wearing their hair by the Chinese population of the island will be the facility it will give them to register and control their subjects, and the ability to distinguish them from Chinese emigrants or visitors from the adjacent Chinese coasts. So long as the Chinese in Formosa retained their own fashions and costume it would be difficult to control the influx from the mainland, which might some day attain alarming proportions if thereby an opportunity offered to secure its
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. re-conquest from Japan. It is therefore the interest of the Japanese to absorb this Chinese element in Formosa and not to be come absorbed themselves. It is no part of the policy of Japan to allow Formosa to become in all but name ja dependency of China wherein they are allowed to remain on sufferance until such time as it may suit. the Peking Government again to assume control of the island. This is the policy of the Chinese Government. They never regard the Chinese any territory cedel fron Empire under compulsion as permanently alienated, and merely hide their time and opportunity for the re-assertion of the supremacy of the Dragon Throne. How successfully this was accomplished in the case of the Kuldja is a matter of quite recent history, and it is just as likely that the Peking officials regard Formosa as much under lease to Japan as the New Territory is to Great Britain or Kinochau is to Germany. Knowing the workings of the Chinese mind fairly well now, the Japanese Foreign Office will no doubt take steps to frustrate auy schemes having for their object the reversion of the island to China ́at some period in the future.
A GRAVE PERIL TO MISSIONS.
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(Daily Press, 20th June.)
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live outside the gaol, but was also to be punished. It seemed that the accusation made at the yamên was substantially the same as that shown to Mr. FOSTER at Wuchang, but it added that the complainants had seen him and that he charged them to take the case to the magistrate in order to prevent people from pretending to be Christians and on the strength of that pretence making trouble with their neigh- hours. At present, as we are not surprised to hear Mr. FOSTER remark, the name of a foreigner carries terrible weight in many yamêns, and a man accused by a missionary has but a poor chance of getting a hearing against his accuser.
Fortunately in this case the evil scheme was frustrated, the missionary's name instantly withdrawn, the defendants released, and the complainants compelled to pay all the charges. The other case mentioned by Mr. FOSTER was even worse, for the missionary whose name was used had not been in the neighbourhood for many years, and the forger of the letter purporting to come from him was a nominal Christian.
In both instances the mis- sionaries were absolutely innocent of any connection with the case, much more of any wrong, yet had the nefarious plans not been detected the native public would have had but one conclusion to draw-that the mis- sionaries had been unjustly interfering again. Sooner or later, if not remedied, this yamên-business must bring, as Mr. FOSTER says, retribution in an ever increasing detestation of the missionary name by those who have suffered from its fraudulent misuse. The system, he adds, may well be in full swing even in districts that are seldom visited by missionaries, and in which there are few or no converts; for the game is one which the heathen (the term is Mr. FOSTER's) know as well how to play as spurious Christians do. The difficulty of finding a remedy lies chiefly in the absolutely invertebrate
A letter from the Rev. ARNOLD FOSTER, of the London Mission at Wuchang, which appears in the correspondence columns of our Shanghai morning contemporary, de- serves the attention of all those who are interested in the missionary question in China. Mr. FOSTER heads his communica- tion A grave peril to Missions," and no one who reads the letter will be disinclined to disagree about the gravity of the peril. What is referred to is the mischief being done in the name of missions for which the missionaries themselves are not responsible,
character of the Chinese that is, by the unwarrantable use of the missionaries' names by natives, nominal officials. Weak, timid, corrupt, the 'man- no ground for hope that Christians and non-Christians alike, in darins offer carrying on quarrels and lawsuits which through them this monstrous abuse can be have to connection whatever with Chris-checked. The actual cases of missionary tianity. Mr. FOSTER gives two typical interference are bad enough, though we are examples of the evil complained of; we willing to believe that they are now much But these rarer than they used to be. mention one of these. It appears that two
spurious cases, trumped up by dishonest respectably
heathens," natives, whether converts or are far worse, since it is always an unjust case which requires the aid of forgery, whereas when a missionary actually inter- venes on behalf of a convert we inust at least allow that he thinks his protégéận the right.
a
dressed Chinamen, one graduate, called at Mr. FOSTER's house in Wuchang and presented a written state ment bringing certain serious charges against two men living in a neighbourhood that he was about to visit. It was stated these latter claimed to be connected with the London Mission and on the strength of this connection were acting in an utterly illegal manuer. Mr. FOSTER was asked, first if they were really Christians, and secondly if, supposing they were, he would feel bound, to protect them against legal pro-
the yamên.
He naturally ceedings in replied that he had no knowledge of the facts of the case, though he kijew that the were not members of the accused, men London Mission Church; that it was not his practice to shelter Jawbreakers, Chris tian or non-Christian; and the complaint should be brought before the Chinese He would not interfere authorities. except in case of religious persecution. He warned them, however, that if they had misrepresented the facts to him, he might have something to say. later he went to the district in which the alleged offences had been committed, when the first thing he was told on his arrival was that the two men against whom complaints had been brought had been arrested on a charge made in his name. The younger had been in prison several days; the other, his father, was allowed to
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If the mandarins are hopeless, is there then any remedy beyond-for we cannot expect to see a sudden reform of Chinese Mr. FOSTER would go mandarindom? behind them and try to induce the high provincial authorities to issue in- structions to subordinate officers through. out the province, that every case of church or foreign interference that comes before them should at once be reported to headquarters, and that all cards or letters come from missionaries, purporting to merchants, Chinese clergy, preachers,' or church members should be forwarded in the same way to the provincial capital.
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With the help of foreign consuls," ho continues "it would soon be possible under this system to find out what letters were genuine and what spurious; what cards had really been given by foreigners for "use and what cards had been either forged or stolen ; which missions are in the habit of interfering in yamên cases, and which missions are not what consuls disapprove of such interferences and are willing to co-operate in preventing thêm, and what
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