7
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December 31, 1904.]
nothing less excusable. Even neutrality, unsupported by force, or power, is more dangerous than otherwise. As Mr. T. COWEN in his recent book on the Russo- Japanese war says, Corea has been so weak and so blind as to lend herself to alien intrigues which constitute a grave menace to Japan. Corea, is obviously not a country to stand alone, and from
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. computation, something like £9 a month as salary. Thus, the margin left after the initial outlay to the Hongkong clerk is more than half his income, while at Home the balance available for other needs is con- siderably over the three-fourths. This would appear to demonstrate the truth of the statement as to the dearness of Hongkong rentals. more points of
What has been said must, how- view than that of Japan herself, Japan ever, be qualified in several important ought to be the leaning post. Mr. CowEN particulars. In arriving at Home figures, we says: Though the land has immense have quoted provincial rents and maximum capabilities, the Coreans do almost nothing salaries. As a matter of fact, the $175 and with it, for they say it is useless to acquire $200 clerk at Hongkong would find keen wealth; the officials would rob them the competition for his Home situation at £5 more, and it is easier to remain idle than to a month; while in a city of the size and acquire property and go to the trouble of commercial importance of Hongkong be stopping the robbery." This view of the could not hope to find a conveniently typical Corean is a dependable one; and we situated house for anything like the rents are not disposed, from a British standpoint, we have mentioned. Train or 'bus fares to quarrel with any measures Japan may would probably about balance the ricsha or take to bring about a more desirable chair expenses here, taking the figures in state of things for all interested. proportion. Keeping still to the same Those of our foreign contemporaries incomes, we may assume that the in Corea, and even in Japan, who colonial clerk has the advantage. Many have been painting Corea as the injured of his necessaries, aud niore of his martyr to Japanese aggression may have luxuries, are cheaper. He may, if he the better of an academic discussion, but chooses, live better, and save more for practical politics, a free hand for Japan for a rainy day, than his desk-enslaved in Corea seems the better way.
colleague at Home can ever hope to do. There is, of course, the question of domestic service. A wife cannot, if she would, play the drudge out here that she does at Home, so that the cost of servants' hire has to be faced by the married man of modest income. That he has so often, in Hongkong, to share his roof with, others, to meet the rent diffi- culty, is a much less trying feature than the common necessity at Home, in like circum- stances, of taking in lodgers. Considera.
HOUSE RENT AT HONGKONG,
(Daily Press, 28th December.)
It is a common complaint in the East that house rents are dear, and in Hongkong, we have been accustomed to hear it without
cavil, the popular idea being that it must be true because it must be so. That is, it is recognised as a fact that sites suitable for
the erection of dwelling houses are scarce. This is not particularly truer than are most popular beliefs. There are sites in plenty still untouched by the foundation digger, sites that are desirable, and sites that will in all probability be built upon as the colony continues its development. For a place of its size, it would be unreasonable to expect to see at any one time more houses in progress of erection than is the case at the end of this year of nineteen-ought-four. And yet, in spite of the rapidly completing domiciles dotting the slopes of the Peak, and the numerous rows and terraces going up at Kowloon, it appears that in neither district is there any indication of a reduc- tion in the amount of the monthly rent. On the contrary, we are assured that there are signs of a very appreciable, but not appre- ciated, increase in the landlords' levies. It is quite reasonable, having regard to the correct definition of dearuess, to suggest
tions such as these should moderate some of the expressions of discontent so frequently heard locally.
1
THE APOSTLE THOMAS IN
INDIA.
(Daily Press, 29th December.) One of the widest spread of Church legends Las it that the Apostle THOMAS had for his sphere of teaching Asia; and that he was successful in couverting the Armenians, the people of India, the Chinese, and the Ethiopians." A later version of the legend relates how he was finally killed by an accident at a place called Mailapur, "the Peacock City," called by MARCO Puto Maabar, who gives the story of the death of the Apostle current in his time, and adds: Before he came to that place, where he thus died, he had been in Nubia, where he
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years more recent investigations into the early history of the old state of Gandhara, roughly represented by modern Afghanis tan, assisted by the discovery in situ of a nearly perfect sequence of coins, have brought to light unexpected coincidences between the older legend and the sovereigns and place names of the valley of the Cabul River, which cannot be merely accidental, and which go far to strengthen the authen- ticity of the older legend, and throw light on the actual erangelistic work of the Apostle. Mr. W. R. PHILIPPE, in the Indian Antiquary, has lately been summing up the results of his investigations. The "Acts of St. Thomas" is one of those apocryphal works of the early Christian ages which are now only beginuing to attract
at the bands of historic students the atten- tion they deserve, not from their intrinsic value, which is of the smallest, but from the curious sidelights they throw on many disputed questions in history, and the early expansion of the Christian religion. The original work seems to have been written about the latter part of the fifth century, but the oldest surviving transcript belongs to the year 938: the story as told is interest- ing. After the death of Jesus the Apostles divided amongst themselves the countries to be evangelise I, and India fell to the part of THOMAS, who, however, showed little inclination for the task. JE ESUS himself appeared and caused THOMAS to be sold to a merchant called ĦABBAN, who had received an order from the King of India, whose name was GUNDARHAR, to obtain an artist to construct and dedicate his palace. The two set out together and landed at a pace called Sandaruk. Now who was this (UNDAPHAR, and what was his kingdom? From the evidence of coins a King belonging to the Iudo-Scythic state which at one time possessed the valley of the Cabul River, called himself GUNDOPHERES, and there is no doubt that the two were identical. But GUNDOPHERES is an unmistakeably Gothic name, the equivalent of GUNDOBERT, a name well known elsewhere as GUNDOBERT OF GUNDOBALD. The Chinese writers hera come to our aid, and we find he must have been the immediate successor of the king mentioned by Han writers as having crossed the Hindu Kush a few years afte: the birth of CHRIST, and whom they call KITOLO ; and whom we must identify with the Greek KATULPHUS, whose plainly Teutonic form From a com-
struck YULE as remirkable.
parison of the various transcriptious of the name, Chinese and Greek, there is little doubt that some such fornras Gothic GUTHLAF was intended. Next as to the country that, in regarding Hongkong house rents as converted much people to the faith of JESUS where the Apostle landed, there is equally excessive, the local rent payers are in error. CHRIST." By the XVIth century the story little doubt that he took the ordi- All the same, such a suggestion will pro- had attained such currency that in 1522 the nary sea route traversed by the Greek bably be received with both surprise and Portuguese under the viceroyalty of DUARTE merchants of the day, and landed at one of incredulity. It has to be remembered that MENEZES actually appointed a commission the sea ports at or near the mouth of the there is more than one circumstance to take to visit the site, where they found certain Indus in lower Scinde, which was, as we into reckoning. It is not a question only bones, which with great eclat were trans- learn from both Greek and Roman authori- of supply and demand. Upkeep and repairs ported to Goa, to the Church St. Thomas, ties, the general method of going to the are more expensive than at Home, and it is where they are still to be seen.
upper Punjab. Sandaruk, which has up- by comparison with Home rates that the Of course the older version mentioned in parently stood in the way of previous com tenant here acquires the impression that he the apocryphal Acts, and referred to the mentators, is thus simply a corrupt render- is being imposed upon. Then, too, the IVth century, speaks of the trauslation of ing of Sanscrit Sindhu-rajya, the country value of money being greater, the investor the body of the saint from his place of death of Sindhu, the ntemporary name of the in house property has а natural to Edessa in Mesopotamia in the year 394, district. Here, the story tells us, they as right to expect returns to some degree while St. JEROME, about the same date, sisted at the marriage ceremonies of the commensurate with those enjoyed by mentions ST THOMAS as having preached | local Rajah's daughter, whose father after- the holders of other forms of investment. the faith in India, so that very respectable wards helped them on their way to the Taking as examples the men of small authority exists as to the connection of Court of GÜNDOPHAR, then, as we learn from income, the Europeau clerk say, with salary the saint with the Indian peninsula. other sources, situated at Parashawar, the at $175 a month, he must pay, at Kowloon, Still, in the face of the very serious dis- present Peshawur. So far the local colour- for the most modest domicile suiting his crepancies in the two stories, the more ing of the tale is clear, and points to the condition, from $56 to $67 a month. The sober historians have for the last two cen writer as having had personal experiene same person at Home would get a similarly turies, at least, been disposed to treat the of the route: what follows is more difficy appropriate dwelling for 30s. to £2 a month, entire story as little better than a monkish THOMAS in due course received paymen but he would receive only, at the handsomest fable, and quite unworthy of credit. Of late his work, and earned, according
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