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April 7, 1906.1
the
so received, and not only received, but passed on, as "evidence collected on the spot." The Protestant missionary whom we have been quoting speaks of testimony usually had by Protestant mis- sionaries-native reports." Referring to the Catholic missionaries, and à propos Nanchang, we may add, he writes, "As to their principle of procedure in such troubles, it does not appear to me to be so much at variance with our own, as would scem from the partisan reports oue hears generally."
1900 AND 1906.
FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE.
6
80
for
251
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. call them, have many explanations to grow any less. offer.
We suspect that if it were One reminds us that the missionaries tried in Hongkong, a new industry, that of are constantly causing irritation and resent- rat culture, would promptly start. The ment.
Another points out the annoyance rapid and wholesale`rate at which these of the Chinese masses at seeing their animals reproduce their kind would make temples converted into secular schools. it a very remunerative business for the Others explain that it is all due to coolie population. We remember an that little learning which spells danger: incident in Japan, where a coolie presented that it is nothing more than the eructations for payment five or Six corpses of a set of young students. Taking these of such immature appearance that official- and all the other things together, it would suspicion was awakened, and the coolie be surprising if there were no unrest in detained. Another coolie entered soon China, and serious unrest at that. Such afterwards, with the corpse of a female serious unrest unquestionably exists, and rat which bore the sign manual of while the foreigner, by skating very swiftly a surgical operation,
the nature Daily Press, 4th April.)
of There is a striking similarity between the always imminent risk of a smash. If only CHINAMAN would improve on that. He indeed, may get over the thin ice, there is which may be readily guessed. JOHN tone of the Press to-day and its tone prior the masses could be persuaded of the would have sufficient patience to wait until to the events of 1900. Then as now the hopelessness of resisting the disconcerting he could offer the Sanitary Board full value rumours of trouble were scouted, and innovatious that we call civilisation, and be for its five cents, both as to number and denounced as alarmist exaggerations. made to realise what feeble folk they are, Then as
size. This business of rat killing is a clear now the world was advised that judged by the modern standard of strength, case of ploughing the sands. If all the rats there was no dauger. Some anti-foreign the trouble might be averted. But this were exterminated, and no more allowed to prejudice undoubtedly existed, as it un- knowledge must be spread far more quickly enter, there would still be the cockroaches, doubtedly exists now, but the Chinese knew than seeins possible in such a country. flies, and other small deer, which Dr. better than to make trouble; they had been Every missionary in the land ought to PEARSE himself has told us can and prob. long enough in contact with the foreigner stick to one text for a time, that one ably do infect our food. to recognise how hopeless any effort to oust mentioning the futility of "kicking against Board, by its worship of the whitewash The Sanitary him from the Empire must be. This is the pricks," and preach it in season and out brush, has made respectable people afraid: what we are being told six years after; we of season.
not The suggestion is can but hope with more reason.
to report the presence of rats; was thore The frivolous as it sounds. Chinese authorities, of course, deny that
ever, for instance, an invitation for the rat-catchers to visit auy Hongkong hotel? any coutretemps is likely; and they profess
Then those rat-flanges on ship moorings, ability to cope with anything of the sort if it should occur.
the omission of which shipowners It may be that they are
(Daily Press, 5th April.) right in disbelieving that anything un-
and captains have often had to
pay We suggested two or three weeks ago that heavily, are they not pleasant is afoot among the proletariat; the Health Authorities of Hongkong, in absurdity us any one of the experiments as great au although we certainly cannot countenance their various efforts to stamp out infectious and fads adopted by the Sanitary Board? the theory of its utter improbability; but disease, were and had been ploughing We have seen them orzamenting hawsers it is almost a certainty that in assuming the the sand." This discouraging idea found which ho save rat would dream of walking effectiveness of control from Peking, the an echo at the meeting of the Sanitary on, when all he had to do was to step or native authorities claim too much. If they Board on Tuesday, when various statements jump ashore. honestly believe that they could check a
The question of vacating were made to show that for its enormous infected blocks is settled, apparently, by popular movement of the kind, they deceive expenditure of money in this connection the fact that there is no place to put the themselves, and the truth is not in them. the Colony is getting very inadequate evicted people. Japan evicts and burn's The glaring ineptitude of Peking where results. First of all, a typical specimen of out an acre of dwelhugs at a time, but con- petty local outbreaks, even the Inwless. Sanitary Board enterprise was mentioned.ditions there are of course more favourable. ness of small gaugs
of robbers, are This body of professional mea and enthusi The Great Fire of London was a blessing concerned, has long been in evidence. astic amateurs, of doctors who disagree in disguise, it will be remembered, but a They forget, or more probably they and empirics who welcome experiments Great Fire of Hongkong could only be of deliberately shut their eyes to the fact, that with the empressement due to infallible temporary benefi', with Canton continuing tha popular resentment is not directed remedies, had become enamoured of a to send us all the germs we can swallow. solely at the foreigner. The feeling animat patent dustbin. They might reasonably That question of inspecting and quaran ing the minds of the inalcontents is of a have recommended their pet receptacle to tining arrivals from Canton seems to be re- manifold iature, inspired by diverse all and sundry, but they were not satisfied garded as impossible, in which case we are troubles. The anti-foreign prejudice, the to do so; they proposed to alter their bye indeed ploughing in sand. What is the desire for exclusion and seclusion, is a long laws, or by-words, so as to make the pur- good of repairing a number of smill leaka smouldering fire, fanned by many recent chase and use of the four-dollar dustbin it we have to leave the big, gaping, central breazes, and stirred up, no doubt, by the compulsory.
For the common weal, itinrush of disease? It is like the reported spectacle of the late war, with its loss of is often desirable that common action test for lunacy, possibly apocryphal, which prestige to the foreigner, and its contingent should be enjoined upon the people, consisted of setting the suspect to baling apotheosis, by the ignorant and thoughtless, and in this case it was desirable that out a cask into which a tap was running. of the Asiatic que Asiatic. But the anti- all dustbins used should be of non-absorbeut If he turned off the tap, he was sane; if he dynastic agitation is quite a separate little material. But that was not what the didn't—the alternative we will not mention, conflagration, which has also had a good sapient committee proposed; they propsd in order to avoid causing uneasiness to our deal of oil poured on it lately. There is to make certain people purchase a certain Health Authorities. Auti-vacciuators will scarcely a white man on the whole China article at a certain price; or at least that is smile at the M. O. H. on the subject of const who does not shake his head solemnly what in effect their scheme would have plague inoculation. He thinks it highly when asked what the possibilities are in the amounted to. To reduce the risk to human probable that the susceptibility to plague is now not unlikely event of the death of the health, they would rob their constituents of increased during the first few days after DOWAGER EMPRESS. We must grant that that which is dearer than life itself, what inoculation, and that whatever protection both the recent missionary massacres,
our American friends call the inalienable is afterwards afforded by it rapidly passes separately considered, were strictly local rights of man. The next important re-off." It is very probable, in spite of that, outbreaks, and to a considerable extent ference was to anti-plague measures, in that in some plague-striken land, say Indin, prompted by purely local circumstances. which it appeared that His Excellency the legislators will make inoculation compulsory. So was the Shanghai riot of December; GOVERNOR hoped the Bourd night learn Some day, the millions who pin their but it se ms silly to persist in regard something from the programme followed in faith to sme patent medicine may realise. ing them en bloc as indicating nothing| India. Dr. PEARSE, M.O.H., to whom that they have an effective majority, more than coincidental local irrita the germ world is na open book, and willy-nilly, for the good of the com- tions. An itch on the arm, a tickling | declared there Was nothing new muuity, we shall all have to swallow daily sensation on the foot, a rash on the neck, the paper from India, that Hongkong doses of Gamboge Pills for Grumbling each is a purely local phenomenon; but if as working on much the same lines, People, It will then be of no avail to repeat they happen to occur within a reasonable although modified by local conditions. We Dr. PEARSE's words, “I should certainly time of each other, the man would be gather from his remarks that he is in favour prefer to seek protection by ordinary care foolish who did not realise that he was, in of offering a reward for dead rats," say, of one's health." common parlance, in “a bad habit of body.' five cents per head." This is done in Japan, We notice that the apologists, us we may and the amount paid each year does not
an
*
in
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+6
MC, HENRY HUMPHREYS objected to the semiannual lime-washing as a useless
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