i
826
"
(May 15, 1908
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
existant. Those who postulate" perfection
moral support. ' So this precious corres. | deceive themselves with verbiage. The pondent of the New York Herald whom we utmost they can imagine is a minimum of are entertaining in our midst, informs the imperfection. All the heavens ever post: world that the British in Hongkong are not aluted have been materialistic at their roots. openly approving the boycott, though they As change is a phenomenon of everything are giving it their moral support. In other empiric, as the sensea never perceived words, he alleges that though we admit (by anything in extension that was not subject concealing our sympathy) that it is wrong to change, it is legitimate to conclude that to do so, we are secretly sympathising with the mind cannot contain a concept of and "morally" aiding and abetting the chang lessness. That which does not change boycotters. On behalf of the British in does not exist, It is not even stagnation; Hongkong we flatly contradict this; and up- it is vacuous. In case this preamble is not hesitatingly say that those who accept their fallacious, the deduction is that even information from the New York Herald's principles may change -except the unchang- correspondent are being misled. The Anglo- ing principle that everything changes. The Japanese Alliance, though it has had its religious idea as a manifestation of human critics and objectors-some of them men activity cannot, therefore, notwithstanding scarcely competent to form a rational opinion the Tenth Prus, be a thing immutable, a on any political question-is not universally something stereotyped. It evolves, changes, unpopular among the English in the Orient," progresses, perhaps
retrogresses. though the New York Herald's representative Asia in these days affords & more says it is condemned "not only among com- lavish illustration even than does Rome mercial men but all classes," including and Europe. Buddhism has changed and "officers of the Army and Navy," In con- is changing, with the flux of meditation, firmation of his allegation that British Asiatic thought on the eternal abstractions merchants universally disapprove of the goes on for ever, in spite of Asatic script-renewed alliance, the correspondent quotes ures. Asiatics have so much spare time, and they do not "kill" it by incessant chatter and social activity. The most in- teresting outcrop of religious progress within comparatively recent years comes from Persia, and has got the awkward name of Babaism, after BAHA-ULLAH,
"the suc- cessor of Moses, of Buddha, of ZOROASTER, of JESUS, and of MAHOMET," who died in 1892. He left scriptures which provide for a beautifully eclectic synthesis of the leading cults. The validity of all anterior religions is-almitted; the dogmatic differences that bave accumulate and bred irreligious dissensions are discarded. The oneness of nature, of the cosmos, is emphasised-all living creatures are "leaves of a single tree, drops of a single ocean," But no, be it noted, members of a single church. It is claimed that the Bahaists are directly responsible for the enlightened reforms in Persia, opposed by the ecclesiastics. It is claimed that the mischievous teory of Cable" is thereby being weakene in India. In Oriental Kussia its power has
against it on moral grounds. That is silly, because so flagrantly insincere. As for imitation of trade marks, that is not suffi- cient to justify the saying that the Japanese are lax in every phase of commercial bonesty. We know very well that where it has been legally safe to do so, white men have been doing the same thing for years, here in this Colony, and elsewhere. Yet it would be horribly unjust to say that white men are lax in every phase of commercial honesty. Some excuse is to be found for those who find the shoe of Japanese com petition pinching, but we can find no justification for the language with which We do hope they vent their feelings. however, that the mendacious concoctions of an unscrupulous American reporter to low-class American newspaper wilf not be accepted as indica in her consensus of British public opinion in the Colony. even
merchants are not giving support, moral or otherwise, to the boycott. They would be fools if they did. Before, it was our American cousins-and then, it will be remembered, we British and others were accused of encouraging it-now it is our Japanese allies-whose turn will it be next ? With that question throbbing in our ears, we are not likely to behave so suicidally as to sharpen the weapon that may next be at our owu throat.
WA
four, some of whom, at least, we hope to find protesting that they have been misquoted. Believing that the Alliance was a diplomatic triumph for the British Government, which thereby undoubtedly forestalled another Government, we have no quarrel with individuals who simply profess & contrary opinion. There is no objection to them expressing their opinion that it was a diplomatic or political mistake, though we see no legitimate object to be served by so doing until the question of its renewal comes up again. When, how. ever, a British merchant announces that "the Japanese are lax in every phase of commercial honesty,” are obliged to repudiate all sympathy with such an utterance, and tstraightly dissociate our selves from the utterer. We do not require the protest of Bishop AWDE to the Times (reported in to-day's telegrams) to tell us that such swee ing remarks are di-credit. able and wicked; common-sense and an idea of perspective, of vraise ublance, proclaims from the housetops that such wholes le slander cannot be warranted. When the prejudiced rious troubles affling others. In Egypt critics of the Japanese are
not wholly and Turkey the Bahusta are no ed as the vicious they are largely foolish. Asked to most faithful and peaceable of subjects. give concreta examples of what thy com- In Syria, no Bahaist has come forward a plain of, the great majority of them are at litigant for twenty years. They have a
als; they fall back on puerile gener system of ethics and sociology which "nev r
alities; assert that as everybody says fails to captivate those to whom it is pre-so-and-so it must be true"; and we regret Bented." So far as we can gather, its to say that very often, when a real pin- teachings would accord with Taoist and prick is disclosed, it looks like a case of the with some Confucian ideals, and no doubt in time it will percolate the Empire. There is room for it, as all the other missionaries seem to make poor progress with their inculcation of brotherly love.
LE
saved Bahaist communities from the noto-
DISREPUTABLE REPORTS.
Dirt
"
After the above comments were writen
and set in type, we were very pleased to see "interviewed" that one of the gentlemen had emphatically denied making such statements. We hope this was the result of loathing the sentiments attributed, and not, as a contemporary clumsily suggests, a fear of consequences.
"differ
no There is
"em-
ence between a private interview and a public declaration," so far as truth and justice are concerned. Honourable men are supposed to be truthful whether speaking for publication or not. It is a pity that an phatic repudiation' should have been sad- led witu such a remarkable statement as this" We do not believe that Britisu firms here would deliberately wish to estrange any Japanese customers they possess."
HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD,
7
A special meeting of the Sanitary Board was held on May 22nd at the Board Room, to further consider the amended Publo Health and Building O dinance. The Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkinson (president), presided, and, here were also present Hon. Mr. Castham, (Vice President, Captain Lyons, Hon. Mr. irving, Mr. A. Shelton Hooper, Mr. H, Hampareys, Mr. Lau Cha Pak, and the following officials-Dr. Puarse (Medical Ufficår of Health) Dr. Maotarians (Assistant Medical Officer of Health) an! Mr. Masser, (Secretary).
SUNSHADS AS BUILDINGS.,
pot cllig the kettle black. It is amusing to fud au Indiau varn deler ju Hongkong (certainly not connected with the leading yaru fim here," by the way) po nting to
Mr. LAU CHU-PAK, referring to ss0tion 2 the fact that Japanese dealers are badly of definition 8, said that sunsuades should not overstocked as a "glaring illustration" of be counted as buildings. The defuition of Japanese "purly gambling methods. It building includes any wall and sunsaade. He is no orious that the Hongkong dealers thought the word sunshade should not be (Daily Press, May 23rd).
have been "badly overstocked," and that included in the building. This would be a may be pretty dirt in the eyes of those in consequence of that fact chiefly the local hardship on many shopmen as in many catsis who like dirt. There are connoisseurs who yarn trade has been demoralised for nearly that were to be counted as part of the building squshade did not cost more than $6 or 37, and if admire a good lie, a well-toll lie. So no a couple of years. As conducted in Hong-s-ction 2.2 would apply and the shopmen would doubt there are people who appreciate even kong, and we daresay anywhere else, the such a newspaper as the ew York Herald, import of yarn for a market like the and the extraordinary statements of a Houg. Chinese necessarily partakes of the gambl kong correspondent which tuat compoundering element. So with other businesses. of sensationalism employs. He is credited It is the last cry we ever expected to arise with telegraphing that in connection with the boy cott tue Japanese "enjoy no sympathy at the hands of their British allies. On the con- trary," says this unscrupulous commentator speking for all of us," the British, while not openly endorsing the boycott, condemn the action Japan which provoked the Chinese retaliation, and give the movement
from a Hongkong business community, that cry of down with gambling; and we protest against it, not so much because of its humbug, but because it makes us look so ridiculous. If the Japanese lottery scheme, to push the sale of their surplus yarn, be within the law, and effective, let our mer chants imitate it; but let them not cry out
probably be required to ■ end $25.
The VICE-PRESIDENT — That is not so. Any such requirement woad be waived.
Mr. HOOPSE-I would ask the press to pay attention to what the Director of Public Works has just said, He will be the sole one to inter- pret the clauses, and, he says, that in, such cases as mentioned by Mr. Lan, the requirement would be waived. It is very important. - In these circumstances I am wita you.
Mr. LAU CHU-PAR-In the case of canvas- tents put up on lawns balonging to Chinese gentlemen, would the owners have to apply for permission ?
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.