844
THE CHINESE INTELLECTUAL
STANDPOINT.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
more than
exists.
[November 14, 1908.
China
true explanation of the essence of the matter. | with the frontier of Nepasul was represented DESCARTE'S celebrated proof of his exist. to the Emperor as a reason why he should ance, cogito ergo sum, is really nothing refuse to receive the Mission, and throughout (Daily Press November 9th.
substitution of the word the past two centuries the key-note of much of the exclusive policy of China is to be The pride of intellect, which, notwithstand- | cogito for anm, but the expression has a ing their conventional modesty, the Chinese certain appearance of profundity and was traced to the Tibetan connection. From an do not hestitate from time to time, to display sufficient to satisfy the metaphysicians of economic point of view it is not easy to has always been a puzzle to the Western Europe for many long years, though it is discover the mainspring of this policy. "As an appanage Tibet has certainly never paid mind. There can be little doubt that the manifest that it is just as difficult for a man
It has indeed from time to Chinese, and more especially those of the to prove that he thinks as to prove that he its expenses.
time seat into China in return for tea, the educated classes are fully convinced they are
Argument of this kind has com- far superior mentally to all other nations, paratively little effect upon the foreign universal drink of the Tibetan, a lurge An illustration of this of a typical character mind in the present day; and the old- quantity of gold and precious stones: it has was given in the remark of a high Chinese fashioned scholastie pendant of the CASSAN- also as tribute remitted annually or trienui- official to Sir ROBERT HART that while BAN type has happily become rare. But in ally a certain amount of the peculiar foreigners made use of electricity, they did China abstract speculation and deducive products of the land,-musk, * borax, not know what it was, but it would be found reasoning are still in very high estimation; rhubarb, skins, &c., but in presents sent in that the Chinese would discover this and and those who are adepts in them flatter return and in the free entertainment of the enlighten the outside harbarian mind on the themselves that they have the key to a vast embassies and their trains China has far subject. The observation was evidently amount of wisdom and knowledge, which more than repaid the cost to Tibet. The made in perfect good faith and it is an the uninformed outer barbarian does not main actuating incentive has been political. interesting speculation what really was the possess. They have no idea that Western Tibet, and more especially Lbassa, has come underlying current, of the Chinese official's nations have gone through all this kind of in modern times to be the headquarters of thoughts. What apparently he meant was ratiocination and have discovered that it is that peculiar phase of Buddhism known as that the Chinese are far better acquainted not the kind of intellectual exercise that Lamaism, and this on account of its influ- with the true nature of all things terrestrial ill lead to any practical results, or even con- ence over the rude Mongol tribes overlying and Celestial than Western nations can duce to real mental superiority. A Chinese the whole northern flank of China, has And this is in truth an scholar on the other hand clings to his old always been specially protected by the pretend to be.
Under K'ANGHI and honest statement of the belief of ninety-ideas, notwithstanding the change that he Chinese Government nine Chinese out of a hundred. They look sees going on round him; and is thus fully his immediate successors this protection of was effective, and the Dalai upon physical science even of the highest persuaded that he must in time outstrip the Lamaism character as something far short of the Europeans even in their own special lines of LAMA, whose religious supremacy over the abstract philosophy of which they deem knowledge on account of his general mental wandering Mongols was a very real power, themselves masters. To form an idea of the superiority. As time goes on, so thoroughly was adroitly brought to be little more than a pawn in the hands of the Chinese Govern- extent to which they rely upon the latter is practical a people as the Chinese must ree not very easy in the present day. The old the fallacy of this line of thought as plainly ment of the day. Naturally, then that as it has been perceived by Europeans when Government had every object în preventing metaphysical speculations which were so much in vogue fifty years ago are now by actual experience they find out how much any access of strangers to the supreme Lama almost completely out of date, and very few mental force and application are required to who might suggest to his mind ideas people trouble their heads about LOCKE, master any single branch of European subversive of his reverence for Chinese DECARTES, DUGULD, STEWART, REID, BERK science. They must by degrees admit that supremacy amongst Asiatic nations. LEY and other standard writers of the same it is possible that a European intellect may was herself Tibet's next door neighour on To really grasp this the north and east, and clearly she could class, or at most consider their works come up to their own. interesting as a mere display of intellectual fact, however, they would have to put their prevent all access from those quarters of finesse and as valuable only as a species of own scholastic acquirements and meta-new-fangled ideas, so she flattered herself mental gymnastics. Time was, however, physical disquisitions upon a much lower that on that side all was secure. when it was fully believed that abstract grade than they at present occupy; and only other neighbour was India on the speculation of this kind would end in the this must certainly be a matter of very slow south and west, and here, unfortunately, discovery of some recondite principle that progress. In the meantime, however, we China thought, England was supreme, and would explain all things physical and mental shall have to make some excuse for Chinese worst of all was progressive, and it was and place all true knowledge in the posses- intellectual pride, but that it still exists necessary to oppose every step and if needțul ion of the "superior man," who would be almost strongly as ever even among those bave recourse to force. This was the tradi- tional 'policy inculcated on China's repre- able to look with complaisant contempt well acquainted with Foreigners and "Wes-
sentative in Tibet, and Eogland, being pnu othose who endeavoured to enlarge their tern Learning" is a fact which we shall be
really quite indifferent to Tibet, whose self sphere of information by the more prosaic wise not to overlook.
seclusion answered admirably her own method of a patient investigation of facts.
policy, was perfectly contented in her turn The Chinaman, however, to the present day
to let matters lie. implicitly believes in the ideal “
superior man" of the above type. He considers that the abstract speculations of CoxgUCIUS and MENCIUS are sufficient to explain every thing in the universe and thus concludes that Western science is only troubling itself about pelty details, while Chinese philoso- phy is the embodiment of human knowledge as a whole. No doubt it was some such ides as this that caused the Chinese official to express his belief that the Celestial mind was the one destined to show to an admiring world what electricity really is. From his point of view he was probably right in his belief. What such an explanation as he referred to would be is, of course, sufficiently clear. If by ingenious reasoning it could be shown by some Chinese writer that electricity was nothing more than the well known male and female principle which his philo- sophers hold explains everything in the universe, he would flatter himself that he had completely elucidated a subject with regard to which the Western mind only wondered in outer darkness. What this would amount to, those who do not care for metaphysical niceties, but still more those who have studied them and know their true value can easily estimate. It would be a mere change of terms, and no
THE DALAI LAMA.
Tibet's
But meanwhile quite unsuspected by (Daily Press, November 10th. As if in mockery of their more civilised either England or China another influence was at work, and it is this influence that, neighbours in Europe the Lamas of Tibet have been essaying a revolution of their for good or evil, has brought about the own. Having by means of the Chinese present juncture. The young Dalai Laka Government finally got rid of their English by name Tubdan Gratso, whom Obina troublers, they found ther were only and Eugland supposed to be telling his beads at Lhassa, bad really been listening all the exchanging King Loo for King STORK. The story is as old as the bills, bat nations while to a chance visitor who came to him who fancy themselves distressful still try in the ordinary way of things as a visitor the same forelorn hope, and still learn to from his Mongol representative at Urga. their cost the same lesson that the people Urga is not far from the Russian frontier, called in to help when successful invariably nud across the frontier for some distance elect to remain. Fortunately the situation Limaism is still the religion of the land. It in Tibet is not likely to disturb to any is not interfered with by the Russian extent the equilibrium of the Powers, and Government, and pilgrims from these the Lamas and the Chinese Resident in districts are admitted to Lhasis as of equal Lhassa will probably be permitted to settle right with any other devout Lamaist. Now their quarrels in the good old way, but the seeing that in the Lams they had a clever lad open to instruction, the Russian author- episode is still worthy of some notice as an illustration of what is going on throughout | ities had encourazed him to learn, and then the whole of Asia. Ever since the time of │| seeing he was well disposed to be „sful had K'ANGHI China has sought to thonopolise sent him to college at St. Petersburg. It was this youth who interested the Datar the government and commerce of Tibet, and
LAMA by telling him t`at there were other to exploit the entire country for her own
countries of which he had never dreamt purposes. It is curious to note that even as early as the time of Lord Macartney's | outside England and China, and the story Embassy to Peking a supposed interference he told proved to Tundan Gyatso so much on the part of the East India Company 'of a revelation, that he determined to
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