February 15, 1909.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
ment.
115
almost a reactionary, and all the reactionary corner in our heart to sympathise with those | purpose of preserving the peace of the world aots of the late Regency found in him a patriots who, carried away by a genuine in general. "C'est une erreur & nul seconde steady and conscientious backer. It is, in hatred of what is false, would remove the de vouloir se mêler à corriger le monde, fact, just because the present Government is rotten props before inserting new of soun- would probably be the light in which prepared to carry out an extensive scheme der construction; but we can find no excuse Chinese reasonableness would look upon of reform that the new REGENT found that for those outsiders who with all the means any such Quixotic scheme. It is far he could not" get on" with the man who of obtaining better information, yet suffer from the Chinese idea to interfere had been the ruin of his brother; and whose themselves to be led astray by the interested with other peoples' business, and there will object it would have been to obstruct every clamour of a party bent merely on the grati have to be a great change in their ways of measure having a tendency to widen the|fication of private pelf, or private resent- looking upon things before the millennium basis of constitutional government. It is
three hundred years hence, if they are to probably from the want of knowledge of
constitute themselves the arbiters of the the events of 1900 that many foreigners,
world's doings. from whom we should expect better things, have probably, unconscious of the necessary result, been found backing up a policy in reality revolutionary, forgetful, of the fact that the idea of constitutional government is nothing new among the Chinese people, who, even in the worst times, have kept alive the theory that the basis of good government is to be found in the consent of the people. "Heaven commissioned rulers to preside over affairs," said MENCIUS, "and when their rule was
CHINA AND THE MILLENIUM.
(Daily Press, 8th February.) However much respect is justly felt for Sir ROBERT HART's knowledge of the Chinese and of their character, some doubts may perhaps be entertained as to the view which he propounded some time back at Lisburn in an address to the Urban Council there that the millennium would come from the Celestial Empire. Possibly" he said,
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one hundred, two hundred or three hun- dred years hence, those 400 millions of people would be as strong in arms indivi- dually and nationally, as, for instance a great Continental Power like Germany is at the present moment, and then what would happen? China would turn round to the rest of the world and say: 'Gentlemen there must be no more fighting''
They would throw in the force of their arms
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with the country that was attacked and against the country that made war, and he believes that, in that way, the millenium would come.
Of course "the millennium" was received with due cheering by the audience, who probably believed about as much in the cheering prospect of what would be the state of the world three hundred years hence as we may fairly consider did the utterer of this very pretty rhapsody.
The impression which Sir RoBert Hart was desirous of conveying is of course merely the old idea that China might some day- between this and the millennium-become the somewhat original way in which he put a formidable military power-and no doubt the matter forward, was calculated, even this effect. This has been a favourite theme after being very largely discounted, to have with Sir ROBERT HART, who, however, seems. than perhaps they deserve. That China is to attach more importance to mere numbers improving very noticeably in her military not necessary, at the present time, to point organisation is beyond question; and it is out the serious risks that any nation would incur in going to war with her. This is very well known and it is not likely that any nation would, after the lesson that was into difficulties in this direction in a hurry, conveyed by the Russo-Japanese war, rush It is not, however, necessary in order to confirm this point, to suggest that China is ever likely to become a dominant military power, able to dictate to the whole world. As Sir ROBERT says, the Chinese " are a strangely reasonable people" and they prise to any such lengths. If they obtain would never wish to carry military enter-
an effective army for maintaining order in the country and protecting it from foreign invasion, they will be quite content. They have done something in this direction and as is not likely that China will attempt to time goes on will probably do more; but it
dictate to other nations. They will be quite content under any circumstances if they have sufficient military forces to hold their
correct, the people were at peace." "This," he adds, "indicated the people's acceptance." This has always theoretically been the rule accepted in China; and in the best of times carried out by both rulers and ruled. The want has been a quicker method of ascer- taining the views of the nation. This has been the foundation of the present move. ment for reform. In one respect China has been unique in that the movement has been headed by the EMPEROR himself, instead of his waiting for the outbreak of revolution. No country has had more evil experience of the inevitable results of revolution; and herein revolutionaries and reactionaries have kissed hands, for each, bent only on attaiu- ing its own ends, both have combined in the act of entirely repudiating the interests of the people themselves. On the other haud the Government would appear to have a
It is assumed that the nation which fairly clear idea of what is required of it in makes war is always in the wrong; but the matter of constitutional reform. "We do surely this is a very large assumption. A not put forward," the REGENT is reported country may do a great deal of wrong to to have said, a schéme of constitution
another short of waging war upon it; and reform as a matter of mere words, and to
leave to it no resource but to resort to armis enable certain officials to draw high salaries,
to maintain its rights-80 that the grand but rather to afford a foundation for the forbidding of fighting which the China of readjustment of the national finances on a
three hundred years hence is supposed to lasting basis satisfactory to the people at impose upon the ignorant outer barbarians, large; and for this purpose we have deter- by means of its own large army drawn mined on calling the representatives of the from its 400 millions of inhabitants, people together." The people pay the taxes, might in a given case be the upholding and look to the officials to carry out their of the wrong and not of the right-which reciprocal duties, and this can best be per- would scarcely be in accordance with formed by a Parliament where all interests the notions generally entertained of the can be represented. No simpler description millenium. It is perhaps hardly fair to of the province of a government could be take Sir ROBERT HART quite seriously on devised, and its very simplicity shows that this point-and a little allowance must be the essential idea has been grasped, and that made for humour, even in a high ex-official, those at the head of affairs do not intend who is generally pretty serious in his that the scheme shall degenerate into mere
utterances. We are all entitled to our ideas dumb show. The reform of the financial of what will take place in the world three system of China is momentarily the great bundred years hence, and stranger things desideratum, but the PRINCE REGENT is have happened in the course of centuries wise enough to see that it is a huge task, than the rise of the millennium in China; and one not lightly to be taken in hand; but still it is probably only a limited number and that, in fact, it needs the cooperation of people who expect that happy event to of the entire country. The relations of come from that particular quarter. Sir provinces and central executive have liter- ROBERT admitted that his assertion was ally to be entirely readjusted-and this is curious statement to make," but he added a task too great for any man, or any body that he knew something of the Chinese and of men constituting a government, to under- he knew their reasonable character and he, take without the co-operation of the country therefore, knew they would act in a reason- at large. This is the main point that the able way. With this last view most people revolutionary party, but half instructed, who are acquainted with the Chinese will fails to perceive; desiring only to overturu fully agree. The Chinese are always open what is because it has failed to be perfect, to reason and usually come to a common and.shutting its eyes to the fact that mere sense view of matters which have to be dealt destruction of evils without compensating with practically. For this reason we may provision for reconstruction can only have very safely conclude that they are not very one effect; and that the entire downfall of likely, even out of their 400,000,000 popu- the edifice of the State. We may find alation, to think of supporting an army for the
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OPIUM STATISTICS.
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(Daily Press, 9th February.) Bishop BRENT, on being elected Chairman of the International Opium Commission at Shanghai, delivered a speech in which he remarked that all great problems go through two distinct stages. There is first the emo. tional stage, "based largely upon sentiment and ideals that are conceived in the inner self, sometimes more independent of facts than is warranted." The emotional stage finds expression in agitation, and, as the Chairman remarked, we have had agita- tion," in regard to the opium problem. In his opinion we are "at least midway in the second or scientific stage, when men deal with ascertained facts and reach certain con- clusions of a practical character that will enable those on whom the responsibility rests to arrive at some final conclusion." How much better it would be if the scien- tific stage came first, and the emotional stage later! There would not then be half as many hysterical folk in the world as there are now under the existing order of solving "great problems." The difficulty, however, in this opium problem is to ascertain the facts. H.E. TUAN FANG, the Chinese. High Com- week, made the astonishing statement that missioner, in his ioangural address last the various provinces of the Empire have been able to so reduce the cultivation of the poppy that "it would seem that this gulti-
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