The New York herald., 1878-09-29
Chfn Lau Pin AT Washing Eson-Chinese
Probiens.


ton yesterday are not frequent events, ana
the readers OF the HERALD are therefore the
less likely to begrudge the space given 10
il. Our readers will appreciate the enter
prise, and perhaps Chin Ian Pin may DO
as much himself, by which we have
been able to spread in our columns To-
day, in the Chinese character, with an
English translation, the words spoken
to the President by the Ambassador yester-
day. lis credentials presented as the evi-
dence of his authority as the representative
of his government, are also given In the
original character, with translation. We
know not how many people there are IN the
United States to whom these characters are
familiar as the instruments of the written
language of their country, but there
are certainly great many and
is an incident that singulariy Illus
trates the growth of the Repubhc
and the vitality OF lis progressive spirit
that there is to be found in the number OF
languages in daily and extensive use within
its borders this speech OF a self-secluded
people that was for ages regarded as Inys-
tery even more IMAM sAA~
secret of the Egyptian hieroglyphics
Perhaps not the least important results
of the increased comm unications between
this country and China, OF which yester-
DAYS event was a sign, may be strictly IN
tellectual and scientific ones, consequent
upon the complete acquisition and mas
terry of this comp aratiyely little known
speech and of the myriad of records OF the
antique world bdried in it more effectually
thus far than if covered by thousand pyr-
amids. In the study OF the human
mind, which is certainly the grandest
and most promising activity OF the
thinkers of our time, the study OF language
has proved an invaluable resource but we
doubt if all the languages hitherto so SER
viceable in this i'm portant field have yielded
evidences so rich as will be supplied by the
Chinese written language when 1T IS SO
known that it may be as freely used by
scholars as the languages OF the lndo-
European group Our reason for this opin-
ion is that this language is continuous
and unconscious record for period not
approached in the history of any other Ian
guage of the growth of the mind OF an acute
and ingenious race of men, and that 1t is
not an alphabetic language. TO this last
circumstance is due the fact that the Ian
euage will show all the stages and processes
Of the growth of thought in the people who
used it, It's character in this use may be
comprehended by reference to the
legend of its origin. 1t is said that
countless ages since-before men had
hit upon any device by which to preserve
the memory OF whnt they had thought, and
presumably at the psychologist moment
when they were drumming around in
search of such q device-one Of the sages
walked out in the evening, just as the heavy
drops Of n shower had ceased to fall He
saw on the soft ground the impression OF
horses foot, where some rider had
gone by and when he reflected
that the form of this impression showed
him that the animal was a horse that the
relation of the signs proved it was gallop-
| inc. and that the sharpness of the impress
sion showed he had passed since the
! shower-when he reflected that he knew all
| this of an event lie had not wit
| nessed then he had discovered the theory
of the Chinese written speech. Arbi-
trarv signs for given facts can never make
a convenient language but this is precisely
the characteristic likely to give language
the highest value as an evidence Of past
growth. An alphabetic language is the one
taken ont Of the mountain, melted down
! and made into tools excellent for daily
use but the other is the one left as depos-
tied in the noun tain and showing minutely
the history of it's own origin. The appear
ance of Chinese boys playing in our streets
with their half brothers (; the appearance of
Chinese students in all our cole ges, getting
our scientific methods to on their
ancient facts, is an augury that the time
when these great deposits may be used in
the study of great field Of the geology of
the intellect is not far away.
But the errand of the Ambassador ut
Washin gton has no intentional relation to
facts like these. 1t Is his function to deal
with our government on those very ma
terial relations between his country and
ours that are becoming daily of greater
moment His mission is further stage
of that recognition By China of the neces-
! sity of relations with the outside world
which was initiated nearly n generation
since, and which, alter halt OF many years,
! boomcd in the famous Burlingame mission
and bore the fruit OF many treaties with
foreign countries. All the great maritime
nations in the world have sought the advan-
tages TO their commerce of the trade with
I China, and we have no reason to complain
of our success in the effort. In that trade
there ars immeasurable resources for any
/ nation. England's wealth is to-day her
! greatest distinction among the nations.
| IIor purse reaches furtherin controlling the
I dcstinies of humanity than the sword of