National Republican., 1884-03-06
CHINA DEFENDED.
One Of Her Citizens Compares Her Progress in
Civilization With That Of Japan.
Some True stories Illustrating the Ma
tional characteristics OF orientaIs.
TO nc Editor.

WINE inc american press nave alnosb cAT |
hausted the English language in praising |
Japan, China has generally received nothing |
but abuse and calumny. Hence tho general |
impression that the Japanese are vastly supe- |
rior to the Chinese is SO strong that l suppose |
| 10 is almost a bootless task to induce the |
American people to think otherwise. IL has
been truly said that "the evil that mon do !
| lives after them;the good is oft inferred with
their bones" So IL is with nations. Whilo
the evil side of the Chinese is made continu-
ally to appear before the public the world
ignores tho fact that IL is TO China that they
owe their present state of civilization. Take
away tho compass from England aud hor
power is gone; tako away gunpowder from
Germany and sho will lose all her military
prcstige deprive the present civilized world
of the art of printing and then what becomes
of tho boosted advancement in literature and
scienco2
The world forgets that that the best part of
! Japanese civilization is derived from China.
| Their literature does not riRhtfully belong to
them, but is the result of Chinese brain and
scholarship. There Is very suggestive
parallel between the dispersion Of the Greek
scholars through Europe after the fall Of
Constantinople and the dispersion of the
Chinese scholars through japan after the fall
of Pekin. The downfall of the great city of
Bosphorus was the beginning of new period
of culture for all western Europe, and SO the
downfall of Pokin was the beginning of on
tirely new impulses in Japan" The above
quotation from Americas greatest lecturer,
to any one who has studied the history OF
the east, is pregnant with force and meaning.
Let us first compare China and Japan by a
standard recognized by all enlightened ma
tions--namely, from moral standpoint
However low tho standard Of morality may
be in China, the Chinese are angels when
compared with their island brothers, as the
following incident will show
While walking in one of the principal
streets in Kobe, l came to o latticed dwell
ing with o canvas curtain for door, and ON
this was q character somewhat similar to tho
! Chinese word pawn" Being inquisitive to
I sec If Japanese pawnshops resembled those in
;: China, pulled aside the curtain, and to my
amazement and horror / found it was
public bath, and men and women attirod in
natures habiliments were shamelessly wash
ing together. There are those who, in the
very face of nature dare call such gross de-
: pravity admirable innocence and simplicity.
But such shames arc common-I have
, known deeper" but will refrain. Aside from
personal observation, foreigners who have
resided both in China and Japan, have re-
, peatedly told me that the moral tone of the
1 former was vastly higher than that OF the
latter. Joseph Cooke calls the japanese the
diamond edition of humanity. If he has
reference to their diminutve size he is per-
0 fectly correct. The Chinese, with the excep-
tion of those in one or two southern provinces,
D are physically superior to tho japanese, both
in stature and in general development. To
make mental comparison, let us first COM
0 pare the business capacity of n Chinese with
a Japanese. 1t is no credit to China, with
, her large area and immense population, to
enjoy larger trade than Japan with the
outside world, but it does show ability and en-
terprse for Cinnamon to go to japan and take
0 away business which legitimately and natu-
rally belongs to the Japanese. The only reason
that can bc assigned, why in foreign banks
8 and in the large hongs, the responsible posi-
tons are held by the Chinese is because they
. are more reliable and capable. A foreign
10 merchant said to me, II have traded both
with the Chinese and japanese, and find il
much easier to make q bargain with Jap than
20 Chnaman, but a Jap is always changing hi;
mind, while never had any trouble that
N way with a Chinaman." sea captain, in
" the employ of the Mitsu Bishi company "a
Japanese company, said These Japs ore
awfully tickle and incapable in bust
ia ness" Another sea captain, who had
traded on the China and Japan coast fol
over twenty-five years, asserted that the
Chinese were far superior to the Japs ir
If tho way of business. 1t is n fact not gen
l. orally known that great deal Of the bust
a ness of tho east, outside of China, is in tht
~ hands of the Chinese. In Japan the majority
t tions important clerkships, large genara
- storekeepcrs, tailors, and shoemakers art
o. Chinese. In farther India one-half Of the
. trade is controlled by Celestials, and in Sing
III apore tho men of wealth and influence IL
re business circles are Chinese The Chimes,
as population of the Sandwich Islands form
lt more than two-thirds of the whole, and
"a vast number of Chinese merchants may bC
-, found in Penang, Columbo Saigon, Mauri
70 tius Calcutta, Madras, Bombay and the whole
~ of the East Indies. However much Japar
p may boast of her superiority in other things
Or she must acknowledge China as her mistress
d in commerce. But the enthusiast of the so
2 called New Japan eXclaims: Its the rela
tive progress of China and Japan that you
ID ought to compare. Behold the rapid stride
i that she has taken" Japan has certainly
g taken somo rapid strides. The finger o
u reform points triumphantly to her railroads
d. her telegraph, her steamships her university
s. at Toxic, and shouts defiance TO her neigh
bors and, as q climax to her progress, ex.
'r claims "Behold my broadcloth suit, my
IL French calf boots my hair parted in the
20 middle, and my plug hat. Who dare say
/ that am not civilized, and, what is more
t. foreigniZedY"
y 1t is just here that we SEQ the distinctive
n traits Of the two nations. While Chinamar
% will hang on to his queue with the grip of life
IL n Jap will almost give his life for anything
10 new and foreign. As an illustration of thi.
4 trait in tho Japanese here Is an instance.
party of modern Japs met party of Ameri
n cans who mad their hands la "Uncle Sam. ;
1t The quick eyes OF the Japanese perceived thi.
J. at once. "Ah! here is an opportunity fol
Is advancement. Here is a chance for improve
d ment" The next time that the two parties
'r met each of the japanese gentlemen had hi
% hands in his pantaioon pockets with forced
nonchalant look on his face. 1t is indeed /
k laughable sight to SEQ the blind and cage
manner in which japanese adopt foreign
ID exteriors to give them u foreign air. on
man will sport an English hat with he res
of his native wardrobe unchangcd; another
10 perhaps, can afford % pair of foreign shoes il
Is addition, while o third may be regula
dude. 1t all depends upon their means, an,
those who are very poor will content them
selves with pair Of 2j-ceut spoctacles to Civ
rs them foreign look.
n If it is laughable to see tho Japanese peopl
4 fooishy trying to be iOreignized, it is pitiabl
to SEQ her government practiGing the sam
= folly, Japan has progressed so much in he
governmental affairs, especially in her treas
ury department that sho owes her people a
N cents on every dollar, and it is pretty hard t
convince ChinamRu that such IL prOgres
and ad vanCement
Joseph Cooke, speaking on the extent o
reforms in Japan, says "The fcudal system
is broken, An hereditary nobility with u
least 100000 retainers, is disarmed the rul
| of the shogun Is ended the mikado ha