Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-08-30

states. 1t is ii patriarchal government,
under which the whole nation is con-
sidered as family and the chief, or
emperor, is its father, who must be
obeyed implicitly. But being only the
highest executor and representative of
the law, which is the supreme authority,
he is responsible to the people and
may be dethroned by force. A peculiar
court, the College of Censors, has to
co" ,rol him as we'll as all other superior
functionaries, and besides is bound to
give a hearing to everybody who wants
to complain of the government. There
are no hereditary privileges, except those
of the imperial family, to whom alone
belongs the degree of nobility, and those
of the descendants of Confucius, their
great philosopher and reformator $50
b. CO. The administration of the
country is conducted by the "Mandar-
ms, that is, class of learned men,
who are divided into nine grades and
who rise from the lower to the higher
offices only after having successfully
passed rigid examinations. Every Of
fetal business is transacted in writing.
All public and most private affairs must
be carried on according to fixed old
rules and regulations which are strictly
kept up.
When the conquest of the new terri
tory had been accomplished, which event
probably took place about 5000 years
| before the Christian era, the soil was so
allotted to the people that every eight
families had nine equal shares of land
which they cultivated one share each
separately for its own livelihood, and
one share jointly for the maintenance
of the government. From this 1t ap-
pears that then the Chinese had already
passed the stages of group.marriage and
nomadic life, that they understood
and practised agriculture, and that they
did not employ slave labor. The families,
of course, were not equal as to the num-
Der of their members, some having
many children, some only few, and
some none at all. In consequence
thereof the yearly products of their par
GELS of land were barely sufficient for
the large families, while the small fam
lilies had more than they needed. Thus
originated the social contrast of rich and
poor. A further result was, that the
poor sold their shares to the rich and
that they let out their labor to them
for pay, so that the wages system took
rise among them. And these causes
together greatly stimulated and favored
the development of manufacture and
commerce, so that soon cities grew up
as centres of trade or markets. At the
same time the population increased
rapidly. After this had gone on through
many centuries the Chinese people con-
sisted Of a small minority of rich land
holders, manufacturers and merchants,
and large majority of poor wage
workers.
By and by, the misery and degradation
OF the masses grew to such dimensions
that the government had to interfere.
AS means of relief it first empowered
parents to sell their children into bond
age But, soon finding that this remedy
was inadequate, it resolved upon abolish
ing the right of private property in the
soil which had become valid in the
course of time. Therefore it ordained
that every family should cultivate as
much land as it was able to do, and that
SO much should remain its property.
This was done in the third century B. G..
However, the employment of wage
labor not having been forbidden, in the
seventh century our era, that is, in the
lapse of thousand years, the old state
of things-the social contrast-returned.
A small minority of the Chinese people
were rich and the large majority poor.
To Obvlate the evils resulting there
from, the government had recourse to
a third distribution of the SOIL allowing
this time to the rich families a larger
portion of land than to the poor ones.
Exery family was bound to cultivate its
its own share, not being permitted
either to mortgage or to sell it. But it
soon appeared that these legal enact
ments could not be carried out. The
wage system and the exploitation of
labor connected with it went on as be-
fore. aud it was not long ere the concen-
tratlon of landed property and of cap
ital into fewer and fewer hands com
menced again. AT the present day a
relatively small number of the Chinese
enjoy wealth and luxury, while the
large masses of the population are
doomed to miserable and degraded
life.
Now, what progress have the Chinese
made in the development of their labor,
language and mental power during the
four or five thousand years which have
gone by since they became an organized
| society pr in other words sinca tbaxy