Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-01-02
MoNeoLlAN NovgLIsrs.
The Chinese Writer OF Sensat lonai Stories
and the COnGucIanists.

The Chinese Writer OF Sensat lonai stories
and the COnsucIanists.
The writing of this class of literature
began in the ttfrteenth century, and con-
tinued to be a favorite occupation of
Chinese writers for about three centu-
ries. After this it was felt that enough
had been provided, and the production
almost ceased. The authors concealed
their names. The moral teaching of
the Confucian school was too powerful
for those who loved to give reign to
their Imagination in novel and play
writing to be able to venture on pub
licity. 1t was never with the consent
of the always dominant moral philoso-
pliers that novels grew to the position
of influence they now possess in China.
This hostility, says the North China
Herald, has by means ceased. Quite re-
Gently there appeared in q Chinese
newspaper a paper written by an an
nonymous Confucianist against novels.
He is deeply impressed with the need
of continuing the crusade against licen-
tious literature and romances COM
menced by one Chen during the last
century, when he founded n school in
Soochow for the promotion of the
healthy study of the classical books.
He held that novels arovnow so preva-
lent that they amount to a fourth estate
in the realm of teaching, the Confucian,
Buddhist, aud Taois literatures being
| the first, second, and third. But instead
of intoxicating virtue they lead men into
vice. Every one reads them or hears
them read, and it may be questioned
whether the moral influence for evil of
Chinese works of imagination is, he says,
not greater than that of the books of
the three religions for good. They sug-
gest to young men that they should lead
licentious life, and represent killing
man as o noble action. To read of these
things produces disastrous results on
public morality. The many cases of
crime in the courts and the number of
those who adopt q robbers career are
due to the effect Of Chinese novel read
ing.
This author was followed by Shin,
who set the example of establishing q
paper-burnlng urn in his family court.
Into this urn went all novels and every
sort of vicious literature on which he
could lay hands, and especially the
blocks from which they were printed.
For these he made wide search, in the
hope Of extinguishing the evil at its
source. In order to find money to buy
them up, he first used his spare funds,
and then sold clothing, and even his
wife's ornaments, in order that the
work of destruction might be more COM
plete. Others of influence in Soochow
followed these examples; they created
public opinion, and tho consequence
was that representatives Of sixty-flve of
the most respectable firms went to-
gether to the city temple, burnt incense
and made O VOW not to engage in the
trade in immoral books. An Office was
opened in the Confucian temple of the
magistracy for buying up the blocks of
all immoral books, including novels.
There was an immense destruction of
this literature in Soochoow, so that 1t
became hard to meet with vicious pub
locations. This was, however, nearly
half century ago, and the evil rose
again. Twenty-Five years ago the then
Governor of the district issued a new
proclamation reiterating tho order pro-
hibiting immoral publications.
At the present time there is q flood of
books with bad influence. Such read
J ing as they furnish has moro influence
in leading young minds wrong, says the
Confucianist writer, that all the An
fluence on the side of right or the teach
ing of the sages. THE foreign reader
OF Chinese books of an imaginative kind
can not condemn them indiscriminate-
ly, because they contain beautiful char
acters, both of men and women, which
exhibit an admirable idea Of bravery,
filial piety, purity of life, loyalty and
other noble qualities. But there can be
no doubt of the bad influence Of many
of the native books which familiarize
the minds of the young with scenes of
vice, and hold up successful crime to
sympathetic admiration. 1t must also
be remembered that whatever evil there
may be in the actual life of the Chinese,
they have among them the firm friends
of q high morality. The National con-
science and the National literature alike
testify with unfaltering voice to the
duty of every one to be moral, just and
hnp