Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-10-27

be distributed among the sufferers. who
found themselves ruined and their crops
destroyed by the negligence of the local
authorities III not properly attending to
their duty of keeping the Peiho river
within its banks. As in the former
famine, large sums OF money were col
lected by both Chinese and foreigners,
upon the preteXt of Succoring ne i'm
mediate wants of the unfortunate peO-
pie who had been reduced TO Il terrible
state of suffering by the malverSation
OF the river-conservancy funds on the
part of the high officials. Accounts
showing the total amounts collected
and a portion Of that part intrusted TO
the foreign committee have been pub
hShed. but there was still Il much great
er amount remaining Unappropriated to
the purposes originally, for nearly two
years aiterWaTd We md the great prime
minister of the empire, Ii Hung Chang.
chaIilably RENTING the sum OF POO. OUU
t2els ut one time to his native province
10 feed the people, who are said to be
III dire straits owing TO the failure OF
the crops GA account Of the ravages of
the lOcuSts and want Of rain during the
last year.
Taking advantage of this distress, the
mandarin has not demOraLzed the peo-
pie by the promiscuous distribution of
the 100000 taels, but has exacted some
food and labor in return for the money
and food raised for their starving coun-
trymen of two years ago. by starting
the sufferers on a campaign against the
lOcuSts and digging up their eggs, upon
which a premium is paid. The manda-
rim further adds that AL the various
measures have proved of great benefit
to the Inhabitants Very true; but
these great benefits are being paid out
OF the money intrusted to the viceroys
for an entirely different purpose, and
the people of Auhui are reaping the
benefit of funds collected for the
ADMINISTRATION people of the province
Of Chilli two years ago. Who has had
the use and interest of this large sum
of money during the past two years no
one appears to know.
! 1t seems quite true that charity con
tTibuted for China is likely to get into
strange channels and is subject to cur
i0uS deViatiOnS before, if it ever. reaches
its object, and is as often as not entire
ly diverted from it's original purpose by
the peculiar methods of the great and
powerful men of China. Other coun-
tries seem to continue upon the slight
est prOvOcatiOn to pour charitable gifts
OF money, food, and clothing into China
whenever viSitatiOnS affiict it's people,
but the bland Chinaman stands un-
moved when castastrOphies atfiict the
rest Of mankind. The moral OF it all is
plain: charity, like diplomacy, will get
tired OF the ways that are dark and
the tricks that are vain in the Chinese
policy, and the hand that has always
been ready to pay out in the hour of
need Will refuse to move when the next
famine fund is set rolling in China.
What outside nations may think Of
the manner i'll which Chinese statemen
misapprOpriate the money collected for
their suffering cOuntrymen seems not
in the least to disturb the calm serenity
which is the distinguishing peculiarly
of the Chinese madarin; nor does he in
any manner attempt to hide or even
gloss over the manner in which he uses
, the funds, as is fully eXemplified in
the published accounts of the way in
which it was made way with. The
Chinaman regards the foreigner as a
generous but ignorant species of human
ity, unused to the ways of the world,
and at all times prey to the willy and
more learned Celestial; and if we are
to judge by the way in which the guile
less foreigner continues to pour money
into the Golfers of China, after seeing
to what methods it is diverted, we be
gin to think that there is some accur-
acy in the Chinese estimate of the
white race as a whole.