The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-22
AGRICULTURE IN CHINA.
People Are Landowners and the
Nationalist Idea Noes Not Obtain.

From Simcox's Chinese Civilization.
The fayorite occupations are still learn
ing and agriculture, and the fourfold clas-
the cultivators, the manufacturing or arti-
sans and the traders Is still quoted by ma
tive writer's as applicable to modern times
merce are the branches; and this is so far
from being mere rhetorical phrase that
even within the same household, agriculture
branches out into handicraftS and trade
The cultivators display the technical skill
of mechanics, and participate in the profits
elsewhere reserved 70 manufacturers and
VersatiIity for which the citizen of d t5
United States are notable characterize
the Chinese In their own country. and the
that it is still possible In the Oldest coun-
try, as 1t has been hitherto in the new,
for every enterprising worker to obtain pos
AT this point, however, the resemblance
ceases. for China--is emphatically land
0l aI Pe9ty IN 6FdgStrX ana petty commerce hs
whole system of real and personal property
IS based upon the principle OF individual
the laboring masses is fixed by that of the
smaller cultivators, who form the largest
section of the population. Extreme poverty
ing to go without food. but in
having TO eat plain rice The peasants eat
four meals day of varied and savory
food or five in summer time. when the
days work begins at dawn. The hired
servants have the same food as the fam
ily and, though economy is universal,
there is no pinching or grinding; there may
abject want and no terror of restitution.
The author of this book reproduceS NJ. ST.
mons account of his visit to the house of
a small agriculturiSt, one Wang-Ming-TSe,
who owned and titled a little over four and
half acres. The rejection TO which the
European stranger was invited lasted for
two hours, and consisted of fish in broth,
ducks and chickens, pork and mutton, veg
etableS nf different sorts, a variety of en-
tremets, sweet and picked, with, OF course
the usual bowl of rice, and sweets, fruits,
cakes, rice wine, and liqueurS for dessert;
this, ii seems, was only the usual holiday
fare of the family. How many acres, one
naturally asks, would an English tenant
American farmer have to till to be
able, without improperly, to sport visiting
cards, pay morning calls, and invite dis
tinguiShed foreigners TO Sucn a luncheon
have described, to afternoon tea
made of the new-Season buds which, in
China itself. are worth 81 a pound? NJ. ST.
mon remarks that if he had alighted sud
denly in France upon household living
in the same style of ease and comfort as
Wang Ming-Tse he would assume them to
be the owners of one hundred acres of
good, sunny land. or people living on an
income of at least $500 year. This culti-
vator, have said. had four and one
half acres, but the visitor found that in
the neighborhood holdings of or one
and half acres were by no means UNI
common.
In less fertile parts of China the same
observer found farmer owning less than
nine acres who was saving at the rate of
1913 a year, and another with two and a
should have mentioned that Wang-Ming-
Use, with his four and half acres, saved
$500 and spent $500 year
other travellers, while less enthusiastic
than Nj. Simon, give substantially similar
informa ton.