The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-05-08

LChina Mail, Hong Kong. |

When we referred few days ago to
the storm cloud that threatens to burst
at any moment and to overw helm the
present administration at Peking, and
perhaps to sweep away all traces of the
re gn of the Manchus in China. we indi-
Gated briefly the scheme that had found
Javor amongst the leaders in the Re-
form Party. Whether this scheme will
ever become the groundwork of a plan
for the regeneration OF the Chinese EN-
pire, 1t would be unsafe to predict.
Having regard, however, to the urgent
necessity for reform in China politically
and the equally claimant necessities OF
the people socially and morally, all
true friends of enlightenment and civil
ization must welcome the hopeful
! glin mering of desire for a rational,
constitutional and honest form of Gov.
ernment in China-for a Government
which will rule the people on
sound principles with view to
the development of individual and
national wealth and well being
internally, and to conduct the external
affairs OF the Empire on the lines of
modern diplomacy and uprightness,
casting off all that is bad and objection.
able III the effete civilsation that has
encrusted her for centuries and prevent
ed her from marching in line with the
countries of the West. Among the
crying evils of the Chinese nation none
impresses the European accustomed to a
healthy spirit of patriotism in the
public services more than the existing
corruption among Chinese officials and
the utter incapacity in most instances
of these Cffici Is for the responsible po
sitions they occupy. Tofuliil his duties
with the sole object of the public well
fare is the last thing one looks for in a
Chinese official. Corruption is rampant
from top to bottom of the whole admin
lstratlve fabric. Whatever his apollo
gists may say on his behalf, we think
the revelations of Chinas unprepared-
ness for the present war, after the vast
sums of money spent on waTlike arma-
ment and material alone, prove as con-
| clusively as anyone could desire that
the much-vaunlcd Lii Hung Chang, W no
has been extravagantly described
as the Bismarck of China, is no
better than the petty peculative man.
DARN who strives to pay his dues o
Peking or the higher officials to
whose good favor he owes his position
from the money he eXtorts from the
people. There are several causes of
this state of affairs. The system under
which all Government appoint
ments are filed is bad - irredeem-
ably and irrevocably. There is
an absence of real education amongst
| the official classes and want of thor
ough technical training for special work
in the Government service. And in the
third Place, the system under which APP
pointments are held is radically wrong
and the salaries paid to officials are
wholly inadequate. The composition of
an elegant essay on classical subject
no more fits a man for civil appoint
'ment than the lifting of heavy stone
or battle axe and the accurate dis
charge of few arrows fit another for
a military command. Both are useless
tests, and are believed to be cunning
devices on the part of the Manchus to
prevent the common people from acquir-
ing useful knowledge to the danger of
the by nasty. Without scientific, profes-
| sional or technical knowledge, mere
Chinese classical machines are pitch.
| forked into positions requiring special
knowledge. An officer of the Empire is
required to be q Jack-of all-trades. He
is at one time expected TO be a great
general commanding large army at
| another time the gallant admiral of the
| fleet, at another time to be the emf
nent engineer Notwithstanding the con-
struction of works of the greatest diff
Guilty, or he may be called upon to deal
with some financial problem or the dis
cussion of an abstruse legal theory. In