New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-09

great deal Of trouble. You Know how ark
ious we Chinese for male offspring,
and SO can imagine how proud and happy
l was when. three years ago. son was born
to me. He was a rugged bright boy and never
i'll a day until about two months ago. when he
began to pine. I called our native physicians, but
he grew worse and at last. about two weeks ago,
az n last resort called one of your foreign doc
tors 9ou can conceive how anxious ! was that
he should live by my consent to that; but he could
not help tho little fellow and one night last week
was obliged to throw his body outside the door"
This is only one among innumerable superst
tons which fettcr the minds Of Chinese. one
must 60 back centuries in the history Of Europe
or descend to the lor Of the most benightod
pcasantry TO frd q counterpart for ideas still
prevalent in China Eut if one goes back far
enough it is sure to be found. For example,
the opinion which the ancient Greeks and Ro-
mans held that there was somewhere tribe Of
men whose heads were on their breasts or under
their arms is still maintained in China II would
be as unjust to Judge the people by these
vaCarics as il would be to test the value Of
classical literature only h, its absurdi;es AS a
matter Of fact the Chinese good thinkers
and emncnty practical in conduct. There is no
bar among them to tho rise Of capable men from
the lowest places t. IL" highest. No such thing
as an hereditary nobility is kn jwn. Ii Hung
Chang and his brothers. all az whom have at
tanned the highest official rank, were Of obscure
birth Aside from questions TO the value Of
Chinese education there is no doubt Of the tax
Il lays on the mental powers. especially on tho
memory and the initiative faculties. With very
rare exceptions. as Mr.. Hocombe SAYS Chinese
boys and girls sent 10 study in foreign lands
have made crcditablc and often brilliant records
princes. aq tho American girls fondly imagined"
He specifies a charity boy who took the first
prize in English composition at Yale. and beg
gar girl literally nehod from gutter In Pckng
one December night who graduated with first
honors ut one Of our bcst female colleges" But
he manfcstly holds Confuc.anism to be both
cducationaIly and rellgiously almost insur-
mountable obstacle to the progress Il tho race
Taosm and Chinese Buddhism he describes as
more injuri) qua even than the philosophy Of Con-
fucius Everywhere he gives the Impression that
the Chinaman is better than his traditional en-
vironment.
The picture drawn by Mr. Norman brings ont
all the shadows in the Chinese charactct. But
Mr. Norman. in his study Of siam. o. Corca, of
Japan and of the European possessions and pro-
tcctorates in the Far East, retains consistently
the point OF view If one who thinks only Of Great
Britain. what she must d. and what she must
have He Is emphatic with those who have ali
along sided with China against Japan and he
shows not a little disposition 4 kick the Chinese
now that they are down Yet he might have
seer as much that was good In tho Chinese char
actor as Mr. Iolcombe does and Sill have
pointed the same international moral that Is now
the burden Of his book. For the Chinese Do not
appoar to have suffered in thu war with Japan
a.. ..F . fr.f
lack Of individual capacity, but solely because Of
their intractable conservatism. lie docs not
think it possible tha, tho Lessons 4 tho war
have gone unhccied. and he looks forward u the
prospect that China in fifteen years may be in
a position t. take revenge. lie thinks Japan
Will DO her best in the moment - victory 20 s"-
cure herself against such a contingency II was
her ambition 10 convince Western rulers and
statesmen that she was no longer child t. be-
kept in leading-s,rinRs but a N-grown nation.
worthy OF place as lrst-cass CIVILIZED power.
Now that this has pra icaily been demonstrated,
she ia contemplating a new step which IS nothing
short ~ a promulgati1n ~ -" Monro" pprtrin"
for Asia. on this point Mr Norman insists mat
he speaks from knowledge. Word or word. with
the single change Of the uanc Japan far that -
the United States. her statesmen are ready -
quote President Monro's famous mcsear" -
1899 and apply IL % Asia. with tho cry fur ID"
mouths and cars OF the p1pulace. ASIA f1r III"
Aslatios" To tho accusation q conservative a'l
reluctant China that She has betrayed Asa.
japan replies that china - the real traitor. sinr"
she has been content hitherto "to remain tho
victim of The Occidcu' instead - rpusirg her
self t. push back It's advancing waves u opp1r-
mnity should offer" In the war that has been
going on Japan has RETAINED from giving fatal
blow t. the imperial system ~ China. Sh" was
not more ready 20 humbl" China as a nation
than she was - piosorv" ~" present dynasty.
In opposition 10 the opinion Of military experts.
he maintains that nothing would have been
easier for the japanese armies than t. leave
Por, Arthur and Wci-Ilai-Woi - fau ~ their
own accord. and to march straight To- tho capital.
But Picking once taken thor" would he no al
Tentative for an Or!cnt1l roW'r- whatever
Western conqucror might do-cXc"p' to rcor-
sarIiZ. tho Empire. Even tho campaign went
japan might have sen; nissi'rar.os al over
China and aroused tn" provinces. which h" Dc
clarcs t. be aa nimcal - each other almost as
they are q foreigners. lis opinion Is that the
real Chimes, are rebcilOus at heart toward
their Tartar rulors as they ever wc-c. Here he
differs from Mr.. Holcombo. according 10 whom
The native race has bsJrbcd its conqucrors.
and the two are practically one Ii Is as rare TO
find "A Chinese who objects to th" Emperor be
cause he is a Manchu as il is 20 find one Of our
British friends objccting to Her Majesty Queen
Victoria because Of her German extraction" II
Is difficult to harmonic this extremely opu-
mist, statement with the known fact that the
mos: powerful secret society Of CHINA has for
its prOfessed object TO overthrow tn" Man-hu9
and restore the Mings Official japanese opinion
on this point seems to be that China Is the worst
..rfI hot 10
are without any feeling r unity or OF loyalty
such as animatcs all japan. that in short the
word China is. as TallcyranI SAID If Italy.
mere geographical name This Is plausible.
Europe was for centuries troubled by a similar
amorph1us political combination-thc Empire
which had all the traditions and none of the
powers Of the ancient Roman system and of
Charlcmagne's imitation. on these it starved
Lrn III. -.