The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-24
DEALING WITH CHINESE.
Baron Won Sternburg Says Patience
Is Necessary for Success.

from the post of Charge d Affaires to tie
German Embassy in this city to be Con-
sui General at Calcutta, has an interest
ing article on China in the current NUM-
Der OF Golfers Weekly" Among other
things he says
1T is not my Intention, in this short
review, to lay down any policy in con-
nection with Shis question. but if l were
to be asked to give iny opinion as re-
CARDS the chief reason of the present out
break 1 should put the answer in one
word: Misunderstanding (of the Chi
nese) The greatest triumphs ever
achieved by foreigners in China were ua-
doubtedly those of the Jesuit fathers
during the reign of the Emperor Kanghi
0692-17z3). To lay down the standard
OF how to succeed III China, ncbody can
do better than make a close study OF
their wonderful and interesting history.
The early Jesuits. as before stated, were
sent out by the far-seeing great kings of
France. especially by Louis XIV. to pave
the way Tor future trade by weaving IN
yiGible ties between Versailles and the
sacred city of Pekin, and. II possible,
even to attempt to convert the mighty
and proud empeFors themselves, Their
the most extraordinary and difficult ever
entrusted to diplomatic envoy in the
history OF the world. The great fathers,
at the end OF the seventeenth century.
came very near and most likely would
have converted the Son of Heaven, If they
had not wrecked their chances just at
the moment they were preparing to set
the crown their ardent long, ard pa
tienut labors. dispute arose regard
ing certain religious rites, which was
followed by the prompt removal OF all
priests, not only from the court but from
the whole country. Emperor hanghts
reason for this harsh action was that if
the holy fathers coulG not agree them
selves on questions touching their own
religion 1t surely could not have the value
which they proclaimed 1t had This
meant the deathkneu OF Christianity iii
China Later Emperors tolerated the
missionaries, but their influence did not
rise much above the scum CT the country.
If we enter into the details of the sys-
TEN of working Of the Jesuits, which still
remains the standard of the Catholics in
China, we find that it is based on the fol-
lowing rules and regulations:
"The novice from home must first ac-
quire thorough knowledge of the Chi
nese language aud of the most cOmpii-
Gated etiquette as regards all social and
official intercourse He must abandon the
cassock in favor of the native dress, must
grow queue. must closely copy the daily
life and evan many habits of the Chinese
in short. he must strive to become as
near as possible a ChIraman himself At
ter at least two years of ardent study I'M
der experienced old fathers at the head
quarters OF the mission he is detailed to
some Independent mission, where Teli-
able old hand carefully breaks him in
These remarks are TO give an idea as
to the line in which every foreigner in
China ought to work IL he wants TO gather
results, be he official, priest, or merchant.
Above ALL he must respect the sacred ira
ditions, revived by Confucius, on which
the vast Empire has pivoted for more than
five thousand years and which have kept
it together while india, Babylon, Assyria,
Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome crum-
bied to pieces. Study the philosophy OF
Confucius. and follow it closely IN all
your dealings With the Chinese. quite the
same if you may be negotiating a treaty,
buying a pony, or bartering over pre-
eious vaset Try to be patient and pa
tient again and again, carefully increasing
your kind gentle, but firm grip Before
all. never display any emotion, and always
look happy. II you once lose your temper
and put yeur foot down you are doomed,
and yoH had better pack your trunk. and
90 home because, ron will have lost caste
as a gentleman. Everybody who Knows
the Chinese will tell you what this means.
If you are bartering over a pony or a Gu
rio IL is your own business il you show
your temper and fail, but if you are ne
gotiating loan, il is not your own bust
ness. 80.
THE greatest mover of China in modern
times is Sir. Robert Hart, who forty-six
wears ago built the wonderful service
known as the Imperial Maritime Customs.
IT rests on the sound foundations sue
cessfulIy laid by the genius of the Ameri-
can, Mr. Lay Ofacials of all civilized ma
lions are employed by Sir Robert Hart.
His system OF training them is entirely
based on what I have Just explained, and
which might be called a festina lente'
policy This service now yields a revenue
of % 800 coo LaeIs annually tone tael
equals about 81 IN gold. The wonderful
foreign structure which. Sir Robert has
built up On Chinese soil, and OF which
branches now cover the great seaboaTd
and rivers of the empire, proves what for
eign brains and influence can do in China
if exerted in the right way.
LAS to the ability of the Chinese them
selves TO inaugurate and foster reforms
we have shining example in the renais-
sance of China about twenty-five years
APO under the great administrator Ii
Hung Chang and the late General Tso
Tsung Tang These two famous and in
fuentIaI men We're able to crush rebel
lions even of wider spread than the pres
emf and after successfully restoring
peace and order Lii laid the foundations
of a modern Chinese navy which, under
the excellent management of Captain
(now AdrairaD Lang, OF the Royal Navy.
was. I'D to the end of the eighties, quite
ON the level of The best lighting navies of
the world The same can be said OF the
troops drilled under the care of Colonel
Richter. of the Imperial German Army,
whom Ii Hung Chang had made director
of the war school at Tientsin.
'sUnluckily the strong arm needed in Pc
kin to keep on permanently fostering these
reforms was lacking. The present En-
peror Kwang Hsu was still a child, and the
refns of the Government were in the hands
Of the Empress Dowager and her more
or less reaetionary advisers. Lang was ell
bowed out OF the navy by intrigue Rich
ter's spIendidly trained men were sent to
the provinces where the reactionaTy Vice
rows and Governors almost unanimously
sheIved them or employed them as cooks
and coolies Then came the late smash
up brought on by Japan. Ii Hung Chang
| was made responsible, deprived of his hon
ors and degraded, but his years had begun
to tell and he no longer possessed the en-
ergy and vitality which had enabled him
| to perform the great works of twenty years
ago. great man was sadly needed. or a
combination of such, but this time China
| failed to produce them. Meanwhile kwang
| Hsu had reached the age of twenty-f four.