The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-07-09
CHINESE VICES.

|
 To the supercial observer of Chinese
 life there seems to be a wide divergence
 in the moral character of different class
 es of the people. Official life is seen tc
 be vast sink of corruption while there
 is a good measure of business integrity
 and mutual trust in general intercourse
 To understand Chinese character we
 must search for the motive forces oper ating in the lives of the people. It iE f related of the Emperor Ch'ien Lung
 who was fond of going out incognito tc l study the condition of the people, that 1 his attention was directed by q com panion to the multitudes passing out of
 the city gate. The emperor replied: q
 see but two men passing out of the city
 gate. Their names are Ming and Li | (Fame and Wealth). All of this activi- l ty. the emperor judged, was for one of l two ends-to win fame or to secure
 wealth. The Chinese people, when they
 feel at liberty to speak with frankness, 1 are severe critics of their own social condition, They do not declare that truthfulness and integrity are national virtues, but that untruthfulness and
 want of integrity are national vices. In these things the sages failed to req
 lze in practice their own exalted teaeh- , ings, and their defects have been pallia-
 ted by their disciples. Menclus taught that men should not 'bend an inch in
 order to "straighten ten feet" lest the
 evil principle being introduced they should bend ten feet to straishten an
 inch; but in the incidents of his life there are many cases of bis bending for no better reason than that he was un- der the power of the spirit of the times. There is a saying often heard from the lips of the Chinese, "Falsehood is the wisdom of the superior man" The man of culture and virture knows when and how to prevaricate. He Is no bun gler in this art
 There is much business honesty in China, but the root of that honesty is not fidelity to fundamental convictions of right: it is rather strong sense of business responsibility, realization that honesty is the best policy" and that failure to meet obligations will bring exposure and loss The larger the transactions the greater the responsibil- ities, and the stronger and more numer- ous the checks against dishonest deal ing, Thus, as business increases in i'm portance, the quality of business integ- rity improves, but the humble huckster who has moving price" for his wares, according to the shrewdness or gullibil- ity of his customers, is at heart as hon est man as the prosperous merchant who sells at "one price" to all custom CTS. The vast volume of trade in China does not rest for security upon mutual condence in character but upon mutual dependence Business is safeguarded by family responsibility by official su- pervision, by trade guilds, by individu- al security, and above all by a desire for good reputation. to insure perma- nent prosperity. In official life the op- for acquisition and the methods of achieving success are who'll ly different; and so officers of the same essential character as the merchant class seem to be a less trustworthy type of men, as judged by their lives ealtby merchants often purchase official positions, and are most to be feared as administrators of Justice. Forum.