The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-09
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substitute is paid, who passes the exam
ination in the name of the DESTROYS cam
didate The government examining Of
ficials are bribed 70 wink at such eva
sionS and many are the stories current
in China on this topic.
The effect OF an education, at the same
time severe and narrow. on the Chinese
character Is seh-eyident. The chains of
superstition and custom which have been
growing stronger and stronger for so
many thousand years are riveted on the
mind Of the youthful Chinese by an edu-
cation which insists solely on memoriz-
ing the classics. Strings of maxims.
many wise and sententious. others merely
the outcome OF gross and ignorant super
stition; long and fabulous histories, dat
ing from a period when everything was
expressed IN the language OF symbols,
train the Chinese mind TO a habit Of
thought both inelsstic and tortuous. He
IS accustomed to double entendre, to sub
tie meanings and twists OF rhetoric; at
the same time he gains no knowledge of
the modern world, of recent science. or OF
contemporary history. He is both highly
educated and extremely ignorant, a child
and a servant and this system explains
to a great extent the absolute crystalliza-
ton Of Chinese knowledge which makes
her once In the forefront OF civilization.
now many centuries behind the Western
world. To explain the causes which led
TO the adoption Of such system and shut
Off China from outside influence after
she had by herself attained to a high
pitch OF knowledge and refinement would
involve an examination of geographical
and historical conditions outside the
scope of this article.
Ruling Instinct of the Chinaman.
we are. therefore. concerned with
people Of unparalleled proportions. whose
tensity for thousands Of years. and give
a permanence to their national charac-
ter against which we may dash In vain
our own superior qualities OF mind and
heart II viii take centuries even to
modify this national character which to
us appears at once childish and enig-
matical Meanwhile let us take the Chi
naman as he is. and discover. II possi-
BILE. some modus vivendl with him The
great point which the Britisher and Chi
naman have in common is the commercial
instinct. The Chinaman is seldom poll
tician, save in n local sense, never from
choice soldier the military profession
being held in contempt and being en-
tirely subordinated tn the civil officials;
even the priesthood is looked upon as a
low grade of life, and outside official
ranks. the merchant--even the petty
trader--is held in the greatest repute. In
a provincial town the leading banker
ranks next to the project. Hard work.
ing. ingenious, economical. the genius
OF the Chinese Is pre-eminently for trade.
The very games OF the children are all
about buying and selling. and the first
words a baby Is taught TO lisp are the
names OF coins A chinaman, to quote
China In Transformation" thinks in
money" His first idea on being shown
any object Is almost entirely connected
with the commercial side OF Affairs. Re-
ligior plays a very small part in his
inner life. though superstition governs
his ightest actions Commercial integ-
rity Is both high and universal in China.
although honesty IL not counted as a
virtue In private dealing, affording an
instance OF the curious paradoxes 80 COM
mon In this country Of topsey-turveydom.
The Chinese. par excellence. is a shop
keeper, and no better description of him
can be found than that given by the
Able Hue, who describes him sitting be-
hind his counter. waiting patiently for
customers, and beguiling the time with
calculations of possible profits on his lit
tie arithmetical machine. When the GUS
toner comes the merchant accepts eager
ly the opportunity OF the slightest profit,
and drives the best possible bargain, while
In the evening his great joy. when he