The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-07-24
NO CHINESE NATION"
Nineteenth Century Review says
China Has No Unity.

According TO the Nineteenth Cent
ury Review there Is no Chinese patton
The Review says:
" are accustomed 20 speak OF
China and the Cfainese people as IL
they We're distinct entities. This Is an
error al the bottom OF many % our
mistakes n COMMISSIONS. We may use
the word China as q convenient ex-
preston 10 connose a certain vast por-
ton OF the earth's surface. but in no
more exact sense. What figures as
China on the map Is a numbe. OF dis
tricts often separated from each other
and from the center by immense dis
tances. differing widely in climate. re-
sources and configuration. inhabited
by people of largely varying race. tenn
permanent. habit. religion and language.
The Mohammeians. % whom there
are 80. 0eo. 600. regard the Buddhists as
irreligious foreigners. The inhaoi-
"tants of the central n northern pro-
vinces.' say Mr.. keane. scarcely re-
gard those Of the extreme southeast
districts as foliow-countrymen at all
A native Of Shanghai was heard TO say.
There We're V Cinnamon and two
Cantonese 4 man from TfenTsin and
a man from Canton can no more talk
TO each other than can a FrenchInan
and 4 Dutchman. Moreover. there K
lists between them a virulent race hat
red. / lost the best Chinese servant /
ever had because. being from the north
nothing would induce him 10 accompa-
ny me in the south o. China. where his
speech would LAY betrayed him..
Cantonese velly lad nan master he
said 10 me: ] go home This curious
inter-hatred is conspicuous where Chi
nese from different parts ~ China
meet together, as, for example IN
Bangkok. or on the plantations in Ma
laya or the Dutch Indies. Savage fac
ton fights are of constant occurrence
Consequently IL is easy 10 raise a force
OF Chinese in place 20 fight Chi
nese in another.
1T Is because there Is no such thing
as China that the military caste OF
the Manchus' comparatively infinitesi-
NAL in numbers. have been able 10 ip.-
pose their rule upon the eerormous
masses OF Chinese. Thus X is unwise
to predicate anything ~ China as a
who'll or To believe that what suits
one part will necessarily suit another.
"Over the heterogeneous and con-
ficting masses of China there has new
er been any effectual central control.
and what control there has been has
steadily grown weake The 'Vermli-
lion pencil makes a faint mark IL
the south, while in the southwest and
extreme northwest 1; has little but an
academic influence. and OF the Ttbe-
tan borders lone at all. Respect this
appended 10 every imperial rescript
in the Pekin Gazette, is as far from
actually as the Oyer Of the usher
with us, or the challenge of the Queens
champion at the coronation. There is.
therefore, not the slightest possibility
of the establishment by Chinese au-
thorfty OF a national army. OF navy.
or civil serveice. And the corruption
which is the fatal curse Of China, is
directly due 10 the fac that there IL
not and anne be any central author
ity TO exercise control over local Off
cials, or. in the absence Of this, to pay
them. The Chinese people. in the Ian
guage of physics. is a mechanical mix
ture and not a chemical compound, and
therefore it is irresponsible to the ac-
ton of any single reagent and c
pable Of exhibiting any common prop
erty."