Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-09-11
"Rxclusiveness'' of the Chinese.

While it is to be presumed that those
persons charged with the prosecution
Of the present campaign against the
Chinese IRE familiar with the peculiar
tiles Of the heather Chinee, it is certain
that the average individual knows little
or nothing Of the gross ignorance Of
outside affairs which prevails In the
"Flowery Kingdom" even in high off,
cial quarters. Apologists for the Celes-
tials are pleased to excuse this ignu-
rance by calling it RESPONSIVENESS"
which, they assert. Is so pronounced
because of the fact that it has been
taught for centuries. 1t will wear of
in time, say these persons In extenua-
ton. This may be true. but to ordi-
nary individuals, who can see In a
spade nothing more than n spade, and
are inclined to SO designate 1t. this
sounds childish.
Perhaps no better illustration Of the
incompleteness Of the much Wanted
higher education" which prevails in
China was ever given than that which
Is printed in a recent Issue of Harper's
Weekly. The writer, Yho evidently
knows whereof he speaks. in relating
little story bearing upon the pecul-
iarity in question says:
zone night the local officials of
the small village where we were
stopping called. according to custom,
to greet us and arrange for future
progress. One of them. dear old
gentleman who had laugh that
would have made his fortune on the
stage in any capital Of Europe, inquir-
ed what land ! came from, If It was
far from China, and then whether I
came by land or by sea, each question
being punctuated by delicious laugh.
To tell him. who considered 100 miles
as long journey. that 1 had come
over 10000 miles was to give the i'm.
preston Of q gross exaggeration, as
he had no idea of the size Of the earth
or where America was, as the question
whether it was north or south Of China
indicated. One Of his companions,
finding that his friend was quite ut
sea, finally summoned up courage and
rebuked the questioner by pointing out
that America was in the western and
China In the eastern hemisphere.
After other inquiries the first man
frightened up and said, "Oh. know
now where your land Is; 1t Is between
France and Germany" whereupon the
second. who had been carefully watch
ing our faces aud 81 perceived that the
other was wrong again. repeated his
hemisphere remark with most SUPER
cilious and superior air. and Us he ven
tured nothing more there was little
doubt that that comprised his whole
knowledge of the worlds geography,
although there was considerable doubt
that he really knew what a hemis-
phere was, and yet these two men
held important government positions.
and one of them has since been pro-
noted and is on the high road to still
greater places of trust, and to such
men the people must look and rely on
for their guidance. But this state Of
affairs must not be COMPOUNDED with
being uneducated according to our
standards. From a Chinese point Of
view they were very highly educated
and had spent an amount Of time in
acquiring their information that would
suffice with us to rake a man through
q leading university and give him q
Phi. D. degree. They had a great
amount Of learning. but it was OF no
practical value 1t was the teachings
of the fifth century before Christ rath.
er than the nineteenth century after"