The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-08

From the Nineteenth Century Review.
We are accustomed TO speak of China"
and the Chinese people" as if they were
distinct entities. This is an error at the
bottom of many of our mistakes and con-
fusions. We may use the word China as
a convenient expression 10 connote GER
tain vast portion of the earths surface,
but in no more exact sense. What fig
ures as China on the map is a number of
districts Otter separated from each other
and from the centre by immense distances
differing widely in climate, resources and
conhguration, inhabited by people OF large
ly varying race. temperament, habit, re-
ligion and language.
The Mohammedans, of whom there are
80, 100000, regard the Buddhists as ire
ligious foreigners. The Inhabitants of the
central and northern Provinces" says Mr..
Keane, scarcely regard those of the ex-
treme southeast districts as fellow coun-
trymen at ALL" A native of Shanghai
was heard to say, There were seven
Cinnamon and two Cantonese" A man
from Tien Tsin and a man from Canton
can no more talk to each other than can
Frenchman and a Dutchman Moreover,
there exists between them a virulent race
hatred. l lost the best Chinese servant 1
ever had because. being from the north,
nothing would induce him to accompany
me in the south of China where his speech
would have betrayed him. Cantonese vel
ly bad man, master" he said to me: II
go home" This curious inter-hatred is
conspicuous where Chinese from different
parts of China meet together, as, for ex-
ample. in Bangkok. or on the plantations
in Malaga or the Dutch Indies. Savage
faction fights are of constant occurrence.
Consequently II is easy to raise force of
Chinese in one place to fight Chinese in
another.
1t is because there is no such thing as
China" that the military caste of the
Manchus, comparatively infnitesimal in
numbers. have been able 10 impose their
rule upon the enormous masses of Chinese.
Thus il is unwise to predicate anything OF
China as a whole or to believe that what
suits one part will necessarily suit anoth-
err
over the heterogeneous and conflicting
masses Of China there has never been any
effective central control, and what control
there has been has steadily grown weaker.
The "Vermilion pencil makes faint
mark in the south. while in the southwest
and extreme northwest It has little but an
academic influence. and on the Thibetan
borders none at all. Respect thisl" APP
pended TO every imperial rescrpt in the
Pekin Gazette Is as far from actually as
the "Oyez' 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 authority OF a national army,
or navy. or civil service. And the corrup-
ton which is the fatal curse of China is
directly due to the fact that there is rot
and cannot be any central authority to ex-
ercise control over local officials. or. In the
absence of this. TO pay them. The Chinese
people. in the Language of physics, is
mechanical mixture and not a chemical
compound. and therefore II is irresponsive
to the action of any single reagent. and
incapable OF. exhibiting any common prop
srty..