Evening star., 1901-08-31
WEST AGAINST THE EAST
ORIENTAL OPINION OF CIVILIZATION
OF THE OCCIDENT.
The COmmercialism Of EurOpe-COn
tent and Culture of Asiatio
Peoples. a1l

From the Literary Digest.
Oriental thinkers have long maintained
the superiority Of the civilization of the
east over that Of the west, but to western
ers the primacy of occidental methods Of
life and thought Is so self-evident that the
views OF the German savant and traveller,
Hermann Frank. will come as a surprise
Prof. Frank, who has lived for fifteen
years In oriental lands in recent book
entitled 'Das Margenland und das Abend-
land (The Orient and the Occident), un-
dertakes to prove that the culture Of the
west has no right to claim intrinsic su-
periority over that Of the east His line
Of thought is. in the main. as follows:
There was a time when there was but
one eastern question, and that concerned
the "sick man. in Constantinople: now
there are many questions Of that kind. per-
tanning to all the leading nations Of the
east. and nearly all the western nations
think they have mission in some Sec
tion Of the east. Yet this mission zeal is
anything but the ambition to bestow bet
ter type Of civilization on peoples that are
of lower grade. The general policy of all
these nations In the east is essentially
selfish. The west cannot support itself.
and must force it's goods upon the east.
The whole object has been not to civilize
the ancient oriental nations, but to get
their money by hook or crook. A part Of
this civilization propaganda has been the
spread Of the use of alcohol. England has
undertaken wars in order to make the
Chinese use more opium than they wanted
English free trade has been introduced into
India and has killed the native Industry
there, in order that English manufacturers
might flourish. although labor is so cheap
In the east 1t cannot enter into competition
with the machines Of the west The world
policy" Of the west has been the CONNER
cial and political subJection Of the east
to the harm OF the latter. the fate Of which
threatens to be that Of the Indians of
North America, who also were overpower-
ed by higher" civilization.
Rights Of the West.
Has the west any real right to crush out
the ancient culture Of the east? asks Pro-
fessor Frank. In reply he says (we con-
dense again):
No. What the western peoples have to
offer to the east is substitute of doubtful
value for that which the orientals are
asked to give up. 1t is true that in ma
terial things. in inventions. ETC., TIE west
has made wonderful strides beyond what
the east has done or ever will do, but these
strides have gone hand-in-hand with de-
termination in the moral. the ethical, the
esthetic and religious life that more than
counterbalances the material good that has
been achieved. The eastern man can make
out good case in argument against the
Introduction Of western life among his
people.
Despite an extremely enervating climate.
he continues, the oriental has developed q
| remarkable culture. as is seen. e.g:. In the
case of Persia, to which we are Indebted
! for more things than the westerner is will
ing to acknowledge. In certain sense. the
average man In the east enjoys q higher
degree of real culture than his western
brother. We condense again:
Orientals' Knowledge.
Not having the natural needs which west
| ern people deem necessary to the enjoy
| ment Of life. but being satisfied and con-
| tent with less. he has the time and leisure
for greater intellectual enjoyments ana a
| much larger percentage Of orientals keen
ly appreciate their Saadi and Hafls than
| the western people their classical writer's
Then, too. the family life Of the orient is
better adapted to their needs ana sur
r0undings than would be the ideas that
prevail In the west. The authority of GUS
tom Is more QoAerful than would ha the