New-York tribune., 1901-04-21
GUILDS IN CHINA.
COMPLETE ORGANIZATION OF INDUSTRIAL
SOCIETY THERE

COMPLETE ORGANIZATION OF INDUSTRIAL
SOCIETY THERE
Shanghai letter in The Boston Herald
in ss nas hs bea5e n his
properly constituted Chinese to whose labor dignity
itself upon this people with the growth of eentu.
res and its cohesive quality and influence are such
that trades unions and labor organizations of all
kinds In other lands are mere experiments by com
Not only T has 70 eves s trade ade
Industrial life in China escapes guild notice ee'a '
for they lngraIned in the national composition
Fortunately, they seem to be managed with dscre-
were organized No suspicion of meddiing with
Be us m pacs to it nema a Re
he m 6n tTaSn and ss Sn s @
dict dictate .ha, guild house is place to talk shop
While this holds true and states the essence of
the organization, the guild is also a club; When
IN Ene ons ass tn Is no, usn se
M of sngs Are or nnd s fe as
needs little practice tell them apart The guild
is usually the most attractive. 1t consists archi-
guiar arrangement and small. narrow entrances,
which s enable & &satskeePers TO know who passes with
The interior buildings furnish general and special
ell hai with stage for entertainment and joss
compartment in which stands the image Of the
ly the central quadrangle contains the stage
eha the @ and Il the altar and image at the other
dred people, who face one way when they gather
s there - for fun and the other way when their pur
Among. the buildings are many small rooms
the purpose of socabiiity These rooms seem never
empty empty Much Of the leisure time of members s
spent In them. That Is where they their kind
ana a. where tea always tastes best OF course, tea
along with him, nre Is never permitted to 20
The establishment of guilds by localities multi
plies numhers Of organizations. but ii serves to
might otherwise be obscure In Shanghai there IS
Ningpo guild and Foo-Chow guild and a Swatow
Is always creded to that place one rere s hGse IS
en- on e Msg his he o.f aa one aS e
snee yon came e5 h 6elGgg How long
years N''''e '''''e" "''' twenty -e'sh'
lot, That man MS is Of the Canton guild, He does
tainy could never lave learned anything of his
He viii the oregn erers he ssa ean hs get sq pe
Npo no wf his sTs for hut II
@ strapped TO his mothers back as a baby and now
him. He relies on Canton men for his trade, and
wishes no other Chinese customers, Customers go
Ssrss wsrk Of any 10 kind Two m born in different
closes; friends but neither would thnk Of aaa sac oe
ing the Others trade or OF accepting it,
carpenter the latter would wish to know Why he
a@red We're nc rs SGsk here
the work would be undertaken; not otherwise. Con-
e or IN 5 fd pes can m
s is Tay ee e s hass ods Ed IN a to sa G
notions of dignity and ceremony.
too great A man viii go, Without for himself or
oe m s in ar the e F rich Ih n s
give OF his ppblic spirit is ,d by n bnsng a9d and put
iarty' aad many avail themselves Of it. When
port II, but that tax usually falls lightly and Is
All trouble between employers and those whom
they hire is reported to the guild to the section
be be- IN in Shanghai guilds for dferen shangha trades s
ha pns 'hs paee guild hears %ss e
member or members affected may say. and if the
with the general supervision Of guild affairs
coitee may decide h "a aganst ph the member en- Der and de-
to the council himself, although he vii, rarely Try
Should the council decide to champion hts ease
m 55 y as rating nss that % be 5
only by chance that the employer ;, can get his work
no'e Is against him ess Of loyalty It's eomrade and
every other guild will hold off because it is not
lazy that reads ss"s ws ssaps, hoysos
hn' or n M Whout Contract and HIre n
genious reasons for not accepting work flow easily
over II, The. law is seldom invoked on any such
aa as pss we
implanted in the race. there is seldom occasion for
Whatever may be thought OF the moral seruples
Of the ose oe ns a hono oe or ea the M
for honor counts with them above everything else
hais a Of il he Of The
slightest eompuncton. but small and large alike
must save face among their own
One who has large or important dealings with
Chinese may suffer experiences that lead him TO
conclude that face is fer sale ahsurdy cheap: but
native merchants Who are big enough to deal on
good scale with foreign houses invariably
their face no matter what else may have TO go.
II is the same way among themselves In affairs.
especially II they touch the face OF the guild
OF course, there servants guilds A for
eiener NAV regard his Chinese servants as of SO
little account that he may do or say al his pleas
ure vent his temper behave as he likes before
them and 1t goes further. If there is any
thing about a foreign employer of servants or his
msnt where II will be remembered TO his credit ar
aetiier misleading They get al the family affairs
and discuss them among themselves with the ut
most freedom.
When servant is discharged and another is
wanted the second will surely know what
ha appened 10 the other from ths other mans
sta,dpoint Besides that he Will have In his head
a fair notion of family history and relations which
his predecessor may be supposed not TO have OBJ
served. :
Cases have been known In which foreigners wish
ing to get information about the private aHairs ni
other foreigners have managed II through asking
their own servants to And u out for them, The
servants so the guild hall. make their INQUIRIES
and bring back the information wanted some IN
teresfing narratives OF doinge supposed to be under
cover in foreign Shanghai society have not only
come to light In that way, but nave oeen spfeao
broadcast. -.x.. .