The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-04-10
DEFENDS THE CHINESE.
WI Ting Fang Speaks Out for His
Race.

WI Ting Fang, Chinese minister to
the United States, delivered the cOnvo-
cation address of the University of
Chicago. MI. WI took for his subject
''Chinese Civilization" and said China
had been like a recluse community IN
the heart of a mountain
This mountain community may be
said to be China in miniature, ne
continued ITO her isolation she I'M
doubleday owes her long freedom from
foreign domination Foreign influence,
indeed, has had very little to do with
the national development OF emma.
Before the nineteenth century, the only
possible foreign enemies she had TO
meet were the nCmadS of the Mon
golian plateau, who coca sionally made
sudden inCursiOns upon the settlements
along the northern frontier, and pi-
rates from the Malaysian islands, who
sometimes spread terror along the sea
coast by their rayages. These warlike
encounters, fortunately, were not very
frequent
Far from the conflicts and strifes of
the west, the Chinese have been able
to give. through the past centuries. al
most their exclusive attention to inter-
nal development. They have accord
ingly solved their political problems in
their own way and worked out their
destiny without foreign interference
Mature has blessed the country with
every variety of soil and climate, so
that the people have never been obliged
to look to other countries for the sup
ply of their wants They have been
able to live within themselves without
difficulty, and TO get along without
having anything to do with the outside
nations. Their long seclusiOn has been
not only a matter of necessity, but
also a matter of choice
o q q
The Chinaman is the principal type
of Oriental civilization. He is phleg-
matte and sluggish. Time is no object
with him He takes things as they
come ard never seems to be in a hur-
~. How different is the American, the
highest type of Occidental civilization.
He is nervous and energetic He acts
on the principle that time is money,
and accordingly is impatient of re-
straint and always on rush Wnen
the old Oriental civilization meets the
new Occidental civilization, it is to be
expected that there will be a CLASH.
Which viii have to give way to the
other is by no means certain; Tor Jne
race is not to the swift, nor the DattIe
to the strong
= There has lately been a great deal
of newspaper talk about ciVlllzlng chi
ma. l give credit to those people who
advocate such a course for their good
intention. but its deSlra blllty, to say
nothing of its difficulty, should not be
overlooked China has already a civil
ization of her own. 1t is the growth of
time. Long before the ancestors OF
. the people of the west ceased TO be
| naked savages and emerged from the
/ primeVal forests of central Europe, the
! Chinese had already known the use of
the compass and the art OF printing.
Now for the people Of the WeSt>to turn
around and then ask the Chinese to
put away their old civilization is rath-
er novel The people of the west may
Z know more than the Chinese about the
building of railroads, the floating of
Z foise5gn loans, the computations of cap
ita1. the development of resources and
the ailSe-al1 this is granted-but the
e-hipeseenaturally feel that they are in
sBsbettef position to judge what is best
for their own interest and welfare than
any outsider can be. Therefore. any
attempt to impose upon them any re-
form or religion they do not feel the
need of is to create trouble The use
of force is especially to be deprecated.
as this serves only to inflame their
passions and rouse their resentment
and opposition. But, on the other
hand, much can be accomplished by
exercising tact and discretion, and
above all, by giving due consideration
to their sentiments and prejudices.
g g g
IF the people of the west will study
the civilization. of China instead OF
trying to pull it down, they viii save
themselves a great deal of trouble
They will find that the Chinese are not
tricks that are vain, as they are rep
resented TO be by an American poet
They viii find that China, old as she is
still exhibits all the strength and Vigoi
of full maturity. They viii find that
1.-The civilization that has stood the test
of forty centuries is far from being
effete. They will find that the proper
course to be pursued in putting China
on the road to prosperity and happi-
ness is not ito shake the foundations OF
her social and political fabrics, but tC
allow her to incorporate such elements
of western civilization as she can as
simulate.
"On the other hand, China must keeT
up with the times in the onward marcl
of progress. To this end it is neces-
sary for her to take lessons from the
western world. But she need not be
servile imitator. Her requirements are
peculiar to her position among nations
and to the growth of her national life
BY adopting from the west only VIVA
is best for her welfare and avoiding
everything that is not suited TO tn
conditions anG needs of her people, sh'
win transform herself into a modern
nation without losing these elements
of national character which have made
her great and strong in the past"
: An Indication.
CLife.)