The Penn's Grove record., 1904-12-23

Why the Chinese Ask to BE Let Alone.
Twice within half a decade the spec
tacle has been presented Of a primitive
civilization rebelling against the in
trusion Of modern methods Of thought
and action. The Beers in 1899 fought
primarily for their religion and what it
stands for in their social development.
The Chinese arose in 1900 to expel in
novators upon time honored customs
and ideals. In both cases England
was the aggressor, for In China the
hatred of foreigners was brought on by
English interference. The problem Of
the Beers seems to have been solved,
but that Of the Chinese Is in allegiance,
and pertinent to this last is the argu-
ment Of a Chinese official residing in
England during the Boxer war. His
writing was inspired by the criticism
Of Chinese civilization current at that
time. Today it is significant as an
eastern view of the west. The writer
says:
Our civilization is the Oldest in the
world. 1t does not follow that 1t is the
best, but neither, ] submit, Goes it follow
that 1t is the worst. On the contrary,
such antiquity is, at any rate, a proof
that our institutions have guaranteed to
us a stability for which we search in vain
among the nations of Europe. But not
only is our civilization stable; it embodies,
as we think. a moral order, while in yours
we detect only an economic chaos.
Whether your religion be better than ours
I do not at present dispute, but 1t is GER
tain that It has less influence on your
society. You profess Christianity, but
your civilization has never been Chris
tian, whereas ours is Confucian through
n through. But to say hat 1t is Con-
fucian is to say that 1t is moral, or, at
least. that moral relations are those
which 1t primarily contemplates, where
as with you $50 it seems to us) economic
relations come first. and upon these you
endeavo afterward to graft as much
morality as they will admit.
The Chinese and English views of
the family are then compared, in the
n case the child being trained to in
dividualism, to venturesomeness and
competition, and In the other to con-
tinue lifelong in the relations to which
he Is born. The Chinese look first to
society, then to the Individual. AS a
man begins SO he ends, a member of
his family group, and to this condition
the whole theory and practice of his
life conform. He is taught to worship
his ancestors, to honor and obey his
parents and to prepare himself at an
early age for the duties Of husband
and father. Says the writer:
Nc man In China is ISOLATED save by his
own fault. If 1t is not SO easy for him
to grow rich as with you, neither is 1t so
easy for him to starve; If he has not the
motive to compete. neither has be the
temptation to cheat and Cypress. Free
at once from the torment and the appre-
hension of distress, he has leisure to spare
from the acquisition of the means of liv-
ing for life itself. He has both the in
stinct and the opportunity to appreciate
the gifts Of nature, to cultivate manners
n to enter into humane and disinter-
ested relations with his fellows. The re-
suit is a type which we cannot but regard
as superior, both morally and aesthetically,
to the great bulk of your own citizens Of
Europe. Admitting that we are not what
you call a progressive people, we yet per-
ceive that progress may be bought too
dear. We prefer our own moral to your
material advantages, and we are deter
mined to cling to institutions which, we
believe, insure us the former even at the
risk Of excluding ourselves from the lat
ter.
In the opinion Of this writer western
people subordinate life to wealth. He
says: "They are less cheerful, less con-
tented, less industrious, less law abid-
ing; their occupations are more un-
healthy both for body and mind; they
are crowded into cities and factories,
divorced from nature and the owner
ship of the SOIL"
AS to government in China, we read
here:
You can hardly realize the condition of
a people that are able almost wholly to
dispense with 1t. Yet such is our case.
Government with us Is based on the
consent OF the people to a degree which
you In the west can hardly understand,
much less initiate.
In China government is neither arbi-
trary nor indispensable. Destroy all our
authorities, central and provincial, and
our life will proceed very much as before.
The law we obey Is the law of our own
nature. Come what may. the family re-
mains. with all that involves; the atti-
tude of the mind remains, the spirit of
order, industry and thrift.
Confucianism, according to this
writer, is the exponent of the ideal of
work. '"The duty of man is to labor,
and primarily to labor on the soil is a
fundamental postulate OF CTR religion;
hence the worship Of Mother Earth,
the source of all increase; hence the
worship of heaven, the giver Of light
and rain" This IDEAL the writer con-
trasts with Tat of the Christian world
by saying that the latter is 'oae no1 of
labor OF earth. but of contemplation
In heaven; not of the unity OF the hui
man race, but of the communion of
saints"
1t is well to note in passing this Lon
don inspired review before American
readers that neither the court Of st.
James, nor London, the modern Baby
Ion, nor even all England. can furnish
the highest type OF western civilization
In the sociologic sense. Extensive and
populous rural districts show that civ
ilization is at it's best. Furthermore.
Chinese civilization appears to be a