The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-08-28
VIII Liz JENNINGS BRYAN
ExTOLS Il IDEALS IN
TO a
The Book a Brilliant Reply to the Arrangement OF Western
Civilization in Letters From a Chinese Official
Which Appeared Anonymously Three Years Ago.
rs If in answer to the famous
a is East and West is West,
- n.--DL- 1AG t.-.ln .AaLL meeI.-

..2 the signature Of "llilaIn Jennings
ryan mat is not only calculated 10
ln4bel both Orient and Occident 81
last To meet sQuarely on the bdttle
ground Of ideas. but that viii prob
bly, take rank as by far The most
brilliant piece Of writing yet attflDu-
ted To the pen Of the h"me-coitiihe
democratic statesman. 1t Is entitled
"Letters 10 q Chinese Official. Being
q Western View Of Eastern HiviliZa-
lion" and is, Of course. one Of the
fruits of Nh. BTyan's by no means IN
leutfuI circumnavigation Of the globe.
The direct Inspiration, however. mas
been q Widely-rcad little volume,
Letters from q Chinese Official pub
.aned anonymously three years ago
tapturOusly eXtOlIinE the social, point
floWcry Kingdom at the cXpense Of
Western civilization. EIthuslastlcaiIy
received at the time by all 10 whom
The Clevcrliess of paradox possesses an
appeal beyond the frequent conVtH-
uuualty of truth much Of its SHIN
mcring sophistry had up 10 this time
4.Inalned uneXtInguished.
tnen Nj. Bryan entered the lists.
Somewhat after the fashion of Il
I-nignt erTant Of the West. he has re-
opened the battle, and his "reply' dis
closes a most skiltul and effective
choice Of weapons. TIE booklet is in
10 sense whatever & campaign docu-
nent. 1t is II wise, temperate, though
o-ten hard-hitting defense Of Amerl-
can ideals. Never before has Nh.
Euvan appeared 50 much the philos-
ODuer. 50 little the d~ema3OGue. Hhe
"cr0Wn of thorns. cross Of gold, -
favor is quite absent from this vol
ume. The spirit Of a Inaturer Bryan
speaks throughout its pages, and. in
deed. the absolute conservatism Of
its philosophy viii doubtless receive
more criticism from the paradox low
ers rhan the quality Of the style. for
the latter is throughout Il fine exam
pie Of clear. simple. direct and eff
~Iecti"c English.
~Airaignmcn. Of National Sins.
referring to the original Letters
From a Chinese official" Mr.. Bryan in
his preface, says:
The author discussed Christian
Civilization as he found it in England,
but in the Introduction to the Amer
lean edition he explained that the ar
guments presented to him applied with
equal force to the United states. His
indictment Of the Inconsistencies Of the
Christians contains so much of trutl
and his a~rraignment Of the conduct
of Christian nations at home AMI
abroad is in some aspects so just that
his words were received not only with
appreciation, but with gratitude. |
recall how deeply | was myself i'm
pressed and how many Americans
HNDt "a ~ "ICih 49, -
terS. 1t struck me at the time
as a favorable omen that so frank an
~arraignment of our national sins OF
omission and commission by a for
eigner shouid be so kindly welcomed,
for a Willingness to admit faults is the
first step toward Improvement. To
desire to see ourselves as others see
us indicates a humble ambition for
self-betterment, and in holding the
mirror UP to us, this nameless Chinese
official has not only rendered a real
service, but has also given our people
Il chance to prove their good lnten-
lions.
"Never having visited China, and
never having acquainted myself with
Chinese philosophy, the absurdity of
his contrast between Chinese life and
American life was not apparent. Now
that | have had an opportunity to test
his description by personal obserVa-
ton, I feel that Il reply is due to him,
az We'll as required from us. for the
hostility manifested in China oward
American ideals is evidently n
upon the same miscOnceptiOn of our
purpose which he betrays and upon Il
self-suf1iciency which his little book
if it has been translated into Chinese,
would naturally encourage.
Enelishman is Suspected.
This Introduction Is dated Suez,
April II, 1906. and is followed by a
postscript in which mention is made
of the now we'll authenticated rumOr
that the letters, "instead Of being
written by a Chinaman were written
by an Englishman from materia-
ais furnished him by q Chinaman."
sayist, has frequently been spoken OF
as the author, but the matter IS after
all, of comparative unimpCrtance, for.
as Mr.. Bryan remarks. Had I known
this earlier, 1 might have changed the
trading OF some of the paragraphs. but
as it is not an individual but an ar
Gunlent that | am combating, I leave
the letters as they were written."
The volume is made up of seven
letters. Chinese Civilization Over
rated" "Western civilization Under
rated THE Folly of Isolation" La
bor-Saving Machin cry Government"
1.-THE Home" "Without a Mission" and
"christianity VS.. Confucianism."
"You have laid my country" begins
the opening chapter, ''under obliga-
tons to YOU by your very candid. if
not always fair, criticism of her ideals
md institutions. The fact that you
eXaggerate her faults is not without
its advantages, for it is not only COM
plimentary to her that you must en-
large her defects il order to find a ba-
for attack, but a magnifying glass
helps us to understand objects which
otherwise might escape attention.
' HAi' NooI oo'N L Il 1ouIlttti
upon your experience in Europe you
apply your conclusions to the United
states as we'll.
Il ear safely leave Europeans to
defend their several countries from
|uCl indictments as are made specifi-
Cafly against them, but as you deal
With fundamental principles | can, as
an American, discuss these principles
as they apply to civilization in gen
cra!."
American Democracy of Education.
Under "Western Civilization Under
rated Mr.. Bryan wakes particularly
Vtlllc over the American democracy of
tducalon as contrasted with the gulf
bttWeen cultured and laboring classes,
oulogized as an ideal arrangement by
NE So-called Chinese author. keeping
III reserve, however, some of his most
Potent shafts for the defense of the
press.
Even the daily newspapers" says
the text, comes under the ban. and
YOU see in it only a stream of solemn
faulty, anecdotes, puzzles. puns and