The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-09-04

me Inc war between Japar ard p,s-
sla dld not signify. a, 80 80.
mhat , Kind OF a man W. snn,l Gail ntTn
am Very sorry fst I wi1I ali hin,
no1nlng but a fol. Yos, ra.-1ame-,
I-as' o'nsioef what Is the cause tng+
1apdh - - Strong and how thev car
MAKE he country better. Have you
noC mind? | shall be verv glad If
me people can devote the miu6 n
me country. China IS very much Tx.
an Old woman. We are her sons We
must help her. II she IS dead. We shall
De enslaVed by other people. Do you
not mink It is a great shame? Re
member these TWO words: Chinese
shame"
THE CHINESE REFORMER.
One more thing must De- remembered
the Chinese Reformer. with Il cap
ltal r. IS dangerous animal. H
IS the 'Popocrat" in Z country WHARF
Popocracy in power would be civil war
in its worst.
China and Japan are not on al!
fours. In the old days japan was
being ruled by ignorant gentlemen.
and the ruled were a people witt a
national feeling II China the feeling
is for the village or the clan where
1t IS not for the individual only, and
the typical Official is ii gentleman IN
manner only. He is even more cor
rupt than New York policeman.
There are honorable, very honorable
exceptions but these men must wink
at corruption in others, and If they
are highly placed they can only guess
at what their subordinates are doing
The district magistrate here loses
money; in year or TWO he will be
transferred TO smaller place in the
west, l expect. and VIII grow rich on
salary that an American in America
would Starve On-and God help the
people of his district-their only rem
edy is TO rebel when things 90 100
far.
The recent HOnap trouble was nnlE
local. Kailfeugfu, where l spent some
days in the summer, has been wholly
or in part, exempt from taxation for
many years on account Of Il disastrous
flood. The governor said he would
reimpOse taxation. The PEOPLE said il
he did they would bum down the
DOst-Offce (where | staved) and ,Oast
my friend Tollefsen in it others want
ed less on general principles. The
governor closed the city gates, manned
the walls, and for about the first time
in years drilled his troops. Also he
took off the tax. Thirty miles Of tel
egraph wires were torn down. Purely
local matter and nobody hurt, except
perhaps, the governor.
BOXER TALK IS ROT.
The Boxer talk is all rot. About
two months ago I read in the London
Times that according to proclamation
we foreigners had al been EXTERN
mated some days before. AS a mat
ter OF fact the country is quiet, it Is
exceptionally quiet.
Of course a flame might start 1T any
time. The Chinese are the most peace
full and pleasant people you can imag-
ine-till the devil is reused, and then
they can do things that not other
people can speak of. All sorts OF
stories as to possible disturbances in
China come from Shanghai Shanghai
is the home of lies anyhow. Shanghai
IS not in China and the people of
Shanghai know nothing Of China. You
might as we'll try 10 learn Afgan poi
itics in an Indian barrack room.
one SnDulu never DtllSNe tiIii
O.OM of anything about the far east
that comes from Shanghai. except the
rate of exchange. Even the rate or
exchange is probably exaggerated but
we will agree to call it true. Once for
all, North China is as quiet as 1t mas
ever been. 4 foreigner can 90 any
where practically unarmed. Remember
there are regions perpetually oVerrun
by robbers-or rather regions in when
the whole population livs by robbery
and has done 50 for generations. 11ere
the American unarmed, would be as
safe and probably safer than emma
man. In the mountains sCuthWeSt OF
here toward HOr IN province, there
are districts where YOU may SEE many
robbers head1 hanging outside every
village. In parts of Honan you may
find districts that practically acknoW-
ledge no emperor and 10 government
mn that of their own headman But
all this permanent There is nothin3
new or significant about 1t.