The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-03
CHINA's QUEER TRUST.
The Beggars' Guild Has Country I'm Its
Grip.


The average American, when
| abroad, is rather inclined to point to
the big Industrial combines of his
country. with a huge amount of ma
ticnal pride. While the subject of
trusts was up for discussion recently
In the smoking room of a steamship
running between v1adivostok and
! Shanghai, an American, who had been
| listening in silence to the discussion.
remarked: at may be true that trusts
90 all the harm you say-that they
are illegal and ought to be suppressed.
We will lay all that aside for a mo-
ment, or until you can show me any
other country on Gods footstool that
contains enough frst-class brains. hus-
| tie, and push to organize successful
| trust of any kind
! To this a very intelligent Chinese, a
| graduate of Yale, who had not spoken
during the first part. of the debate, re-
Piled $50 you think the United
States is the only country that has the
requisite brains to organize trusts, do
you? am sorry to have to disillusion
before Columbus set forth on his voy-
age of discovery. And, what is more
they exist today. We have our own
names for such commercial organiza-
tons, but to the foreigners in our
country they are known as trade
guilds If any of you intend to make
study of economic conditions in
China. I believe you will find much
to interest you in the guilds"
was impressed by what the Yale
man said. In spite of the fact that 1
was not a newcomer in the far east,
and had on divers trips visited nearly
every part of China. 1 was compelled
to admit to myself that had not paid
much attention to the many CONNER
cfaI associations or guilds. A few
days later had an opportunity to be-
gin study of the guilds. 1t would
require too much space to record even
a small part Of what learned about
them, and merely scratched the sur
face of the subject. learned that the
guilds are in reality trusts, and that
they have existed since before the
birth of -Confucius. So America is not |
the birthplace of trusts. However, I |
want to tell the readers of Leslies |
Weekly about the Oldest, and at the /
same time the most Interesting, of the !
guilds 1t is the Beggars' Guild.
The Bsggars' Guild is an asso citation |
OF beggars, and it's influence is felt all |
over the empire. The mind of man
runneth not so far back as to be able |
to say when this unique institution
was organized. 1t has its head men in |
every province in the empire, and
these heads in turn report to the chief
Of the guild and his board of advisers,
" no reside in Shanghai. Every city |
town, and community that is visited
by travellers has representative Of the
guild, and these men employ the men,
women and children who carry on the
actual work of soliciting aims. The |
occupation is regarded so favorabIy by
many natives that there is no lack of
applicants for admission to the guild. |
Travellers who visit China declare
that the beggarS of this land are the
most persistent, the dirtiest, and most |
oathsome to be found anywhere on |
earth. 1t is marvellous to contemplate
the number of small children to be
seen begging in China, and the thing
hat strikes every stranger out here is
he large number of deformed men, |
and children that follow sight
5eers~ about. Upon investigation
earned that the officials of the guild
nave their agents constantly scour-
ng China for children that are mis-
;hapen at birth. The more hideous
he deformity the greater asset 1t be-
comes to the guild. It is not at all
Uncommon for children to be deliber
ltely crippled and then sent out to
reg. Quite naturally large percent
lge of the malformations are fakes, |
)ure and simple. I have seen men
russed up in all manner of uncom- |
ortable positions in order to attract
he attention Of strangers. The slight |
st investigation will reveal the fake. | !
Unless a native is either a member or {
N employee of the Beggars' Guild he {
annot solicit aims. This is where the
rust feature of the business comes in.
NE trust pays the government we'll for
he privilege of bleeding charitably-
r clined strangers, and so well is it un-
Ierstood that outsiders must not in s
rude that none attempts it. Among
he reforms which the progressists in 6
'hina would do well to undertake, 8
vhen, if ever. they come into power, t
J the abolition of this most detestable t
nd debasing of monopolies. There is s
othing that casts more discredit on l