Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-08-05
CHINESE ANTAGONISTIC
DR.. EDwORDS WRITES OF INSULTS
HEAPED UPON FOREIGN VISITORS.
Aversion to America Brought About by
Treatment Of Chinese migrants to This
Country. Who Returning Incite
Chinese Animosity Toward
Americans.

OuIuCSC huimUShy AVWoAo
Americans.
Canton, China, July 26 Three
causes combine to make the Chinese
hate the foreigner. and it must be
confessed that either gives sufficie MT
ground for an ignorant people to have
bitter enmity against those who forced
themselves upon them. The most
potent factor in bringing about this
antipathy is the fact that the Cauca-
sian has wrested many things from the
Chinese which they have held in ven-
GRAFTON. China has always been COM
pelled to pay heavy indemnities for
transgressions against citizens of other
nationalities, and the constant evil
dence of this aggression on part of the
whites makes the yellow people
antagOnistic.
A close second to this reason is the
action of the missionaries who come
here to take away from the people
their old religion. an older religion by
thousands of years than the new one
being foisted upon them. What puz-
zles these semi savage people are the
numerous divisions among the Chris.
tians. They cannot understand how it
comes that il the whites all worship
the same god they are constantly
fighting each other over their creeds.
The Catholics with their vestments
and ceremonials. they can better un-
derstand, for the Catholic priests in
the Buddhist priest but the Protes-
tants, with their different churches
and methods of doing things is puz-
zle.
| The third reason for their dislike is
the fact that all Chinese who have re-
turned from foreign countries. and
this is especially true Of those who
come back from California. tell how
the Chinese are maltreated by the
people wherever they GO Canton
province supplies most of the Chinese
who go to California, and thousands
have returned from San Francisco
with tales of abuse inflicted upon
them. It ia no wonder. then. that
those here look upon the American,
especially. and all whites in general.
as q race of barbarians upon whom
they ought to take revenge for insult
and abuse which their friends and re-
latives have been visited with.
In the larger Chinese cities there is
little of the open hostility which in
cludes abuse. but one can always feel
that he is subjected to looks of anger
and hatred wherever he goes. When
he gets out into the country. and
especially in the interior cities and
towns, not even the power Of the
government can protect him from in
suit. if from nothing worse. Just re-
Gently there has come report from
town about an hundred miles up the
river. of the mobbing of party of
white people WHO landed from boat
to visit the place. The people con-
gregated in great numbers. stoned the
whites and badly damaged the boat
before they could get ont of reach VI
the missiles.
| had occasion while in Shanghai to
feel this resentment and antagOnism.
and with one exception l did not
find single Chinese, no matter what
his station in life. who treated me
with ANYTHING bordering on the uni
versal courtesy accorded me while in
Japan. / was especially impressed
with the attitude of prominent
Chinese officer whose house ! visited.
He had invited me to visit him and
take dinner with him. When got
there l was compelled to wait in q
filthy room on the lower floor for
nearly half AL hour Before anyone
paid the slightest attention to me. and
then, after my host came l was nearly
mObbed by crowds Of curious people
who came to look at me. My host
did absolutely nothing to protect me
from these people, and at times was
compelled to push them away from me
or step Oh their bare toes to keep
them from crowding too closely.
Inquiry developed the fact that this
, is usual. and it is the experience Of
every white man who travels In
China. The Chinese look upon him
with COME ,empt and take no pains to
|, conceal it. The one salvation Of the
|, CaucasiOn world. SO far as danger
from Chinese invasion lies, is in the
, fact that the Chinese as q nation are
not of one consolidated race. They
|, are as distinct as are the nations OF
Europe, and there are more different
, languages spoken throughout the en-
pire than in all the European c0un.
tries They can never get together ON
, the proposition Of forming an inn
mense army for the invasion of other
lands. 1t is true that the written
, language is the same all over che
country. but not one Chinese in ten
, thousand can read the characters in
! their full meaning. There will never
be Mongolian invasion Of Europe or
America until this vast people can be
brought together with the one idea of
revenge. So far as this Is concerned
let it be remembered that in the In.
: toriOr Of China there are milliona ~