The Yale expositor., 1911-12-21


Chinese empire, which after a
slumber of many centuries is
now bursting the shackles of her con-
servatism and aspiring to new life and
new ideals. Starting in the prov
ince of Szechuan, the revolt against
the Manchu dynasty spread down the
Yangtse valley and southwark to the
map, showing the huge slice of the
empire held by the rebels, Hankow
and Marking are the only important
cities under imperial control.
There was a time in her history
when she was the most progressive
empire In the world. Possibly, with
in her territory first began the devel-
opment and promotion of civilized
life-the upward tendency of man
from the cave to the palace, from
the nomadic to the sedentary, from
the loose system of tribal patriarchism
to fixed laws and institutions. She
was the contemporary of Egypt of
Babylon, of Assyria, of Greece, and
long before Rome was anything more
than a primitive settlement China had
q system Of organized life and a fixed
literature.
These ancient empires are no more,
but China still is. The continuity of
her racial life has been maintained
for 5000, perhaps for 1000 years;
and this great Mongolian land, which
was administering laws and justice
when the slaves of the Pharaohs were
erecting the pyramids Is as virile as
any nation in the world today. Then
the progressive civilization of the
Chinese was arrested and the whole
life of the race seemed suddenly to
crystalline. There was no advance
from this position and apparently no
retrocession. Therein the remarkable
singularity Of the Chinese is seen.
With the west there is either progress
or decline-improveme or utter de-
cay. There is no middle ground. But
with the Chinese on the contrary,
everything has been stationary,
Cause of Chinese Conservatism.
This fixedness of Chinese life 10
traceable to the teachings Of Confu
cius, who lived in the fifth century
before the Christian era and whose
doctrines are accepted by practically
all Chinese He was not the founder
Of religion, in the accepted western
sense of that term, but rather Of a
ohilosophic system. Confucius, whose
studies extended back to the begin
lings of things Chinese, discovered a
golden state of happiness, and his
philosophy sought the restoration of
he people to this golden era and so
,ircumscribed them by rules Of con-
iuct that the past became an estab-
ished form and the desire for change
vas extinguished.
Thus was the spirit of progress
,hackled in China. Laws, usages,
customs. manners, became crystal
lied. Industrial life became fixed,
md today husbandmen are using tools
similar to those which their progeni-
jors employed when Rome was con-
ending with Carthage for the SUI
,remacy of the ancient world. China
Until recently has since been living
With her face to the past, affording
o the world changeless phenome-
ION which has been the wonder of
scientists and scholars.
Ceremonial rule regulates every
,ct of the Chinese. 1t Is based on
he so-called classics, which may be
.alled both the constitution and the
Bible of the Chinese and which binds
mreror and peasant alike. Polygamy,
although to some extent practiced
lmong the Chinese, is generally inter
iicted and of course, prevails among
he Mohammedans Of the empire But
.oncubinage is common and the same
Iouble standard of morals prevails
China as elsewhere. In the Chinese
amily girls are a burden, boys are
oy, and hence female children are
tut to death.
The industrial life of the Chinese is
me of great intensity. Into an area
If 100000 square miles comprised
n China proper is crowded a popula-
ion of 426,OO0,000 human beings-a
oprth of the people OF the earth. No
nch vast homogeneous population
vas ever before assembled in any sim
,Ie country in the world and the task
a..