The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-01-30
CHINA AS REPUBLIC
Is the Establishment of a Rep ubic in the Celestial Empire
Premature?
Premature?
lcDllici's Weekly

'''lIItI =
Uuazo Nitobc, perhaps the mos
eminent citizen OF Japan, author OF
..BuShido.' the great work on the
Code OF Moral Culture Of Old Japan
is a graduate Of Johns Hopkins ana
oY the University of Bonn Germany.
and i, president of the First Imperial
College OF Japan. He was sent ny ms
native nation as the hrst cAc1'anSc
professor to the United States and is
featuring on the institutions of his
country ut the great univcrsities.)
The terms, China and a republic,
are at first sight glaringly
Gus. And yet, at the very dawn or
her hist0ly-if we may give cfeoence
to its crepuscular lcgends'Chlna was
a republic in verify and an empire
only in name. Or suppose we cannot
accept. as VIC do not, the semimythlcal
stories OF old az authentic. even then
the traditions Of the rcmOtcst & OF
the Celestial Empire were decidedly
democratic in spirit. they hint that
the Emperor Yaou vas elected by the
people, or at least selected from
among his people. When he died, his
throne was not occupied by his son.,
but by q worthy successor whom he
had chosen. apparently with the con-
sent of the governed, This second
king, as his end approached, follow
cd his predecessors example.
Chinese Traditions of Democracy.
To all appearances, Chinese history
opens with a democratic government.
and. though it was not republican, 1t
was more democratic than the pres
cnt German or English governments.
However. it is not quite fair to COM
~ =. q 1.n " o1vnnot y-0 h ct nrin mill
teal organization with modern con-
Stitutional states. 1t is not for COM
paIison with European nations Of tho
twentieth century that / have men
Eioncd the be~inning Of Chinese his
- 1t is only to show that the ira
ditlonS OF democracy were not entire
~ absent among the people Of the
oldest ero"ire now existing, and that
they conformed to the ideal Of democ-
racy as stated by Mazzini-that it is
the progress OF all through all. under
the leadership Of the wisest and the
best To the literally minded Chi
nese. these superlative adjec tives
would be construed to signify moral
character rather than political ability:
such would be the sense in which
ConfuciuS would be inclined to inter
pref these terms, and though he says
little that would a rcpub-
lc0n form of government, his great
est disciple, Mcncius. is SO pro-
nouncedly democratic in the general
trend Of his thought that popular gov
was not an unknown theme
among the scholars OF the Middle
Kingdom.
Chinese history belied the rule Of
the "wiset and best" It's pages are
full OF atrocious despotism and revolt
ing tyranny, and though the present
Manchu dynasty, the Tasching. can
not i an unsullied OF IT,
SELF. still in its three hundred years
OF rule it has offered less cause for
popular discomfort than many a pre-
cedlng dynasty. In fact, if it had
kept n country In isolation from the
rest OF the world, as did it's predeces-
0srS. the Iaschins rei"n might &c
down 10 posterity as a respectable and
possibly as a virtuOus and benignan,
era.
nut times are altered. and he Uhr
nocs not keep abreast Of his age is
judged accordingly. Moreover. time
inc greatest judge, seems to have 8,
meted the life Of China that she
should enjoy a rotation Of her ruins
"ShaStles every three hundred Years
Is the Republic Premature?
90 not wish to be such a fatalist
OClicEc ma the MaQChu raicr
must terminate because the prescribed
unit or three centuries has beer
reached. l am % Yet at all sure tina
MS really going to md. In the course
OIL It's history it has been threatened
more than once with utter exter,ni-
nation, and yet how many catastro.
phes has it survived!
Like the race fiber" of the Chi.
nese, ~hich evidently amazed profes.
= t>oss' the vitality OF the Manchu
.nrone mas stood quite severe tests
a"u may stand the present one. Rut
II IT survives the present sitnation ou Il
VIII ne by no virtue OF it's own now.n .
IL VIII be largely on account ~ w.
precocity OF the republican platform
!or snail not at all be surprised :,
under the republican flag there ar1
many who espoused the causa on,t
from conviction that a epubli "a w.
onIy proper Of government. bit ~,
the ultra representation OF rsdica
REFORMS: not as the last d,Ia%
ma. but with the object of hin
shng. In other words. my s~uppos;tio,
is that many leaders Of the reyolutio1
are Wen aware that q republic ia nro.