Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-01-20

Prof. Edward Alsworth Ross THE
Changing Chinese" Century company is
filled with his experiences in tho F1cwery
Kingdom. II Is the best of the recent
volumes on the far east. Here are some
Instructive comments:
1T II Chinese trait 10 20 on en-
pioylng a likely means without consider
Ing whether. as a matter OF fact. they
are getting the coveted results. The
river junk has big eye painted on either
side OF the prov so that the boat may
look see It's way. They have never Inn
Quired whether these optical craft fare
better than others In tho crowded water
ways.
Just inside the gateway to a court
yard brick screen Is built In order that
the siewless flying demons OF the air
may collide disastrously with It when
they seek to enter a domieile. To no one
without such screens have worse luck
than other families.
in the same uncritlcal mood our
coolies would leave their Joss sticks
burning before the waysids shrines: and.
1000 miles from the sea, our boatmen, be-
fore starting on perilons down river
trip. sacrificed a cock at the bow TO
bring good luck.
The sentry on tho escort boat moored
alongslde US rolled his drum and beat
his triangle avery quarter OF an hour
through the nigh. to soothe us with the
assurance that he was awake and vlgi.
liant. Tho actual result was n ruined
nights rest and the request next day
that he desist from such marks Of at
tenfion.
Tho night Waterman steadily claps
as he goes his rounds. the theory being
that his din will scare away the thieves.
In all the centuries no one has pointed
out that In practice the thieves are
warned Of the watchmans approach and
once he Is By, work In perfect security.
1T looks as II moral precept will mold
character. and so the Chinese endlessly
rehearse preeept without noting its utter
want Of effect
1T looks as II memorizinE the noble
teachings Of the sagcs will form the In
corruptibie official: and SO the classics
are made tho basis Of training for gov
ernmant service. with the result that no.
where does performance square less with
professions than In China.
TT looks as II a fierce aspect would
intimidate the enemy: and 80 there were
tiger soldiers In yellow ochre hoods,
with tiger striplngs down the bark OF
the uniform. and with shields painted to
represent the tigers open jaws.
In word, the Chinese have never
accepted the principle of efficiency,
which .is. that. the methods or means to
be chosen for q given purpose should
not be those which seem Appropriate, but
those which actually do produce most
surely. promptly and economically the
coveted results. They fall to discriml-
nate real from apparent fitness because
they have never made the efficiency OF
agents and processes an object OF In
quiry.
'In the middle ages white men were
just as haphazard and uncritlcaI as are
the yellow men today. They looked for
signs and wonders IN the heavens and
trembIed at comets. They held that
blood root. on account of its red juice,
must be blood purifier: iiyerwort, hav-
Ing a iiver-shaped leaf. will cure liver
disease: eyebright. being marked with
q spot like an eye. is good for eye
troubles. and so on.
ut was the rise OF the natural sciences
that cleared the fog from the European
brain. In the building OF astronomy,
physics, chemistry ard physiology were
wrought out certain NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
ton. meAsurement-which we're as help
full for practical life as for science. For
method that connects cause and ef-
feet may also light up the relation be-
tween effort and result.
"The truth Il, there IL nothing the
Chinese lack so much as discipline. Dis
cipline Of the army. the workshop. the
ship. the school. the athletic field-yes,
even Of the home-is needed II they are
ever to develop that smooth. intelligent
team work which makes our race 50
formidable.
Their standby now IL mass action
the strike or the boycott. During the
last two years every school In shantung
Is said 10 have had a strike. One school
struck because the foreign teachers re-
quired the student to pass an examina-
ton before they would give him q tes-
timonial.
When folly is afoot in an American
college there will be some who. by
standing sloof. spoil the unanimity OF
the move and il doesn't come off. But
the Chinese lad crumples under mass
pressure. All his life he has been trained
to get In line, and so the spirit Of con-
fornfty rules him. 1t Is all due to
struggle for existence so severe that he
realizes he cannot survive without the
steady backing Of his family. clan or
guild. To take line OF ones own would
be suicide.
Chinese gentlemen wear their finger
naIIa long 70 rhrE they ton,t Nork. 20.