The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-01-30
SECURED Or

Of the Arglo-Saxon people, the Chi
nese have developed this to the mos
surprising degree. Largely because
they could not reply upon the govern
ment even for the elementary duties
Of Il state. they had to devise their
own means Of protection and welfare.
This necessity. coupled with the ira
dition of democracy, has made the
Chinese people the most self-govern-
ing in Asia. Still their self-govern-
ment has beer Of a "short view kind.
It has had to take charge Of affairs
pertaining to their immediate welfare,
and, [ may add, to their individual
benefit. Each village has been in
some respects sovereign and has stood
in hostility to the next; so, too, has it
been between n province and an
other. The innumerable secret socie-
ties have had for their main object
not the collective but the divided good
Of their individual members.
III.-Space, Of which we are prone
to speak rather disrcspectful!y these
days. by ~resorting to metaphors and
thinking Of electricity and steam as
annihilating distances. and SO forth.
is still a great factor in real life
a factor that stares us in the face
when we travel or when we exchange
messages. The more is this the case
where there are only q few hundred
miles OF railroads and q few thousand
miles OF telegraph wires, and only very
bad roads to ~aggravate the vastness
OF the country. Can a consensus of
opinion, a unanimity OF ideas, be as
certained in China? And is true de-
mission Of thought?
II CHINA were a smaller country, I
can We'll believe a republic possible.
AS it is, it is a loosely knit agglom-
Grafton OF sem~i-sovereign states, al
lcglng fealty and paying tribute to the
government in Picking and the gov
ernors thence appointed. What In
otner countries are generally consid-
eIed peculiar prerogatives of sover-
elenty, such as levying of taxes, or
eanlzlng armies, coming currency. are
all Gone by the viceroys. Imperium In
ii1peIlo. In Japan there were like
eonal,lons under the dismembered
Aeudai lords until forty years ago: 50
also In Germany before her unifica-
uon. Unde these circumstances. II
emma IS bent upon a republic. it NAV
seem tnat she can establish it in each
province separately on the principle
or state RIGHTS, and may then form
nu1loesstaaten. But such q scheme
seems hardly feasible for any- dura-
Ion OF tne; because China is a geo
graphical unit and political honda
rles within it's area are scarce1v +on-
ao1e: Unlike any other country Of
slflllar size and Of similar density Of
population (the Mississippi Pa sir NV
attain similarity in future). q 1arpo
part OF CHINA is a vast plain helono0
ing TO the two river systems If ia
g a1d Hoangho, the two Ia eine
oe,'s Connected by easily accessihle
One People Still.
This geographical formation
Riaihs the early DEVELOPMENT of uho+
hltter likes to call pot mic civ;1;aa
-at!oh' n the very high depraa -
whlcn This civilization was evolved ~
the satisfaction Of these rinorian d,n
SIS explains why they failed to de-
,1lop announcer kind Of ciyilization
pp;"ullaIhs divide: rivers unite
Thre,s are poor boundaries OF states
graphical truth when he SAM 81. 49,
nneIn. Deutschland's Strom n;cht
Deutschland's Grenze.' River. 49,
al the district Of their drainage baa'
ms: fotamic civilization tends -
ull,y' TO homogenity. 1t is not 40 ~
~ ~ freedom and Independence
o. 90 ~ an lnd1visible unit. Ana N.Y..
so so united and unified, the fnrn oeine
-. d hae strong local republics u;I
georranh; 10 realize, except in a few
isolated &c"
uisIlic's' To put my idea ~
n,o,,. = mink hat China ia TOO .e"
ulous n too huge a ee is LOO pop,
at ahIo 20 oe well governed as a ra1,m ,tcal
a. present and too uniform an ,spuoIic
pnblics' 70 be split into many 1o rn-
onin;o concludes: In nv own h,n,
f1e.lv "n'Gh | would not express se
the editor Of ( co dGt asked to do so by
9luton has already achieu present rev
tha II has succeeded in terr a. great