The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-03-29
BISHOP BASHFORD APPEALS
FOR PATIENCE WITH CHINA

IT was an appeal for patience and
tolerance with the new Chinese Repub.
lie that Bishop J. W. Bashford made
before packed audience at tho Chi.
nese Church last evening. A cosmopoli-
tan crowd came to the church which
was altogether too small, and many
were turned away at the doors.
Bishop Bashford said: eve have no
right to demand that China shall accom-
plish in day reforms which even west.
ern nations required years and in some
cases even decades to work out. The
Reformation disturbed the peace of
Europe with bloody wars from 1917 UNI
til the Peace of Westphalia in 164s.
The publication of political institutions
in Great Britain demanded the Reyol.
ution, which in turn was followed by
reaction, and that in turn followed by
progress in partial stages for two CEN
turtles and a half, and the United King
dom is still convulsed by constitutions
al crisis and an inevitable struggle with
socialism. The French Revolution was
followed by military dictatorship, and
did not result in a republic until after
| eighty years of struggle.
Americas History.
The struggle for American indepen.
dence lasted through seven bloody years
and that followed by six years of con-
federation with absence of national au-
thority, before we adopted the consti-
tuition of the United States; while the
Civil War of 1S61-65 demonstrated that
we still had to pass through one of the
bloodiest contests in history before es.
tablishing the supremacy of the nation
cit is idle therefore to dream that
one.fourth of the human race can pass
from an autocratic government accom-
panied by such official corruption, con.
cubinage and slavery as characterizes
the despotism of paganism to modern
representative government by sprink-
| ling rosewater and waving handker-
chiefs. We may anticipate season of
struggle and demand for men of blood
and iron. We must expect reactions,
and possible periods of lawlessness
and the Chinese will only be following
| in the footsteps of most western ma
tions if China passes through mill
tary dictatorship before she settles
down into a system of representative
government. Those of us who are
willing to LAP water and move
| swiftly had better return to more peace
full lands until the crisis passes.
Latent Democracy.
81 maintain that there is an immense
amount of latent democracy in China.
The most striking buildings in Chinese
cities, next to the temples, are guild
houses; and the guild houses are of
immensely more practical Importance
than are the temples. These guilds are
almost universal. They exist In all
leading cities. There are first of all
the guilds for the people from various
provinces residing in each city. Guilds
also exist for almost every possible
business. We have the bankers guild,
the silkmakers' guild, the woodworkers
guild, even the beggars' guild and the
thieves guild. But these guilds are to
large extent schools of democracy.
They are democratic in their organiza-
tion. Their officers are chosen by the
popular vote of their members, and are
reelected or else replaced by popular
vote at stated seasons. The guilds have
practically almost or quite as great in
fluence in the government of the people,
and especially in the control of bust
ness in China, as has the formal govern
ment established at Picking. The mem