Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-04-23
CHINA AND THE CHINESE
BY CHARLES GERKEN.
From T. P..s Weekly.
az GERKEN.

Great empires and little minds go
Ill together" Tho thought thrusts 1t
self forward at this critical period In
81 nations history. Having accom-
plishea a '.bloodless revolution" free
Ing itself from the shackles of an al
most ovarpowering dynasty. China
once again becomes It's own problem.
q living example Of a nation divided
against itself, The biblical injunction
is tina such cannot stand, So far as
fer the catura and perhaps the near
future
The Mellow Peril,
Te the occidental the Esrst contact
with tie Chinese people on their own
soil IS naturally of interest In
che THssas t>Sssaonn their activity is
apparent @@ietly, without fuss, they
a~Rpess~aaa remain, subssstiag where
no other person could nieekay &C
eepUssg She obloa@S and insult of the
ts,1oraaS Apparently nothing can
Keep them cats they have come to
Stay, afsil fa most OF our cities, prin-
cin&1S the seaport sowns-a colony of
chinese IS Tie rule rather h the
exception,
In countries where an all~wise gov
eminent ~erforces a tax for admission.
tie sItsaS K thus restricted is none the
less large, proving at NICE the exist
ence 81 the yellow peril"-a topic
much beloved OF debating societies
and :he migratory tendencies of the
Seek = subsistence in an alien land.
John" at His Best.
Al the treaty ports and in a colony
like Hong Kong, John Chinaman is
perhaps seen at his best. The influ-
ence of western civilization Is about
him. old customs" are in the melting
pot. and ever his picturesque dress is
undergoing the change from the COM
fort of the east to the cumbersome
garments of the west.
Inland he is his old self. If of the
lower orders, patient, Woodworking, as
thick in numbers as the sands on the
seashore. II possessed of wealth,
dlgnlhed, but wideawake as to his w
monetary interests, and we'll able to
max the best of a business PROPOSE
ton.
Young China also presents interest
Ing o for thought. The spectacle Of
hundreds of young Chinese studying
to get English" and the sciences Of
the western world is an old time illus
tration of the awakening of this great
country; 1t is none the less true.
Education as Fetish.
The ambition of students, young and
old, is to become a member Of one or
other of the great universities Of either
England or America. The cult of edu-
cation has become almost a fetish. The
present government has fostered this
spirit and scholarships, enabling the
recipients to study in England or
America, awarded in competitive ex-
aminations, are eagerly sought after.
1t can truly be said that the young
men of China mpar favorably with
their brothers of the west. Keen, eager,
intelligent and courteous, assimilating
western ideas very readily, adept even
in the games of their more sturdy
brothers. they call for the sincere adj
miration Of those who come in contact
with them. 1t may easily be prophesied
that China's future may safely be
placed in the hands of her young men.
Hong Kong University.
The colony Of Hong Kong, with adj
mirable foresight, has planted a uni
Verslty at the very door of the south
ern part Of China. To it's building and
contributed.
Possessing a staff Of experienced
and sympathetic men, it is already
making it's influence felt. 1t is worth
noting that the majority Of it's students
are taking the engineering course. The
only a matter Of time. What Is wanted
Is a stable government and men Of in
tegrity. The terms are perhaps synony-
nous. The Chinese have hitherto been
noted for their squeeze" tendencies. 1t
has inoculated every section Of the
community and made them notorious.
Even under the new regime this in
born characteristic is common, but one
has reason to believe that in due time
his failing will cease to exist and the
probity Of officials, at any rate, will be
above suspicion.
The Coolies.
China is it's own problem, and to the
writer its greatest problem Is a domes-
tic one. Important matters of a suit
able coin currency; provision of rail-
ways; a standing army Of repute, Of
ficered and we'll disciplined; h de-
velopment Of its vast supplies Of hid
den mineral wealth; q navy Of ade-
quate dimensions, are problems Of
pressing importance. AS a successful
upon the solving Of these matters. But,
after all is done, We come back to the
fact that, as ever, "the poor We have
always with YOU" and China's poor is
Its overwhelming coolie class.
The no polloi Of China are ignorant,
illiterate-and innumerable.. The class,
or money division, is an insuperable
barrier. A gentleman" may be known
not merely by the size Of the house In
which he resides, but by the number
of his coolie servants. Men and wom-
en-, and even children, Of this class,
work necessarily, anu IOT h mere pit
lance.
The picture of hordes of workers, like
a busy ant hill, is a familiar one to
those who live In the east. What is to
become of them? 'Despised and re-
jected of men, dirty, perhaps, in hab-
its. as we understand matters, they APP
pear outwardly contented and are
known to be thrifty. Workers gener-
ally have to be! Numerous guilds and
secret societies protect the interests
of the worker. though they do not APP
pear to AVE regulated a reasonable
working day. Some day there will be a
revolution of another kind. an indus
trial upheaval, when China's workers
will rightly clamor at the door for rec
ognition Of its just dues.
Linauai Difficulties.
A consideration of China would be
incomplete without a reference to its
own peculiar difficulties. There is the
almost insuperable barrier Of the Ian
guage, or to speak more correctly. of
the multitudinous dialects into which
1t is split, making it impossible for
a man from one district to understand
his neighbor from another. The pres
ent i~nternecine trouble is not to be
unless it is that it Is another case OF
human NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. a mutual
mistrust of the aims and ambitions
which direct the minds OF the rival fac
tions-north and south. or the unusual
spectacle OF . strong man. and that
q Chinaman. spending himself in the