Evening star., 1920-03-21
ADJUSTMENT IN CHINA
ONE OF WORLD NEEDS
Present Conditions Make Oriental Nation
Notable Example as Field for
Mandatory Action.

practices prevalent in Chinese official
dom. Many in high positions have
been bribed to betray their country's
most vital interests
1nefficiency. dishonesty and disloy-
atty have characterized public admin
istration.
What are the reasons for this pa
thetic condition Of a people possessed
of so many splendid qualities? Why
is China like a stranded hulk. help
Tor any one to give an adequate ex-
PLANTATION. but there are certain facts
which stand out prominently.
Thinking of the Past.
First of all the thought of the typi-
cal Chinese is SO absorbed in the past
that it is impossible for him to grasp
the spirit or utilize the benefits of
modern civilization. The better days
were centuries ago. Customs and
methods hoary with age should be
followed. Ancestral worship is the ac-
cepted religious cult. and the con-
duct of every man should be guided
by that which he regards as the
wish of departed ancestors. Their
spirits are lowering about and they
will surely return to bring disaster
and punishment unless he renders to
them due reverence and performs the
prescribed rites for their repose. In
turn the ambition of the Chinese Is
to have numerous children and grand
children to succeed him and reverence
his memory. Thus there is not only
a backward outlook, but the family Is
the center Of social and political life.
No human being has ever exercised
quite the same influence upon so
many millions in moral and intellec-
tual conceptions as Confucius. who
are still very largely accepted all
over China as the final authority.
both in morals and politics. 1t is
pleasing to note the high standards
of conduct which he laid down. He
must be ranked as one of the worlds
the past. Many of his epigrammatic
maxims were plagiarisms from those
who lived before him. The whole sub
stance of his doctrine was to select
the best of things that are and not to
try untrodden paths or indulge in as
pirations for the unknown. In his
influence all has been static and moth
ing dynamic. He has been aptly
called. the arch conservative. More
even than other orientals of his time,
he entertained a disparaging opinion
Of woman. and would relegate her
In this regard has survived and thus
the helpful assistance of half OF
humanity has been diminished in the
of the social life Of
China
Until 1903 the competitive examina-
tions. which were the avenue to office.
lad to do only with the classics of more
than two thousand years ago. An an
swer or expression of opinion not de-
rived frc m these was ground for the re-
lection OF a candidate. Deep-rooted
was. of course. the result.
Rule Of Alien Dynasty.
Too much stress cannot be laid upon
the fact that from 1914 to 1912 China
was ruled by the alien Manchu dynasty,
which always constituted class apart
from the people and forbade intermar-
riage between the Chinese and the Man |
chus. To this day the Manchu women
wear a distinctive dress. The soldiers
upon whom the emperors relied were re.
oruited from their race and the descend
ants of those who in the seventeenth |
century aided in overthrowing the pre- |
ceding dynasty. In nearly all provinces
Tartar generals were in command. |
There is probably no recorded instance
Df the absence of amalgamatiOn between |
the ruling class and those over whom |
they ruled for so long time. 4
repulsion for a government which had |
nothing in common with the people. |
?'he rulers were regarded as oppfessors.
This repulson was powerfully reinforced
by the fact that the functions Of the |
central government were SO limited as |
to confer no appreciable benefit upon the |
great mass of the population. Its ac-
were for the most part confined |
to such foreign relations as existed and |
the maintenance of an army. the princi- |
pal aim of which was to sustain the
dynasty in power. Modern improve
ments conducted by the governments Of |
today, such as roads, schools and provf- |
sion for the general welfare of the peo-
pie. were initiated. If at all. by local
or private associations. |
The contact of the Chinese with
Peking was in the payment Of taxes
and in the rendering of services which |
meant little for himself or his COM
The vast extent OF the coun- |
try and the absence Of means OF COM
emphasized the lack Of
touch with the authorities of the ma
ton and the separate interests Of the !
different portions. The inhabitants of |
one province or locality knew little and
cared little for what was transpiring in |
any other. Today multitudes may be |
found who hardly know whether they !
archy. Education, though Of high !
standard among a few. is sadly lacking.
1t is stated that only one-tenth Of the |
men and a much smaller proportion Of |
the women can read. 1t is probable |
that this estimate Is much too large.
Former Lack Of Newspapers.
Until recently there were no news
papers of any considerable circulation to |
convey information or exercise an in |
f1uence upon public opinion. OF late. 1t
Is true, many have been started. 1t is |
said that there are as many as sixty |
published in the Chinese language In the !
city of Shanghai alone.
The result of all these conditions is
that the Chinese are a people. not a
nation, an aggregation of families and
clans, so distinct in their aspirations
and interests as to create almost in |
superabLe obstacles to unity and politi- |
cal organization. With most of them |
life is constant struggle for daily |
bread, and in that struggle the obliga- |
tions Of each day are primarily to rela- |
tives and neighbors. Thus loyalty is
not to any government. but to family |
and friends.
In circumstances like these, the
growth of many centuries, republic
was established eight years ago. 1t has
certainly experienced untold difficulties
No change in the form of administra-
ton can be expected to accomplish an
Immediate transformation in the ideas
and customs which control the political
life Of a people. Just what the situation
now is, and what the future may be,
must be considered in later articles.
Copyright. 1870. by the N. Y. Times co.,
INcREASES IN PAY R0IIS