Evening star., 1937-04-25
BY ROY CHAPMAN ANDREWS.

Director, American Museum Of Natural
History.
- 1T-DOWN strikes are old stuff
~ in China. Centuries before
Columbus set foot upon Ameri-
~ can shores Chinese were using
passive resistance as weapon to get
what they wanted. OF course, in the
good old U. S. A. our sit-downers
aren't always completely passive and
they do occupy property without due
process Of law; but the essence of
the idea, as I see 1t. is non-forceful-
just to make yourself such an internal
nuisance by putting your body where
it isn't wanted and keeping it there
that the machinery can't function,
even though you don't actually bust it
up.
Years ago. when I first went to the
Orient and began to deal with Chi
nese officials, learned that If were
ever going to get anywhere I'd have
to do as the Chinese do. AS re-
suit, I have in my life put on several
pretty swell sit-down strikes. One
of them when I was en- route to
the old city Of Sian-fu, out in Shensi
Province. That was where Chang
Hsueh-liang, the bad boy from Man
churia, recently staged kidnap stunt
with Chang Kai-shek as the kid
napee.
At the time OF which I am writing
the railroad reached only halfway to
O nd xrrow fov trir
muleback from its end to the ancient
city. Captain Collins, q British Of
ficer, and I were on hunt for the
Golden Fleece"-the Shensi takin-
one of the rarest animals OF the world.
We were armed with letter from the
minister of foreign affairs in Peking,
asking all officials to facilitate our ex-
pedition. At the end Of the railroad
we transferred our belongings to an
unusually filthy Chinese inn. re-
member 1t particularly both because
OF its dirt and because the landlord
rejoiced in the name Of Er-tutsa
(Second stomach).
Name Misleads the Devil.
I asked him. why the name?"
"Oh," said he, there really isn't
such thing as second stomach,
and il there were it wouldn't be of
much use. So my parents named me
that in order to throw off the track
the devil who is always looking about
to kill children who are particularly
beloved. When he heard me always
called Er-tutsa he thought I wasn't
of much Importance"
After Collins and I had established
ourselves at the Inn OF the Second
Stomach we sent our cards to the
magistrate at his official residence,
the Yamen, and in due course pre-
sented ourselves with a request that
he procure five mules for US. (From
Second Stomach We had learned that
all the mules OF the city had been
Communicated by the magistrate).
He received us with due courtesy
and assured us that the mules would
be at our inn that same evening. But
they didn't arrive. A call at the va
men next morning and renewed as
assurances that they would appear
that day. Evening came, and no
mules. Repetition on the third day
and we began to smell mouse. The
magistrate evidently did not intend to
give us mules.
We could see dozens Of mules stand
ing idle about the city, but none for
us! Then We learned that the magis-
trate was extremely anti-foreign and
had boasted that these two foreign
devils would get no mules from him.
The whole city was waiting to see us
Inundated.
Call on Magistrate Again.
Collins and took counsel What
to do? A sit-down strike at the va
men was certainly indicated. There
fore the next morning We made our
usual call on the magistrate Again
he assured us that the delay was un-
avoidable; that he had not been able
to produce our mules, but certainly
they would be forthcoming that
night.
Then We did the unexpected. I
told the magistrate, in my best Chi
neSe, that We realized what super
human efforts he was making In our
behalf, and that we could not thank
him enough; that perhaps the mules
might arrive at the Yamen and get
lost before they reached our inn.
Therefore, in order to avoid such a
distressing possibility, We would wait
at the Yamen until they came; that
since we did not wish to trouble him
we had instructed our servant to
bring our folding chairs and table,
and that We would just settle our
selves on the front porch.
There wasn't much that he could
say. His smile was pretty thin as
he bowed us out, but the spectators
grinned broadly.
On the porch our boy was waiting
with the camp furniture. He set up
our table and chairs, produced books
and cigarettes, and we settled down
comfortably in the sunlight. At
noon our cook arrived with his little
portable stove and food in basket.
Collins and lay back in our chairs,
comfortably relaxed, feeling that the
lot Of sit-down striker was not 50
bad.
Maxbtrate Prisoner in Home.
Word Of what was happening at
the Yamen had gone out into the far
places Of the city and the narrow
street in front resembled subway
jam. We minded this not at all. A
foreigner in China soon learns to
consider himself as something out Of
the ZOO. And it all worked to our ad-
vantage. The magistrate was literally
Q prisoner in his own house. He could
not venture out the front door with
out having us PROFOUND the en-
barrassing question about the mules;
If he left by the back door with the
crowd watching, 1t would be an awful
"loss Of face" And for q Chinese
that was unthinkable
BY six in the afternoon, when the
bOy BROUGHT over our camp beds and