The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-09-23
After Many
Years
Chin.s Roots Deep
In the Centuries
Unified for pesee ard
Freedom 200 8. c.
Bssieslly Opposed 70
Jspsns imperialism
BY r. T. SHORT

Chinese-Japanese situation in an
address recently given by Or. Hu
Shin, a representative Of the Chi
reese government At Washington.
n. c. and an eminent scholar.
Dr.. Shih presents in logical Sc
ouenes the reasons why China :
place is with the United Nations
and why there is not likely to he
harmony on the Pacific as long as
the present ruling class continues
In power in Japan.
For his background DR.. Shin
goes back in Chinese history to
22l B. C, when the country was
unified into q great empire. For
about 400 years previous 10 the
unificstion China had been going
through a process OF intellectual
and philosophical development
from which was derived the ideas
and ideals OF free, democratic and
peaceful life.
First, there was the ideal of
iaissez faire (the principle of let
ting the people do much as they
please without interference from
the governmenp as the highest
form of government. Lao-tze and
his followers taught that the best
government is one whose pres-
ence Is least felt by the people,
and that the worst government is
the one which is feared by the
people. This idea is expressed in
the proverb:
Follow nature. Nature
does nothing. and yet there
IL nothing that 1t does not
accomplish"
Second, there was the ideal of
universal peace taught by the Mo
school. Mo Tt condemned all wars
and devoted his whole life to the
teaching Of the will of God, which
he interpreted as love for all men
and peace among all nations.
Third, there was the ideal of a
classics society to be brought
about through the teaehability of
man. This was the thought ex-
pressed by Confucius:
MEN are near one another
by nature but practice sets
them apart. Only the wisest
and the most idiotic cannot
he changed. With education
there Is no class
Fourth, there was the ancient
tradition for free speech and
frank political expression. A
statesman of the eighth century
p. C., is said to have laid down
this dietum:
ITO gag the voice Of the
people Is more dangerous than
To dam the flow of the riy-
er. The wise manager Of the
river deepens its basin and
facilitates its flow. The wise
ruler of men encourage
them to speak out freely"
In the same connection Con-
fuscius is again quoted:
IF an emperor has seven
outspoken ministers, he could
not lose his empire in spite
of his misdeeds. II a prince
of a feudal state has five out
spoken ministers he could not
lose his state in spite OF his
misdeeds Therefore, IN
the face Of a wrong or I'M
righteousness, II il the duty
Of the son to oppose his father
and the duty Of the minister
to oppose his sovereign"
Fifth. there was the conscious
recognition Of the people as Of the
supreme importance in the state
and there was the scriptural JUS
tification of rebellion against
tyrsnical government Another
great Chinese character. Menicus
DR.. shih quotes here:
The people are Of the first i'm
portance, the state comes next
and the ruler is the least import
ant. When a ruler treats his peo-
pie like grass and dirt. then the
people should regard him as a
bandit and an enemy
Sixth. there was N ancient
China the ideal n equitable dis
trihution ~ wealth IN society. Ot
this Confucius said.
He who rules a state should
worry not about the poverty
Of his people but the Unequal
Ity in distribution. For with
equitable distribution there il
no poverty"
The foregoing. said DR.. sinh, are
some OF the theoretical and phil
osophical foundations FOR = peace
ful ard democratic China. Al
these ideas and ideals. said he
have ooms down from the greai
thinkers n that first period d
Chinese intellectual maturity 10
fore the third century. 2. e. MANY
Of these philosophical deals Of 10
classical age have beer put int
practice and become institution
allied in the twenty-ons centuries
Of unified empire life.
To keep the record clear !
should be remembered that Chm
discarded feudalism when she Be
came q unified empire twenty
enc centuries ago. In oontrss
Japan was still e. the height 0
fully developed militsristic teud
slisu1 until about the middle ~ ~