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VOLUME G, NUMBER 10
.
"lost his face" becauao a magistrate refused to
conmioncG a prosecution on hla complaint, in
China thoro Is a constant effort to koop up ap
pearances, and when this is no longer poBS hie,
tho iinfortunulo one feels that ho can not look
nnyono olse In tho face. Chincso llfo Is saturat
od with this "faco" doctrine; It porcolalcs through
their disputes and oozes out through tho pores o
their diplomacy. Justico is of less importance
in tho deciding of a controversy than tho sayinfc
of tho parlies from tho loss of "faco." There aro
in oacli community "peace-talkers" who make a
business of so adjusting disputes that neither
parly will scorn lo bo in tho wrong.
in dealing with China this national character
must bo borno in mind, aud it ia to be regretted
Umt foreign nations havo in thoir negotiations
sometimes imitated China Instead of setting her a
bettor example. One constantly meets ovor hero
with tho theory that tho foreigner must conform
to tho methods of the Orient, but this is always
advanced as an oxcuso for following a bad cus
lorn. It is lmpossiblo to convinco China that our
ideal Is a better one than hers unlesB that ideal
is embodied in action. When our country adrait
. tod that tho indemnity collected from Japan after
tho Shimonoshoki affair was excessive, and re
turned it, she made a deop impression upon tho
Japanese. It was several Umes referred to by
speakers during our recent' visit to Japan as an ,
ovldonco of our country's desire to do justico
to other nations. It Is just as honorable for a
nation lo acknowledge an error as it Is for au
Individual to do so, and our nation has an oppor
tunity to admit another oxcessivo demand and
return to China a part of tho indomnlty collected
at tho close of tho Boxer trouble.
No nation has over given more emphasis to
coremony tluvn does China. Confucius places pro
priety among the cardinal virtues, and tho doctrine
lias been elaborated until tho wholo llfo is fettered
by formality. Each rising generation is drilled
In tho porformanco of certain rites required by
approved etiquette, and it would bo humiliating
for ono to havo to confess that he did not know
tho proper thing to do and tho proper way to do
It. Evon sincerity was of less importance, and
both Confucius and Mencius set demoralizing ex
amples in placing tho latter above tho former.
In the Analects an Instance is given where one,
Joo Pol, wished to see Confucius, but the latter
refused lo seo him "on tho ground of being sick."
Whon tho bearer of the message had loft, Con
fucius "look Ills harpsicord, and sang to it, in
ordor that Pel might hear him." It is related of
Mencius that he wns about to go to court to seo
tho king when he received a message from the
king saying that the latter "was wishing to call
on Mencius but was detained by a cold." Mencius
replied "Unfortunately, I am unwoll and unable to
go to court," but next day lie went out and paid
a. visit of condolence to another family. While
ho was absent from tho house the king's messen
ger culled with a physician, whoreupon the ren-'
rosontatlye of Mencius explained that he was sick
the day before, but that being a little better he
had hastened to court. It was then necessary to
se himttoSOnri,1ni10 intercept mencius Ul
gee mm to the king's house. All of this subter
fuge was resorted to in order to get to king to
call upon Mencius first. s
mJ?nl t?1? ls S"J a part of lIlc ceremonial
?w ?' H.two omciala are riding and meet
they dismount and bow thoir head t n nvi T i
In the schools the students kow'ow Uoa Son
f clan tablet twice eacli month. When wl vMtert
Btudents knee in the mifn, f181 the
toward tho labhTt the tohJX? hY lreo tiines
lug tho iloor; liGy then vi T?h rUnQ touch"
interval Wl Sn at a siLn V ?e,r a Bhort
times more. This ceremonv f ?n bow threo
making nine bows in all Thl" "gjln . boated,
how three times to the rofesSO"s nL00 2na
the professors each sti w i?I ' after saltlng
student next to hi m nnd flm Z8ii0nce to the
We thought it wo id be IT0
this service in honor of o W witness
?JE? 'I2? -verenceftCG oltr ' Tn MH
K thS 2"!? tl.ejom.ey
The Commoner
side of a little stream, it enabled us to see some
thing of houseboat life. Hundreds of little boats
lino tho stream, and in their diminutive mat
covered cabins were housed thousands of natives,
many of whom aro born, live and die in these
unstable homes. As they wero preparing tho
morning meal, wo had a chance to confirm tho
stories regarding their want of cleanliness. It
was not an uncommon thing to see a woman wash
ing rice in tho muddy water nnd a few feet
away another woman throwing rofuse matter into
the stream, or a man performing his morning
ablutions. At Canton one has a still larger op
portunity to observe houseboat life where tho
Pearl river furnishes tho water supply and at the
same time an open sower for a floating popula
tion of many thousand.
The contrast between tho bath-loving Japanese
and tho dirty, complacent Chinese laborer is
very marked, and this contrast ls also noticeablo
in tho streets. The sights and smells that greet
the senses along tho narrow streets of a native
city aro not soon forgotten by one who travels
through China, and one's ideas of modesty, too,
are sadly wrenched". (
But whatever may be said of the habits of
the lower class Chinese, they aro an industrious
and patient people. After watching them work
and observing the conditions under which they
live, one can scarcely begrudge them whatever
comfort they can find in tho dreams of Heaven
which they draw from their opium pipes. And
speaking of opium, one Is restrained from speak
ing too harshly of the habit by a recollection of
the fact that the opium trade was forced upon the
"Heathen Chinee" by a great Christian nation.
The Chinese have their amusements, one of
which is tho theatre. We attended one theatre
in Pelcin and found tho room crowded with men.
It was a commodious hall with a gallery, but the
stago was not relatively so lajge as in Japan.
The acting reminded us more of the American
stage than did the Japanese, but tho scenery
was exceedingly scanty. The audience expressed
itself in approval or disapproval with a great deal
of freedom.
We found a sport in China which we have not
heard of elsewhere, viz., quail fighting. These
little birds aro matched against each other as
fighting cocks are in the Spanish countries. One
American told us of a fight between cockroaches.
These combats, as well as those between tho
quails, give an opportunity for betting -a vice
which prevails in tho Orient as well as in tho
Occident.
There is ono kind of bird contest which in
volves neither cruelty nor bloodshed, although
the element of gambling is also present in it.
7m i the ainSinS matches between larks.
The Chinese are very fond of birdB and one
can not go upon the street without seeing men
carrying bird cages. Tho birds are aired much
as pet dogs aro exercised in our country. The
favorite singing bird is the lark, and these are
entered by their owners in contests, considerable
sums being often placed upon a bird. The award
is made by the birds themselves, one after an-
is leftCZfr deffatrU1 bui one songster
is left upon his perch. Tho winner is nuite gx-
&$2 has Iost llls Iaoe" an1 wiu
In another article I have referred tn ih
superstitions so widespread in China There is
one, to of superstition which has interfered
with both religion and commerce. The .natives
SnTrSSSL1 the Ums of sorcerers
"e : -" wwb wuo, proiessing a knowledco
ing lucky bmfal Me7. ibSwUnV Sft ""S'
times objected to for this reason, and a church
spire is, in tho opinion, of the superstitious il2
to endanger the peace and safety of a cZraunitv
However, commerce is extending in anlS
thoir own lanSaRo dPlfvorni i t0 a sermou in
missionary On w 5?i!2d , b an American
STJ ! - aXdS JHS SWO w'e" a
82 Hra S as M 7;
the Postponement wis duo tanMa Whoer
presence of foreigners fviSL tobJection to the
r'a one
toTS nber of mhiiser :
the stimulus given To tiin iTV11. tGstified to
the fidelity shown by VJ Ohfn2d n! ,rGllgio
ing the Boxer troubles pJSI 75 stians dm
of the Method 1st uSveraUv i J' le
lished a volume ent itlod i "PhiLofH1! has m,b'
ich he gives aGnuX. ftnfe
secrated devotion on the part of the Chinese
to the Christian faith, and why should not -China
be a promising mission field? Buddhism has hero
done its perfect work and can not reasonably
ask for a further trial; the philosophy-of tho
sages bus also been shown impotent for the har
monious development of the three-fold man.
China has followed an ideal and -followed it with
a diligence rarely exhibited, but that ideal has
been weighed in the balanco and found wanting.
It is often said in defense of Confucianism that
its founder gave to his disciples the golden rule,
stated in its negative form, but too little emphasis
has been given to the difference between the
doctrine of Confucius, "Do not unto others as
you would not have others -do unto you," and the
doctrine of the Nazarene, "Whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even bo to
them." There is a world of difference ' between
negative harmlessness and positive helpfulness,
and Christianity could well afford to rest.its case
against Confucianism on the comparison of these
two doctrines.
In the Alalects of Confucius the philosopher
is asked, "Is thero one word which may,, serve
as a rule of practice for all one's life?" He was
answered, "Is not reciprocity sucn a word?" Here
we have the doctrine of selfishness as plausibly
presented as it will ever be again. Life ls de
scribed as a balancing -of favors a nice calcula
tion of good done and good received. There is
no suggestion here of a heart overflowing with
love, no intimation of a blessedness to be found
in giving.
At another time someone asked Confucius,
"What do you say concerning the principle that
injury should be recompensed with kindness?"
He replied, "With what then will you recompense
kindness? Recompense injury with justice and
recompense kindness with kindness." In reply
to another question, he goes so far as to charge
that one "who returns good for evil, is a. man
that is careful of his person," How different
these precepts are from those of the Sermon on
tho Mount! Christians are accused of failure
to live up to the high ideal presented by Jesus,
a,nd i,h0, accusatipn is just, and yet, although
the Christian nations fall far short of the meas
ure which they themselves recognize, although
professing Christians reflect but imperfectly the
rays which fall upon them from the sun of right
eousness, they are leading 'the world in" all that
is ennobling and uplifting, and China gives silent
recognition to the superiority- of the western ideal
m every reform which she undertakes. , ;
Copyright.
THE CRY OF THE CHILDREN
' The menace of child labor is rapidly becom
ing known to the American people, and news
papers and magazines long silent upon this sub
ject are now investigating child labor conditions.
Some of the reports all too authentic are ap
palling in their revelations of brutality and in-
manity ,In liB b00k' "The Bittr Cry of the
Children " just published, John Spargo makes
the startling statement that there are now up
wards of 2,250,000 children under fifteen years of
iah tSS ?,n the Tmir,s' mills and factories of
the United States. If this statement is only one
ualf true, it betrays a woeful condition of affairs
and one that should be speedily remedied. In
southern cotton mills hundreds of children under
seven years of age are working long hours, many
of them at night. Inspection laws are disregaTde?
child labor laws are openly . violated, and the
Moloch of Modern Greed is yearly cliimimr h s
childish victims by the thousands7 Mr Spargo
publishes in his book a photograph that will
linger long m the minds of those who study t
It is a photograph, of a parade of juvenUe tex
ti e workers in Philadelphia who were on strike
evidence In H?l T'7, lim?s are in teible
Xd
school0"1" f jUS"ce'f' "W want 'to go" to
rm , We aro Protected by the tariff"
for tttedffl2nlPffiP lab?r" ,S nsiblo
ioi uns ciimlnal condition of affairs and if-
comes from those who, unable to find eSough
childish hands to slave for them at a mere 5S
ance demand the abrogation of our exclusion
boWta Sorted' WW . Chineso "oo'le "may
motKof AmJLn 1,gh Hme the fathGrs amr
ESir sen?o .5? ?rMSe "leraselves to a real-
children lG danger that threatens their
Philadelphia police broke into a raeetlriir of
narchlsts and dispersed orators and auditors
1 lie only thing accomplished by this s to'nSS
ninrtyrs of the anarchists. S tomaUe
n
Li-'kLTSii, .
