RACIAL SUSPICION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 985, 28 November 1910, Page 6

RACIAL SUSPICION.

REMARKS BY CHINESE CONSUL.

Racial doubt" and tho suspicion, distrust, and dislike that spring from it -ivere among tho themes of an address delivered by the Chincso Consul (Mr. Yung-liang Hwang) at tho Men's Brotherhood yesterday afternoon. Ho regretted that men of different races had ill-feeliug towards eacli other. When a man of another nationality walked along the street, why did people look at him curiously? Was it becauso ho wore his clothes in a different mannor? Or did ho not look as good as ho really was ? A white man might think a coloured man less pleasant to look upon than himself, but the coloured man might bo just as good within, and lie might have just the samo feeling towards tho white man as the white man had towards him. This racial doubt and suspicion was a source of danger. AVas it right to dispise people, of another nation because they appeared to be loss refined, or less civilised? He believed that no race was essentially inferior to any other, but some had had. greater advantages than others. They all knew what great intellectual progress had been made by African and Indian peoples. They were different in colour from his hearers, but that was because tho Almighty had placed them in different parts of tho world. A. little child born in a cottage was just as valuable as one born in a palaco. , • Mr. Hwang went on to speak of "international doubt," leading to war preparations, in utter forgetfulness of the principles of righteousness and justice, and he concluded with a reference to religious doubt as the deadliest doubt of all. Speaking as one who had been in close contact with . other religions besides Christianity—for his father was a devout Confucian and idol-worship-per—he affirmed that, so far as his own observations went, the Christian religion, had more power, more reality, more helpfulness, more activity, than, any other that he knew of.

The consul's address was heard by a good-sized audience, with close attention and frequent applause. The Bev. E. 0. Blamires presided, Mr. J. F: Arnold, M.P.,-led in prayer, and Mr. F. Frost spng a -solo. A suggestion by the chairman that special offerings for the poor , should be made at the Brotherhood meeting oil the Sunday before Christmas was well received. Dr. M'Arthnr, S.M., will be the principal speaker next Sunday.