MODERN CHINA

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 47, 19 November 1920, Page 4

MODERN CHINA

k INDUSTRIAT,. TW.ITICAL AND SPIIUTUAL, '_ At yesterday' nftcnioon's silting of, the Presbyterian Wouidd's Missionary Union, held in St. Jolm's Church, n very interesting address upon China from the industrial, the political, and Uie religious point of view was given by Mr. G. W. Wilson,'_ of Canton, ."a brief summary being Riven of soino of the changes .which had taken place during recent years., A comparison was made of the city of Canton as described by' Kudvard Kipling with Iho Canton of to-day, wiSh. its miles of waterfront bordered by fino modern warehouses and other buildings, its many broad streets, its iip-to-dato hotels, and its shops, in which almost anything can be bought.' In place of tlie-old'peanut oil which was used as'an lllumiiiant there was now electricity, and' a' modern water service had been, inaugurated in place of the old system of drawing water. Aeroplanes we'ro an old talo to China now, and the Chinese Government had arranged for the. pur. chase of a number of Handley Page aeroplanes for a quicker mail service, a* well as for tho transport ,of passencersj Regarding some'of the industries, there were established one hundred and fifty modern mills for the spinning and weaving of cotton, and China was now growing immense quantifies of cotton, as well as wheat. China had her coal mines.; and she had-her iron industry, nnd it was now recognised that this expansion of ■ Western trade in such lands of the far East as India and China waa going to be one of tho dominating economic influences of the near fmhire.

As. in .the industrial world, Mr. Wil-" son told his hearers, there were' also .great changes i" tho political nnd social life of the people. In the past China' had been anti-foreign, nnd while perhaps in ' some degree still, anti-foreign, that! state of feeling almost entirely depended upon the way in which foreign nations fronted Chinn. China was still prcpnved to have dealings with thoso nations that dealt fairly by her. She was certainly nnti-Japancse. • Chinn took part in tho war. She is a member of the Leaguo of Nations, and her isolation policy has been cast aside. Internally there liava been great changes in her form of gorernment. Fourteen years ago an alien, people, the Manchus, were in power, and the llanchu dynasty occupied'the throne. That dynasty had tieen swept awny, nnd! China was now a Republic. *Like other, countries, however, she had i'o learn that a change of Government, even.if if: be to that of a republic, does not always bring true democracy. She had to learn that democracy was a spirit that) mustl grow in the hearts of men nnd women.. However, he was convinced-that a demo, cratjc Government had come to 6tnv in China. It had troubles, and wonld havg great, troubles to face, and it would lis decades before peace would be established, but, still, she had glimpsed democracy.

The birth and growth of the student movement in China were described, also the great protest mode by the Chineso s'Judents (young • men and women) . in. Shanghai, Peking, and elsewhere, against) the betrayal of China at the Peace Con* fercneo to a foreign Power. Such an; Upheaval as followed was a witness' to the tremondous mental changes that had taken place among her people, for in no country in the world was more deference pnid to tho nsjed, to those iri authority, and to tradition as in China. Thesa changes in ouijlook were making themselves felt in other wnys. Social wrvieo was being encouraged; ilkoro was a cultural movement among tho'educat> ed classes ami among tho older scholar* and merchants of education, and modern ideas nnd tenching were getting accepted among them. The attitude to women in China was changing to a remarkable, dfcgree, and tho young students wera now advocnting the adoption of the ver* nncular, in speech and writing, instead of the old fortnnl library language. Thia in itself was a mighty change, Thesa changes were due in n considerable niea« sure to missionary work, Mr. Wilson told his hearers. The spiritual outlooli of tho people had also undergone changes*. The old faiths had lost their grip of the people, and as tho old faiths decayed! religions tolerance had grown, nnd tlo-day under' the Chinese- Constitution a man might follow any faalh he wished. In spito of a growing, materialism, thcro ■was also a growing spirit of inquiry; While the .life of the Church in China, itself changed, though noil rapidly, thera was no change in its object. What had) to be recognised, however, was that •there had to bo in the future less ol missions and more of the Chinese Churolu The Chinese were being brought inoro and more into flio government of their churches. nniT thero was a growth of in. dependence of thought, of action, «n<£ also of control over the financial affairs; of their churches.- ■■ At the close of his address the speaker., wan warmly thanked for tho inlereslinal information lie had imparted.