CHINA AND THE CHINESE.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 30 June 1910, Page 2

CHINA AND THE CHINESE.

LECTURE AT LEVIN. BY THE CHINESE CONSUL. >*OMTC SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS. Under the auspices of the Literary and Debating Society of <bbe< Levrin branch of the Y.M.C.A. a lecture upon " China ivnd the Chinese" was given by M r Liang Hwang, tht> Chinese Consul ait Wellington. There was a crowded audiencc, and the lecturer's remarks were listened, to with the greatest aitftontion. At the close of his remarks, which dealt in a most attractive manner with certain social and religious aspects of Chinese life, the Consul was loudly cheered. ■Mr James I'rouse presided, 'and in introducing Mr Yung Liang Hwang, said Itihat the subject for Itilio eve,tiling's address was one that was 'always fascinating. Whiile our Ancestors were sav,ages, China was properly governed, and had its laws and literature. In fact other empires such as the Assyrian, Grecian, and Rmn;m had passted away, _ yoit the Chinese Empire, whiich exislted before tlnem all, still_ remained. China had a ,population oif over 400.000,000, her latent possibilities were (?niormous, and China was awakening. Mr Hwang belonged to a new orclcr of men, who were going

to guide tlio destinies of a nemwakened China. (Cheers.) Mr Y 11.11 s Liana; Hwang, who was conMally received, sa«l lie was gkrcl to be present t.liat evolving to speak on some of tlie social aspoo-ts of fliiiiie.se life. Before proceeding with .his subject, however, he reform! to tiro development of the Y.M.C.A. in Chi™, and said that it was attracting anionp; the young 111011 1110 iv initorest than any other of the missions from Western Christendom. At Shanghai the Y.M.C.A. Jiiad >a hnnlcliing ooiiitainin o; over members, aiul the reason why ho himself appreciated the work rf the Y.M.C.A. was because it lwlj>»tl to place before the vonng men the best elemircnlts toif Christianity, a,ml it also .placed hofore them soma of the best aspects of "\Veetern life. Turning to the komi"-i 1 life of iiV Chinese. the Conv'iil «i id that the Hook of Bights was

+li.{» honk flint g.ive tlioni Itihe authoritv for tlieir social orga.nisa-tion, their SOOTAL LIFE, and that uni(|uene.ss which hie wouUl ;mill O-iiitMi.tii 1 i«m. It dealt with ceremonies, but underlying aHI tlisTt was the groat lesson of reverence. Ho proceeded to explain the o'hjwtts of the Law of Rights, which was one - of the Departments of Goyc/rnmciiifc, and drew up ceremonies in detail, among other tibings, in (toirnenHon with the Emperor's anniiver.sairy. The lecturer proceeded to -paint out that there was also a Hook of Names, whic.li. contained oinly 100 nannies, in .all, and inasmuch ins these lOC family names supplied the est ah- • lushed names of ithe whole of tho faimilies of China, it would 'be seen thait there were not many family names in China with its population of 100,000,000. While an Englishman invariably named J lis children 'after a great political or Biblical personge, this would he regardied as blasphemous in China. So far as Oriental politeness was co,weenned,it was impossible for (the people of a-n Occidental origin to understand his position unless he mixed u/p'with them and studied their social conditions and their habits, and held mutual converse. He had been studying the Western nations for ma.ny years, and had visited tihie United States, ICuropo and Now Zealand, and although he could; read tho daily papers and books and converse with the people, he <wM mot understand all our customs, and he could not uuderfiband New Zealand , politics—(laughter). At the same time, however different the habits and customs were that separated them, however deep the line of demarcation might be, they all recognised that whether men were black oi- bron»e, or red, or yellow, or whit? they had ow thing in common and that, was they had tilie feelings of human creatures. (Applause). Turning to another portion of his address the Consul dealt with tine profound importance of morality in the family life and qrOTK!) KI!OM COXPUOfUS in support of his statements, and further recited from Confucius on the (|h(\stion of filial piety to denn,nitrate that filial love is one of the foundations of Chinese family life. The lecturer went on to refer to the Chinese in tho matter of aiir castor worship, which ho described as a beautiful tiring. The Chinese were really the only people who founded 'ancestor worship, although

Japan had leal'nell tlio practice from them. The Chinese sent Confucianism into Japan, in the same way as it iluad sent their literature, poetry and phiilosophy, ami to a curtain . extent China had civilised tli«t country though now, of /conrso, .Japan had left 'China far It'ehim! and. w«s now admitted intoVthe comiity of nations. A sentences from the Book of ISsii'ts explaining it-lie duties of sons and daughters to their parents followed'. Same of tliein seemed (plaint to -tlvii •audience, but they envbraml many excellent points. ' One quotation adnuMiislwnL Hilie young mtin to_wa.it nn his father and mother dutifinlly and when ill is father war dead it expected the ellest son to wait 011 his mother, and the wives of thf other sons iit tfi.n<zl 11 should do what remained, to be done. Oiii being asked to do anything the sons and daughters Jilreijild do it clwe-iri itlly. They should lj'ot look - tfr -1 sneeze — (blighter)" or if tiliey I bitnlied they should -not scratch thwifclvts, while in'their parents' Cr.iil laughtiT). Tliipit uvis part of what was called Orientalism. It wis altfo politeness, and onie of the chief things a man of. culture -or refinement must do was to be ca.wful wli.nt he said. Cer-t-1 inly his people had gone to extremes, but in a matter of politeness 'and filial love he would rather see tlie-m sro too far, then wot g(J at all. This politeness and filial iwc-tv had existed for nnwiy ceiitiM'ies before the liirth of Christ, amcl they belit'iVed 'it d-cnTinatod the pro-' sporit.v of iiJn> race and the moral welfare of .the people. Tt- was believed among the inMd-ucated that if a Chinaman gave false measures w falsa we : gbt, a.nd tbis aipply to - the

CI-lINERE OF LEVIN. (Loud laughter), the eyes of tl:i?ir oluildr-on would grow small and them ii<r-f,s 'wonld .become tco short,- and tli'iit they would receive puniishinc.jit in this world or puniishnneriit int the future world. In conclusion v the Consul enii'meraited a nu<mheir of other customs that prevail in Ohaiin,', and said that the reason why ho haa dii. It with the ma jority of the subjects he had done that evening, was because tihey were not generally u#-; derstood out~-of, the Orient. Pin- - ally the lecturer' dealt wj\Mi socio! , distinctions in China, and said in that country they J Kid no aristocracy save the nristoriracy' of paroai- . tage. Tn New Zeland he thought tluat every young man Jiad'Oiis ethanes before him provided he would woir'k himself up. So to was in China. It was frequently the case that parent educated his children, and' Chum was going in the future-to ' produce men. of scholastic and scientific attainments equally as' $ron,t as those who had cotmnajuWl, the esteem mild respect of the litertary and scieiiitifie circles of western; notions. , Ohina was on the. threshold of trai^

She wfls moving like a steamer .in the Suez Oanal — ■jjjring slowly, ibut surely, Mid! in the Hp would emerge into the broad Kters of freeilom. (Loud wpB.Vfir Vincent, on helwilf ~of tho Kwin Y.M.C.A., thaivke-d itlie Consul fbr Iris .nible address, mud expressed tlhe hope that it would) ho the menus of removing misoonieeptiions that might exist as to the Chinese and the position of China, and help us to understand i'ts people be.tit.pr. (Applause). Mr 'J.. Proust , seconded the motion, which was earned amid loud rtheers, aiiul the Consul bniefly replied, expressing the hope that sjonie residents of Levin would some clny visit Ms country und receive the hospitality of his fellow-men. (Tioud aipplatise) .