BOOKLAND and Thereabout

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 65, 7 June 1912, Page 2

BOOKLAND and Thereabout

"Wonderful China."

By E. R. HARTLEY. The Homo Univorsity Library issues 'Tho Civilisation of China," by Professor Giles, LL.D. It is an excellent summary for busy men, containing many lessons for tho modern democracy. Tlio Chinese Empire contains live millions of square miles. Its population is so great that if the Chinese wero to begin to march past their Emperor in single file, tho procession would never come to an end. Tho children born when the procession starts ed would be grown ineu and fa livers ot families themselves before it became their turn to march. ' This would Beem to solve the problem of perpetual motion. The religion is Buddhism, tinctured with the teachings of Confucius, who was a materialist. He was one of the cotton-clothed or common people, and believed a man's chief duty was to his neighbor. There being no proof of any other life and no proof of any divine revelation, the chief thing was to do one's duty in this life, of which we are certain. ; A baron boasted that a son had given evidence against his father. Confucius replied: "With us the father will ■creen the son and tlio son the father; that is real righteousness." He also said: "If your aims are worthy, the people also will be worthy." When a great official complained of the number of thieves, he said: "This is due to the greed of the upper classes." Fine lessons for modern govenir ments in these sayings An excellent maxim of tho teacher iras: "If you mistrust .a man, do'not •inploy him; if you employ him, do riot mistrust him." Said Confucius also: "Man is born good; he becomes evil by contact witli evil surroundings." The Chinese have taken their moral teaching from Confucius : — (1) Man's duty to his neighbor. (2) 15c virtuous for the sake of virtue. CA) Filial piety basis of all happiness. (4) AH evil to bo mot with justice. Confucius regarded all speculation of the unknown as wasting time; if we do our duty now all will be well. The idea of parents ami relatives shielding their own from the law still lasts, and there is no punishment for them helping their friends to escape the taw—©yen servants are exempt. They understand the. dangers of intermarriage of near relations, and even persons of the same family name may wfi marry. A strong feeling of democracy lias always been shown by tho Chinese. Over and over again the reigning dynasty has been upset, because of attempts to enforce unpopular laws or taxation. A. great teacher and upholder of Confucius was named Monoius, who -died 300 years 8.C., who put the teachings of his master into something like order. The most important things are: (1) Tlio people. (2) Tho gods. (3) The sovereign. A very proper order, for witlio-it people both' gods aild : sovereigns • are useless. Sometime the capitalist class will learn this lesson. ; Mencius said: "There ' i* no such thing as a righteous war; we can only Assert that'some wars 'are better than Others. Good iron is not used for nails, aor good men for soldiers." The Chinese hale war and love learning. This is the right line ; the best Dreadnoughts will be built in our schools. There is no need for a Society for tho Prevention of Cruelty to Animals i<> China. Neil her is there any Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. These are luxuries reserved for our Christian civilisations, a-nd Professor Giles says the story of female infanticide is an atrocious libel. It ieems tv be an ignorant fable of tho

missionaries. They prefer boys becauso they continue the family name, and girls require dowries. Thoy have a proverb: "Thero is no thief like a family of tivo daughters." Horo is another useful proverb: "Man kno.vs, but woman knows better." Taxation is geuorally laid after tho people have been consulted. Thero is good reason for this. Tho democracy of China, if they don't believe in a tux and it is imposed, refuse to pay, shut up their shops and stop all trade. This would seem to bo very liko tho general strike. They also understand the boycott, and when thoy enforce it do it most thoroughly, as many foreign dealers ha-e found to their cost. When they strike or boycott they do it thoroughly, and blacklegs aro unknown. Tho workhig-class can learn something from thorn. Some of the laws aro curious, but show a fine sense of comiriuiial responsibility. II anyone is injured by something thrown from a village there is no seeking the special offender; the head man is fined or punished. Ho should keep the place in orfter. If children do wrong, tho parents aro punished. A householder is responsible for his servants. No magistrate ever punishes a man who Ls hungry for stealing food. All laud belongs to' tiio sovereign. Something liko a freehold is obtained if the land tax is paid regularly, but it is always subject to the rights of the reigning sovereign. A reformer of 1020 suggested a way of taxation to procure revenue and securo a certain market for all products. Ho proposed to re-survey all the land, fix areas, and tax according to fertility. Tho result would be—(l) Sufficient for all taxes; (2) to supply the want* of the district.; (3) the balance taken by .the State at a low priced and held or transformed to the place where it was wanted. The heathen Chinee made porcelain IGOO years ago which, with all our boasted science, we cannot equal today. Ho used finger-prints for identification iv the seventh century. China was a civilised nation IQO'O years oetwo tho date ivhen Christ was said to be born, before the Greek civilisation began. Competitive examinations for tlio holiest positions are open to tho humblest born, and more than one poor man has become Emperor. Tlio Japaneso borrowed the whole* of their civilisation from tho Chinese, as in more recent days they havo begun to copy tho Europeans. Tho Jews founded a colony in China in 1163, and the Roman Catholics had a bishop there in tlio thirteenth century; but neither of these have had any perceptible effect on Chinos© history or religion. If a Chinaman is defrauded of his money ho commits suicide at tho door of his injurer, knowing tho troublo this will bring on the man, and also in hope that his ghost will haunt hm. In tho same way, a wife, if ill-treated by her husband's family, will kill herself, bringing c kUosb troublo on them, with the fear of I'iiiliiei' uotibio from her ghost. There is a sect which places among its beliefs a great faith iv deep breathing. They say: " Pure men draw breath from their heels, tho vulgar only from thoir throats." Let any one reading this try deep breathing for a.month and note tho result. Open your bedroom window if you do not already sleep with it open. Lie flat on your back, and pressing tho diaphragm (the muscle which separates the chest cavity from the abdominal eaviby) downwards to its fullest extent, lilt the lungs slowly but completely, letting tho breath out again through tin* nostril-;. .Expel the breath quickly once or twice by raising the arms above the head while inhaling, and bring them sharply to the side when exhaling. We can learn a lot from the Chinese and their many centuries of experience.

Here is a fine story: A gang of men were found guilty of murder, but none would tell or confess who really struck the fatal blow. The judge ordered them all, clothed in, black, to bo taken to a largo barn and; stood with their faces to the wall. An angel would como and put a mark on the back of tho guilty one. When they were led out again thero was a white mark on the back of one man. He did not know the walls of the barn were newly whitewashed, and put his back against it to prevent the angel marking him. Oh, yes! We can learn things from the Chinese. In fact, sensible folks imiv learn from anyone, even from Socialists. Tho foregoing facts seem to show a good field lor Socialism. Tho teachings of Confucius have prepared the way for tho teachings of Marx. Let

us hopo that tho Chinese Socialists may grow in number sufficient to influence tho recent revolution. A Socialist China would be no menace to tho world's peace, but a great help to tho ushering in of tho Co-operative Commonwealth. 'Tis a curious commentary on tho capitalist system that the workers of the world are afraid of tho yellow man, and their real fear is because he can produce more and live on less of his products than any other race. When Dean Ingo threatened the white trades unionists with the coming competition of tho Asiatics, ho expressed tlio worldwide hope of capitalism and touched (lie universal fear of the workers. Too many producer-? are a curse to tho workers under capitalism. Under Socialism, with production for use instead of for profit, the more productive workers we havo the better for all.