The Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 11. A SERIOUS INDICTMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 387, 12 May 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 11. A SERIOUS INDICTMENT.

A concise, if somewhat startling, state-1 ment of the position of foreigners in China, as seen from the Chinese point of view, is published in a recent issue of the Sydney telegraph. The. writer—Lo Yen—makes a serious indictment on the Christianity of the Christian nations of the world, and it is a sad commentary that at this late date of the Christian era the .public acts of these nations should ethically and morally fall short of so-called heathen ideals and practices. If nations are to be judged by their actions, "heathen" China, at any rate, will not suffer by comparison, Lo Yen says there is a strong anti-foreign feeling permeating the minds of the Chinese, for ■which the Westerners themselves are responsible, for from the time they introduced themselves up to now their policy has ever been "take all and give nothing." The practical operation of the idea is seen in recent events. At the close of the China-Japanese War, Russia, Germany, and France warned Japan away from Port Arthur and Manchuria. Russia shortly thereafter took Port Arthur herself, and thus began the operation of gorging Manchuria. As Russia had received a mouthful, Germany must have something, and the opportune murder of two missionaries furnished the excuse for taking KiaoChow. As Russia, and Germany had each selected a portion the hunger of Great Britain must be appeased, and she absorbed Wei-Hai-Wei, thus placing herself midway between the other two. Then, as Russia, Germany and Great Britain had each been fed, France temporarily satisfied her appetite with sundry small mouthiuls down in her southern corner. Italy said she, too, had a stomach, and selected her piece; but the other Powers named thought that she had best not disturb the Chinese. Where, asks Lo Yen, do national honor, dignity, or self-respect have place or play in such an indecent scramble for spoil and plunder as this by nations who arrogate to themselves that they are leaders in modern Christianity and civilisation taking advantage of China's helplessness If The writer goes on to say that the entire western hemisphere is intensely repugnant to the Chinese, who have never understood or admitted that the main purpose for which Governments were created was to foster commerce and money-making. Forced to submit to a limitation of her natural rights, to regulate her foreign trade, and thus to an interference with the revenue therefrom; the constant pressure for the removal of restrictions and greater trade facilities has been peculiarly irritating to China. She has been able to see nothing in it at all but utter selfishness and a determination to force schemes profitable to the foreigner up her, regardless of any detrimental effect upon the Empire. She believes that while foreigners talk much and advise generally about the development of China, they only desire such development albng those specific lines which will place her more hopelessly in their power, and make her more profitable to them. She believes that the Government of the West regard China as a somewhat refractory and timid cow, to be forced to stand and be milked so long as milking proves remunerative, and then perhaps to be slaughtered and quartered for beef. The Chinese have failed to discover in all the discussions with their officials, or concerning the Empire, broad-minded, unselfish regard for Chinese interests. What, irrespective of all other interests, would be best for China is a question seldom considered. They know, or think they know, that the eouiry, "What shall be done with China?" is in every man's mouth, 'while very few are sufficiently generous to desire that China should take herself into her own hands and work out her own problems and determine her own destiny. Thus it is, says Lo Yen, that the entire question of the continued existence of the Chinese nation is to be decided; not in accordance with what will be best for it, but what will best satisfy the ambition, greed of domination, and money lust of Great Britain. Russia, France and Germany. The four great vultures roost there now, three of them upon the north-east coast, watching the victim and.each other by turns, while the fourth is ready and hungry for its prey upon the southern frontier. The truth is, according to the writer, that China is the greatest find in all history for the hunters after plunder. Chinese admit what the Westerners state is correct, when they say, "China has not marched with,the times." Pursuing his powerful indictment, Lo Yen argues that the Chinese are not a military'people, and all their teaching leads them to detest -war and look down on the profession of arms. The military in the provinces are police rather than soldiers, and merely preserve order. But they are being forced to change thinss. Russia may take the north, Germany the east, France the south, and England the centre, but, he says significantly, "one fine morning, it may be a tounderd. it may be two hundred, years hence, a wave of patriotic feeling will fill the length and breadth of the land, and we shall say, 'Gentlemen, you can go home'; and home thev'll go. 'Divided long united.'" He argues that the Chinese Empire is too compact and thoroughly unified for successful dismemberment and too large and far too indigestible to be swallowed whole. With regard to the missionaries in China, Lo Yen expresses the opinion that if they will refrain from interfering with local official business, which is irritating to both officials and the people, all will be well. He quotes Prince Kung as having said some years ago: "Take away your missionaries and your opium, and you will be welcome." Said Prime Minister Wen Hsiang: "Do away 'with your extraterritorial clause, and your missionaries and merchants may go where they please; if your missionaries can make our people better, that will be our gain; if your merchants can make money, ours will share in the advantage." What both Prince Kung and Wen Hsiang objected to was neither Christianity nor Commerce, but the "imperium in imperio" which makes difficulties for a State, and the class exemption which has in it so much that humiliates and disintegrates. In conclusion, Lo Yen advises any person before passing sweeping condemnation upon the Chinese for having an anti-foreign sentiment, if he chooses to be fair and just, to apply that wise advice, "Put yourself in his place."

CURRENT TOPICS 1 ' THE ACCESSION OATH. Britain claims credit for being a State in which a man may safely hold any religious belief he cares to hold. He must not ibe persecuted because he Is a Mahommedan or a Freethinker. He is entitled to the privileges of citizenship and the protection of Flag whether he is Agnostic, Protestant or Confucian. We as a people claim to have left the barbarisms of religious persecution far behind, and to be now quite liberal minded in regard to the valued beliefs of others. And so 'because of this, all broad-minded people will grieve if the Oath of Accession to be sworn by King George is obnoxious to any section of his subjects. It cannot be believed that] King Edward, when he took the oath, desired the addition of that section of it which definitely says that some solemn beliefs and age-old forms, beloved by his Roman Catholic subjects, are "superstitious and idolatrous." It is extremely saddening that the retention of such words in a. most important oath should even be thought of nowaoays. Time was when religious bitterness and rancour prevailed, but surely the occasion for them has passed. If it is just and right to specially hurt the King's Roman Catholic subjects in the Oath of Accession, it is equally desirable to include references to Buddhists, Mnhommedans or the infinite variety of people of differing religious beliefs in the King's dominions. It is sincerely hoped that this matter of vast importance to the 'Empire will be so carefully considered by the King's Ministers that the offensive words will be deleted. THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The phrase sounds excellently, but in New Zealand it does not convey the trufcn. The Libel Law of New Zealand is one of those antediluvian measures that seern to have been 'manufactured by squeamish-aristocrats who held that the truth was bad for the people to,hear. In most cases of liibel proved under our libel law newspapers have been fined for stating mere fact. Statements mat would be regarded as of great public use in England, France, Germany, Holland and Russia would, if printed in a 2few Zealand paper, bring a hornet's nest of lawyers' letter round the ears of the proprietors. Indeed, it is the common practice of one or two unprincipled members of the fraternity in New Zealand to carefully scan papers for libels, and to tout for business to the persons concerned. It is hard to say why the delay in the amendment of the law has occurred. Amendment has been promised for quite a long time. The New Zealand press is not aching for such an extension of its privileges that it may menace the freedom of individuals. All it wants is the law of England. The press of England is a particularly respectable press, even though the law allows it a greater freedom thaa the New Zealand law extends to its own papers. The gravest weakness of the present law is that even verbatim reports of the remarks of public speakers are not privileged. Sir Joseph Ward said quite a long time ago, in reply to Mr. Arnold, M.P., that a Bill had been prepared. He has referred again to the subject at Winton, so that if the matter is considered of sufficient importance by politicians (who owe more to newspapers than to anything else) maybe the Bill will be pulled from its pigeonhole in a month or two. Whether politicians will be frightened to pass it remains to be seen.

THE KING'S BROTHER AND CANADA. Field-Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught, brother of the late King, is, at his late Majesty's request, about to succeed Earl Grey as GovernorGeneral of Canada. As an act ot diplomacy this appointment is worthy of King Edward, for certainly Canada is a little "difficult." The expressions of loyalty from Canada have ibeen many, and the expressions of sorrow in relation to the death of King Edward, as far as one may judge, are sincere. But this cannot disguise the fact that Canada in her lusty strength has ideas of "going alone," and the temper of the great Dominion has lately been shown in her desire to have a/Canadian as Governor-General. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, it will be remembered, carefully explained the impotance of having an imported head of the State, pointing out that he was better able to act without bias as ibetween Mother Country and Daughter Dominion. From many points of view the appointment of the Duke of Connaught will be most valuable. It is a compliment to a great dependency that the brother of the late greatest monarch on earth should be sent to be its head. The Duke is eminent besides neing Royal, for he is one of the Empire's most brilliant soldiers, and has held high commands, besides having «tcn much active, service. His last command was that now to ibe held ,by Lord Kitchener in the Mediterranean. The Duke has those notable qualities which his mother, Queen Victoria, and his brother, the late King, possessed. He is, apart from his profession as a military strategist, a keen diplomat, an ideally "approachable" man, a man of powerful physique and high mental attainments. His "place" in the Royal Family fs next t;0 that of. the reigning monarchs, and it is therefore .possible that, going to Canada while the expressions of loyalty are still very warm, he may be able to do a vast deal to preserve the spirit so desirable and necessary for the cohesion of the Empire.

DEATH IN THE RING. A man was killed in the prize ring tn America the other day, and we made a few remarks on the subject, holding that glove fights for purses and for a "gate" were demoralising from every point of view. This morning the reader will. find a cablegram mentioning that at Sydney. E. Cliburn had his neck broken in a boxing contest with C. Robertson. The reason the subject is mentioned again is that the Wellington Boxing Association hastened to .remark after the American fatality that boxing was so well conducted in New Zealand that the (possibility of a death in the fighting ring was remote. One member pointed out that in New Zealand matting was put down. The referee of the Association, who is a medical man, emphasised the impossibility of a man being killed, seeing that boxers were carefully examined by a doctor before eontests. The medical man apparently pretends that a man in good .physical health, with sound heart and lungs, coildn't possibly have his jaw broken, his neck cracked or his skull fractured. Death in the ring has nothing whatever to do with sound constitutions and normaJ hearts. We make the assertion, knowing it to be true, that the aim at every high priced glove fight in New Zealand has been the "knock-out" blow on the jaw. Any sporting medica-1 man will hasten to tell us that the knockout blow is quite a harmless affair, and that it merely temporarily paralyses the brain, producing insensibility. The blow that naralyses the brain might just as easily ibreak the neck. A citizen stood his trial eighteen months ago

for .killing a man by giving him the "knock-out." It merely broke his neck —that's all—and it was not the fall to the ground that killed the subject. Not long ago a man was murdered in Courtenay place, Wellington, the medical man at the inquest said that the death of the man had probably been brought about .by a blow in the throat. But, of course, men fighting under the auspices of the N.Z. Boxing Association could not possibly die through being struck in the neck, simply because they had previously been medically examined and the Association had carefully seen tnat the mats were properly laid and ine ring-posts padded! If boxing was a mere sport, as the Association allege, that body would not wrangle for hours over the charge for admission to a bruising match. If it were a clean sport, decided on points, and if the huge crowds that glory in blood were clean sports, too, they would not howl with delight at a "knock-out." If glovefighting were really sport and of some national use, the members of the Boxing Association would themselves box, without fee and with no thought of the gate. To ask a professional bruiser to do his best for a iblue ribbon or a bronze medal would be the only test of his sportsmanship. He is after the money all the time, and sometimes he wades in blood right past the gates of the cemetery to get enough money to keep him from working honestly.