CHINA IN TRANSITION.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 9 April 1926, Page 5

CHINA IN TRANSITION.

HIE MISSIONARY INFLUENCE. AN INTERESTING ADDRESS. ' A very interesting address, illustrated by descriptive lantern slides, was given at Trinity Hall on Mednc/i----clay night, when a lecture on China i» Transition’’ •'was delivered to a large audience, by the Rev. Frank Wilkinson, M.A., of the Presbyterian Mission in Canton. . . , A hearty welcome to the missionary was extended by the Rev. Gladstone Hughes, who stated that nojw, in their hour of dire lieed, the Chinese, more than ever, needed moral and financial support. At the outset Mr Wilkinson staffed that the actual position of China; at the present day could hardly be shown by slides. The New .’Bealander, in speaking or thinking of China, said Mr Wilkinson, naturally thought of it as one thought of the Chinese one saw in New Zealand; as shopkeepers or market gardeners. He would remind them, however, that before Julius Caesar landed in Groat Britain, or even three or four thousand years ago, the Chinese were looking back upon tlietir long past. Even at that early age They had attained a very high level off culture, and they, considering tlnat any change could only be of a retnogjrade nature, had ever since avoided any semblance of transition, enquiring through the centuries upon that basis a seif contained, self controlled and very solid country. Touch- f ing upon the natural inclination of > the white races to regard thennselves a being of the natural colour ajnd the other races as being; exceptional, Mr | Wilkinson reminded his audience that there were far more people in the world witli yellow skins than with white, and that the Chinaman was therefore quito entitled‘-to regard liiiyself as being of the natural colour, and the white race as being the exception. From the past history of that wonderful country ho considered that the Chinese were quite entitled, to look forward to a wonderful fut/ure, and ho also considered that for good or evil the future of tho world largely rosted with China. One had only to think of its great resources, ana also the abounding patience and adaptability of its people. As regarded mentality, the white people had no right to despise tho Chinese, it being the. opinion of teachers that the /average Chinese student, for his agc v was about three classes ahead of thoi European. Until Japan had shown about thirty years ago what- they conld do with modern weapons, China had remained as in tho past. About thirty years ago they commenced to scrap their old methods of education and from that time dated the Chinese upheaval. During the past few years great changes had taken place, and. while it was quite easy to speak of China as being in a state of chaos, deep changes were undoubtedly taking place which enabled observers to say - that China was in a state of transition. Western methods, especially in the uso of electricity and steam, were being adopted, while their whole educational system had been changed, to conform with modern ideas. One had only to remember the state of pffairs in Britain and other countries, following the change in industrial life, in realise tho magnitude of the taslcthnfc confronted China in trying to adopt a change in her life and industries. The country was vastly overpopu'aled, with millions near starvation. and they only had to ask themselves what was going to. happen n hen industrial changes made it possible lor a. child to do the work of ten men. The text books were now drawn up

along Western lines, and it was significant that tin? favourite subject of the .young Chinese student was generally science. Old customs were being challenged, also old ideas of religion and Christianity. It was indeed a tune of tremendous possibilities and ot . tremendous dangers. China was undoubtedly waking up to a realisation 1 of its own importance, and tho result was a growing hatred of the foreigner. For that the foreign nations with thenterritorial annexations, were largely to blame, and to understand the Chineso point of view one would have to consider the possibility of Auckland being held by Germany, Wellington by America, and Timaru by Japan. Mould New Zealanders take it as quietly as the Chinese, or would they not find some stirring of patriotic resentment. Personally, he rather wondered at the patience of the Chinese. The Russians wore undoubtedly at the bottom of the boyco'tt, and had won their way into favour by giving up their territorial claims, but in some parts tho Chinese were now beginning to wonder whether they had not sold themselves to a worse foe. Another factor of the case, however, was Christianity, and although Christians were only one in a thousand, tho Christian influence carried weight out of all proportion to its numbers, very much as a light did shining in the darkness. Christianity in China, concluded Mr Wilkinson, was the one big hope, «is it* was in every otiici I country. (Applause.) At the conclusion of the explanatory , address, a number of very interesting ! slides depicting Chineso life and cus- i toms, together with the marked and , growing influence of the Ghijstnin j Missions, were shown to an appreciative j and highly attentive audience, -Mr ■Wilkinson following tho slides with in- ! sbructive, and at times, very amusing j explanatory lcmarks. A very hearty vote of thanks was carried by acclamation.

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