THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, MAY 13, 1912. INTERNATIONAL MORALITY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10634, 13 May 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, MAY 13, 1912. INTERNATIONAL MORALITY.

Mr Sidney Low has a somewhat satirical article in the new issue of the Fortrjtightly Review on "The Most Christian Powers." He declares that "during the past ten yeairs a wave of sheer materialism, and absolute contempt fcr international morality has swept .across the Foreign Offices of Europe." Lord VvMliam 6ecil and various other earnest persons!, says Mr Low, have been suggesting that the present would be a favourable season to impress upon the inhabitants of Clhlima, and, indeed, of Asia in genelrti!., the 'advantage's ctf subcicribiing to the tenets of the Christian- religion. Since a disciple of Buddha, or Confucius, ior Mohammed, can- hardly be expected to accept .Christianity as the result of a- divine revelation, it must be presumed that he is to be converted 'by being convinced of the superior mtorality of the religion, which is professed and, to some small extent, practised) by the peoples of Western Europe'. He is to become a Christian by learning that Christianity leads to a. higher titaudard el' personal and national ethics; that the individual Christian, is a better man than the adherent of any Asiatic .form of relig,iion ;■ and that the. Christian nations are imbued .with a more austere moralit %', a, deeper sense of la.w, a ilarger idea, cif justice and ime>rey, and a greater reluctance to employ force in order to oven-power the weak and oppress the helpfces. As to the individual case, we may leave that on on side for the present. 1 imagine that our preachers and .missionaries may have same difficulty in persuading the East that the professinjg Christian is necessarily -a more virtuous man than tine'follower' of the Prophet!, or the Biuddist, cr Taoisit, or Hindu,, who nets conscientiously up to the precepts of h'is own teachers. Personal morality is 'largely a miatt&r of climate, convention, and tradition, and it varies in. different countries' and in different societies. If a respectable Briton is likely to have some painful ishocks when he takes up his- residence in the Far East, it is -also 'highly probable that a Chinese merchant of good standing resident in New York, or a- well bred Mohammed-, ari gentleman sent to complete his education .in- the vnvac-Kous city.df Vienna, might have gome damaging (comments t'o make on the manners and customs of the West, <when he writes confidential comuuioations to his-

friends at home, if we are to im-

press the 'East, it must .be rather by our puhlic than our private morality. We should, like to be able to show that the European nations as a who Is in their cdileotiive action towards those of the Orient, ,arc. inspired' by lofty .motives' 'a.nd are actuated by that regard' for altruism., justice a.nd 'legality which are among the elements of Christian 'civSfeatioii. It must he admitted ,that'from tl>'is point of view our missionaries will find a golod deal to explain away. Tho conduct of the SVI'CGfc Ohri&tian Powers during the past few years has home a striking resemblance to that of robber bands descending upm an unarmed and help. Jess population cf peasants. So far iVoan iieisp.ect.ing th'e rights of other inatikms ,they have .exhibited the most Icomplcite and c'y-nical disregard for Itlieni. 11% have, in fact, asserted the claim of the strong to prey (upon the weak, and the utter impo'tencei of at!J ethical considerations in the face of armed force, with a crude nakedness whiie-h few Eastern military conquerors could' well 1 have isrurpasstad.