Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1885. SOCIALISM IN ANCIENT CHINA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5096, 6 August 1895, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1885. SOCIALISM IN ANCIENT CHINA.

A recent number of t'no Clirisklmrch l'rw, contains somo interesting references to Socialism in Ancient China, which rend soinowiiat curiously at n time when our Socialistic Minister for Labour lias been lecturing on tho Mongolian and telling the delighted Wellington people that they don't know anything and are a very ignorant people. (We liavo heard a Masterton gardener mako a similar remark as to their' jmcthodsofcultivation,) It,however, appears that fifteen centuries ago, a certain Wang-Ngain-Cho (which, for , all wo know, being translated may mean Hon-Williatn-Recvcs) tried to revivo the Golde.i Ago by a Socialistic propaganda. Tho first necessity of his programmo was, that the land and all tlmt it produced, should belong to everybody; the second was, that the State should make it its first and principal business to bring about this chango at once, Tho tiniG, as it happened, was most opportune for the philosopher's theories to be put into practice. China had been devastated by floods ami earthquakes, by which it was estimated that half the population bad perished, and tho starving survivors were clamouring for reforms. Wang-Ngam-Ohe went to tho Emperor (the Seddon of that period) and told him it was his duty to save his people. Ho had, wo are told, already obtained a great reputation for uprightness, wisdom, andbenevolenco as prefect of a province, apd \ therefore, instead of lmtidiug him ( over to the nearest executioner, the i monarch received liirn graciously, i listened to his teachings; and became i a Socialist on tbe spot. , 1 All went well at first, therowas 1 enough land to, go round. Under ' the regulations drawn uj) by Wang- J Ngam-Obe, all the excess of crops on , each family's land, over and above ] what was retired for their susten- i - ind (qv new' fiaptl, was the i

those who went in for breeding cattle, hud to give up a certain pro- ?' portion of the young cattle to the d whole community, while another !j portion was distributed among those j, families who had no cattle. c But after a time the thing pegged out, farmers instead of sowing seed i. preferred eatiiigit,thefieldsromained £ unsown, and a big famine came } along, and poor Wang-Ngam-Ohe } died broken hearted at the result e of his experiment. But his soul goes marching on, and is evidently d row the " spirit guide " and " control "of our Minister of Labour. t, ii