China 



467 



radical reorganization of its system on 

 the western model, some steps were re- 

 luctantly taken under foreign pressure 

 by the Chinese to bring themselves into 

 contact with other nations by the estab- 

 lishment of embassies and the opening 

 of a limited number of ports to trade. 

 But all this was grudgingly done, and 

 no serious effort was made to bring the 

 country out of its seclusion and give it 

 the benefit of the western improvements 

 in military, commercial, and educational 

 affairs. When the war with Japan came 

 in 1894, China was shown to be a great 

 helpless giant, without bone or muscle; 

 a vast mass of people having no com- 

 petent rulers or leaders; and they fell 

 an easy prey to the well-armed and 

 well-drilled Japanese troops. They are 

 not without patriotism or courage, but 

 both were useless fighting with medi- 

 eval weapons and tactics against such 

 foes. 



To this conservatism and conceit is to 

 be added a widespread and generally 

 prevailing evil system in official life. 

 In theory the offices are given as the 

 result of a competitive examination, but 

 in times past the necessities of the gov- 

 ernment have led the rulers to dispose 

 of them for money, and there grew up 

 a practice of bribery which pervaded 

 all departments, affected the collection 

 and disbursement of the revenues, and 

 entered into public contracts and the 

 administration of justice. I would not 

 speak so disparagingly of a people for 

 whom I entertain a high respect were it 

 not that this condition is admitted by the 

 country's rulers themselves, who of late 

 have been seeking to reform the abuses. 

 The Empress Dowager in a recent edict 

 recognized the spirit of corruption which 

 pervaded official life, appealed to the 

 patriotism of her subjects for reform, 

 and threatened severe punishment upon 

 those who persisted in their evil ways. 



This state of affairs emphasizes the 

 low grade of public and social morality. 

 I have referred in terms of commenda- 



tion to the influence of the Confucian 

 philosophy. It is, however, purely a 

 code of ethics, and makes no claim to 

 religious instruction. To it must be 

 attributed, more than any other influ- 

 ence, the hurtful conservatism of the 

 Chinese, for it was based upon the wis- 

 dom of the past ages and taught unre- 

 served obedience to the living father and 

 veneration for ancestors, out of which 

 has grown a kind of ceremonial worship 

 and reverence for the past, which with 

 many of the literary class takes the place 

 of religion. Buddhism has been the 

 prevailing religion of the masses for near 

 two thousand years, but with it is joined 

 a worship of demons and spirits of the 

 most degrading and superstitious char- 

 acter. Their agnostic philosophy, their 

 Buddhism without a personal deity, their 

 blind superstition, have left this great 

 people apparently unresponsive to the 

 appeals of patriotism, to the demand for 

 the purification of administration, and 

 for a progressive and liberal policy of 

 government. 



It is true, as the English statesman 

 quoted asserts, that China has never re- 

 ceived a blow against a vital part of its 

 territory or system of government, but 

 the Japanese war was a rude awakening 

 from its conservative stupor. It led to 

 commercial, industrial, and territorial 

 aggressions which resulted in the Boxer 

 uprising in 1900 and the movement to 

 expel all foreigners from the Empire, 

 which in its turn at last opened the eyes 

 of the conservative rulers to the great 

 needs of the country. A brief reference 

 to these events will enable us the better 

 to understand the present condition of 

 China. 



An intense hatred of foreigners has 

 marked the intercourse of its people 

 with the outside world. The casual 

 observer usually attributes this hatred 

 chiefly to their antipathy to the mis- 

 sionaries, who have permeated the in- 

 most recesses of the Empire. But an 

 examination of the events of the past 



