•THE MAN IN THE STREET" IN CHINA 



419 



Photograph by Guy Magee, Jr. 



THE CHINESE BILL-POSTER KNOWS A GOOD LOCATION WHEN HE SEES IT, EVEN IE 

 HE HAS TO UTILIZE THE REAR WALL OE A TEMPLE 



vision is made by one person for the suc- 

 cor of another. The family is the unit, 

 founded on the principle of mutual as- 

 sistance. 



With such a social system in a land 

 where the struggle for existence is se- 

 vere, an individual mentally or physically 

 defective to any degree is handicapped 

 at the outset. Sweep away his family, 

 as not infrequently happens overnight, 

 by flood, epidemic, or famine on land, or 

 through storm among the boat popula- 

 tion, and his sole salvation is to become 

 deranged. In the picture on page 421 is 

 shown such an unfortunate — a lone piece 

 of humanity, devoid of kith and kin, and 

 unfitted, though by no act of his own, to 

 compete on even terms with the more 

 efficient. 



Physical suffering as well as mental 

 anguish have held sway until the mind 

 could no longer stand the strain ; all is 

 written on the features ; the attitude and 

 expression show entire insensibility to 

 his present lot; in so far he is fortunate. 

 He is even excluded from fraternizing 

 with the professional beggars, who main- 

 tain a highly organized guild. 



Though prevalent in every city, our 

 derelict fortunately is typical of a class 

 few in numbers in each. The condition 

 of the male is pitiful — too pitiful to in- 

 vite reflection upon the condition of the 

 female. His misfortune is common to 

 both north and south, Manchu and Chi- 

 nese, and all crosses and mixtures. 



TWO CLASSES OF OCCUPATIONS — CREATIVE 

 AND NON-CREATIVE 



Many causes are responsible for Chi- 

 na's impotence while harboring the great- 

 est potentiality of anv nation, both in 

 man-power and in physical opportunity. 

 These causes are not far to seek; some 

 are self-evident. 



As we have seen, the Chinese social 

 system has many defects ; its wonderful 

 endurance, however, is due to its several 

 good qualities. That which has to do 

 with classifying the pursuits of man in 

 the order of their importance to the state 

 is theoretically sound, but too inelastic 

 to meet modern conditions. 



All occupations are divided into two 

 classes — creative and non-creative. Other 



