We are all of us convinced that our presence in the Far East is for the advantage of the Chinese and Japanese among whom we come to live as well as for our own. We talk glibly of the benefits which these benighted nations must derive from contact with foreigners, and even those who profess to doubt the utility of the missionaries' attempts at evangelization, yet allow that they do good by familiarising the natives in the interior with the sight of foreigners. Of course we are convinced that our material civilisation is very much superior to that we find here; but we also persuade ourselves that our morality is higher, our Jaws all much more reasonable and considerate, and that we are in fact a superior race; and contact with a superior one must be a benefit to the inferior race. We all agree on this generally, but when we come to go more closely into the matter, we are not so unanimous. The lay classes have been known to argue that intercourse would go on much more smoothly but for the troubles which the mission-our self-complacency a little, it could who are sere console themselves by not fail to be useful to us. "However, thinking that "home-keeping youths prejudicial our Chinese critics might have ever homely wits," and that_ it shew intercourse with us to have been, is the young men with the most in-should probably not be persuaded telligence and enterprise who go abroad to depart bag and baggage'; but it, to seek their fortune; that the settlers might be shown us how we could /in foreign parts, in fact, are the flower mend our ways, so as to diminish any of the youth of England. He does go harmful effects of our presence here. o1 to say that it would not be so bad We, however, are denied this salutary cri- if the foreigners came directly from ticism; but foreigners in Japan are more Europe or America, in which case they fortunate. The writers in the Japanese might be expected to bring with them vernacular press study questions of this something of the social customs and kind and write on them freely; ax a, code of morality which obtain in, civil-Mr. Osaki Yukio has lately done in the, ised states, and in which they were Choya Shimbun, his text being " Prepar- presumably educated. Unfortunately ations for Mixed Residence." 'The re- for Japan they descend on her from vision of the treaties between the foreign, India, China, Australia or the Philip-powers and Japan is near at hand, and pines, where per have been accustomed mixed residence', éz., the free inter- to regard the Hindoos, Chinese, and course of foreigners with the whole Malays as "on pretty much the same country, will shortly be a fact; and as level as horses and cattle," and they he says,—we are indebted to the Japan proceed to treat the Japanese in the Mait for the translation—'to study the, same way. The morals of the treaty English language, to wear foreign clothes, ports in Japan have "already been or to profess Christianity does not con- shockingly corrupted by foreigners stitute preparation for mixed residence; Which considering what the morals far less to do such petty matters as jof Japan were when foreigners first or acquaintance generally with table ment. "The low moral level," he says, proficiency in the art of taking soup, came there, is a rather startling state-etiquette." He at any rate is not of the Turkish people is often com-impressed prime facie with the advaut- mented on, but asa matter of fact. the ages to be derived from the extension of Worst natives are those that come in intercourse with foreigners. We once contact with foreigners; the most heard the captain of a French mail treacherous, indeed, being the Christian steamer, who is now retired, declare converts. The presence of Europeans with perfect apparent. seriousness that and Americans in China or Japan will no Frenchman of family or position be at once scoapeaned by a retrograde Would come to China to make a living step in the morals of the natives who unless he had done something at home {live near them." It is useful to see which rendered it desirable for him to ourselves as other see us, even if we leave his country. He was, of course, find their view of us a very distorted was a good deal of a cynic. Mr. Osaki Us by the educated Chinese, it will go Yukio holds much the same opinion of far to account for the retrogressive not a lieutenant de vaisseau, and li aby ts if a similar opinion is held of foreigners who come to the Far East to policy of which we are always complain-earn their livelihood. He says:—'It ug. At any rate, it can do us no seems to us beyond doubt that when harm to examine a little more closely the interior is opened foreigners who into the question whether our presence come among us will be persons below here is such an unmitigated benefit to the middle class, for people who can the Chinese as we always assume it to be afford to stay at home will not cross the wide sea to a strange country. The
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.