To the Editor of the "Nonra-Carsa Daty News."
—It is most gratifying to learn that Section 10 of the Terms of Peace imposes on the Chinese Government the obligation Imperial edicts reciting the punishments to promulgate throughout the Empire
inflicted upon guilty parties, including the suspension of examinations in localities, and pronouncing solemn warnings against future disturbance i nection it may not be i appropriate to call attention to a pho of the subject which may be only a matter of detail, but which is of importance.
Why should not the same edict which forbids examinations for five years in tain districts, and which warns og the establishing and joining of anti-foreig societies, also go step further in the tig lit direction and forbid the general arid unprovoked abuse of foreigners which prevalent almost everywhere 7 wide-spread eof foreigners FIRE ('foreign devil"), is used in ignorance by some, it is true, but it is generally understood ass term of abuse. Tossy: 'It just the children: not true in fact, an no palliation if' true, since the grown, {people torch the children to say it. The ion of some of th bolar class FOR F is 4 mero mubterfuse The Chinese generally, certainly in this part of the country, speak of foreigners as PERT.
Te may surprise some to know that po who understand Chinese have heard it on Nanking Revd during the past fow months, And along the streets of almost any town or city or village, unoffending foreigners, and ladioa no Jess than mon, hare' hurled at them net only this but auch terme "Red Hair," "*Thisf," "Kill him, nnd other epithets that are even uniaention able. Tk not such liberty in abusing foreigners a hint that there may be license to loot and kill?
And it might certainly be stopped. Alertness on the part of officials and a few fines impared on responsible petaons where the offence is committed, together with an appeal to the good-feeling already existing, would soon change this tone of abuse into one of respect. It would he in keeping with the paternalism of the Chinese to make thie demand Tt would ho justice it would be 8; and it would be s lesson to the Chin to other people, the lack of which has led to so And not only are the ignorant people" guilty in this regard. They w ould seem have taken their cue from their rulers. Wi at is the term for foreigner persis tently used j Imperi 8 and official p reclamations 7 Te is 2% A, and it certainly lias a ring of disrespect about it. Yang-'nuo is foreign ang-chien is foreign money, yang-feng foreign lamps, and yang-jen, forsooth, is foreigners. Is this the term to be used for foreigners In official docu. ments which deal especially with the rights and in which so vouch emphasis is laid on the choice of the words employed, and especially relating to persons to whom honour or respect is to te accorded? The native Press, especially: the Shin Pao, have caught up the term. "And the Chinese are quick to read between the lines, Would not a consideration of these questions aid in a more thorough settlement as to the bearing of Chinese toward foreigners, now that the occasion is 80 opportune?' When respect rightly due is thus demanded, good feeling will be promoted.
Tam, ete,, 29th December.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.