Views of Sir John Jordan and the Bishop of Exeter: The Wellbeing of the Worker London, Dec. 31.
Sir John Jordan, in an interview published li the "Observer," points out that thee will be no lack of applications for Boxer Indemnity funds for the purpose of Chinese education. He specifies a number of institutions having predominant claims for consideration and voices the feeling that it is a mistake to send Chinese at too early an age for education abroad, although against this criticism he points to the extreme ability of many educat-in America. He refers to the delegates to the Washington Conference, practically all of whom were educated abroad, as holding their own singularly well through the long and difficult negotiations.
Sir John Jordan considers that, although modern education in China has made great strides, the Chinese Government are not doing as much as they should, but he believes that they will assist in the scheme when the country settles aown.
Commending what it regards as a wise, if tardy, turning in our relations with the Far East, by the decision to allocate the remainder of the Boxer Indemnity to Chinese education, the 'Observer' urges the development of that policy so as to yield the most direct and fruit-fu results in the way of mutual understanding. The journal: considers that there is still a disposition to think of the British connexion with China too much in terms of economics. The '"Observer" thinks that sympathetic contact would outweigh whole moun tains of commercial concessions and warmly supports the "N.C. Daily News" suggestion from tle Far East to establish w series of universities in the principal Chinese cities on the lines of the Hongkong University. Such an enterprise seems to be highly consonant with all our permanent interests ili the East and students attending them, without Ki necessarily becoming Anglophile, stand a very good chance of losing prepossessions tending to Anglo-phobism.
Jan. 1.
The Bishop of Exeter, writing in "The Times," while congratulating the Government on their decision to spend the Boxer Indemnity for promoting ¢éducation in China, reminds them of a danger. He points out that China is entering a difficult period in her industrial history when machine and factory will take the place of manual work.
Speaking from the now accepted views based on past experience in Britain, he thinks that, if the education promoted in China is purely utilitarian—merely glorified _technical colleges—-the result will be to destroy the-old Confucidn. ideals without replacement by anything higher. The Bishop considers it vital, both to China and the whole world, that the contemplated educat tion should teach men to care for the wellbeing of the worker as well as teaching efficiency in the manufacture of goods and the accumulation of wealth. He says that, if white workmen should have to compete with ill-paid yellow labour working in economical but insanitary surroundings, their standard of living must. deteriorate.
The Bishop enjoins that there should be no neglect of encouragement of China's spiritual uplift at the expense of advancing China's material prosperity, adding: "That way a world disaster lies.""—Reuter.
The Rt. Rev. Lord William Gascoyne-Cecil, Bishop of Exeter, visited China whilst on a tour about 1909 and subsequently published "Changing China." Even in those days he had educational ideas for China and developed plans for Cathedral and University at Hankow, for which some funds, were actually promised.—Ed.-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.