(Cor dune 13, the Chinese revolution had been a failure because there had been no change of heart accompanying the change of government. The people and, we may add, their rulers still think in terms While on Saturday comment, was made on Dr. Hu Shih's speech at the American University Club, there may be another point of view which will interest the public. Dr. Hu Shih was formerly Dean of Peking National University, and he was one of the leaders, if not the! fealer, of the movement for the reform of the Chinese written language which has often been spoken of: a3 a renaissance ora literary revolution, It is true that the movement was not -an, absolute success. Languages! ate living things and are som times unexpectedly stubborn. 'They are inclined to "gang their gait" and retuse to be drilled into the goose-step beloved by' grammarians, But the movement was not a failure, Dr.
Hu-and: his friends-aimed at making the Chinese "written style into colloquial which would have been a doubtful blessing; they succeeded in paring many pedautie excrescences from the lit-orary style and in considerably implifying it and that was all to the rood.
Dr, Hu has been a voluminous writer on various topics: philoso phy, polities and religion. He has never had any leaning to-warts Christianity, and has giv-the missionary -and his con-werts some: shrowd knocks. But the hay never defiled his pen -by writing seurvilously and all his arguments breathe @ spirit transparent sincerity. He has just returned from—visiting Kuvope and Ameviea and gave his auditors on Wednesday an count of the.impression -produced on his mind by the things which he saw. Now, a man cox with his "oont through the strumentality of his eves. "Two men looked out through prison bars; one-saw mud and one suw stars." Tt is especial-trae of a grand tour such as} that undertaken by Dr. Hu that what & man sees depends on what he is, Dr, Hu saw much. to admire in the course of his wanderings: he must also have seen much that was depressing. But it-was the things that were admitable that-made an abiding impression on his mind, and: elaine a memory of progress and the amelioration of living conditions in the West that will col our his thinking for the rest of; his life. The well things must, have been seen too, but these he chooses to forlet. He has 4 model traveller and his! nple may be commended those who travel Bast as well as lof autocracy though they shout the slogans of Republicanism. We do not know what position Dr. Hu will occupy in the future but we feel sure that his voice Jand pen will be at the service of his country to lead it out of the [quagmire in which it is at pres lent bogged and point the way to a brighter and happier future, 'A book has come into our Ihands which indicates the effect! fof a different approach to We ern ideas. It is called "China's new Christianity," and is written by a man who formerly wrote on Christian subjects but now a convinced Buddhist, It has a preface by a friend of the writer who was formerly a Direc for of the Y.MLC.A,, chairman of the Shanghai Chinese Chamber! lof Commerce, a gentleman and scholar. 'The aim of the book' lis to persuade its readers that!
Buddhism is a more excellent! faith than Christianity. There! is nothing reprehensible in this; in some respects it is a laudable thing to do. These men have both tried Christianity; they now think they have found something better and, with the usual feryour of the convert, wish to pass on what they have found to their friends. So far so good. But the method adopted is objectionable. There is in religion, ax in sex, a.certain calf love that does not endure, and there is nothing remarkable in the fact that a Chinese _sometimes finds Christianity whsatisfying and reverts to the faith of his fathers—if such a term may be applied to Buddhism. But, decency' demands that such a man should speak of the faith, {which for a time he professed, with a measure of tolerance if} not with respect. The writer-of the introduction pours-scorn on the Old Testament and the Jewish faith. The Deity there represented he holds to be a being of fiendish character and his worship the source of most, of the woes that fall upon hu-inanity. Now, -a_ newspaper has no religion. We are not} leon cerned-with the ratiocination of men who hop from one faith to another-and think the world should be impressed by their antics, But the man who can' see nothing but that which la! vile in the greatest book in the world and nothing that is good in men by whose side he once knelt in worship has a kink in his mentality which a prudent Person would conceal from the public gaze. to those who journey in the opposite direction. Dr. Hu is not to make the deduction!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.