To the Editor of the "NoirH-CRINA Datty News."
Siny—I. read "H.R.H's" letter to me and my only regret is that I seem not to have been understood.
The foreigners seem never to be able to distinguish between the Chinese people and the Chinese government. "China has a tradition Wholly different from that of the West, Government, according to the West, is a representation of interest. Everybody is supposed to uphold his own interest; and to ensure that interest, the interested party itself must take a share in the government. Democracy is the divine right of the people to govern themselves. In ease of any conflict in interest, the will of the majority must prevail. 'The minority, being weaker, must submit; in the final analysis it is the rule of might or of stronger force. Again, as, in any country, the wise and intel-gent men' are always. inthe minority, the rule of majority must in the end result in the rule of the unfit! The mass of ignorant peo-pile, led by an unscrupulous demagone, would exercise a tyrany more oppressive than the worst of the ancient tyrants. This is Bolshe and Bolshevism I have always regarded as the inevitable offspring of Western democracy.
'The Chinese conception of government is the exact opposite of democracy, 'To the Chinese, government is' an imitation of Heavenly ways." It is: based on love, and truth, not on interest. The' wise men govern; the mass of the people obey, All the time the people strive after their own interest; th yet feel that, over above tha interest, there' ly something more important, They leave to "their rulers the right to regulate -and curtail their interest, if necessary. They put their entire trust on the rulers; they do not want to take any share in the government themselves, If the rulers are bad, other rulers will rise to over throw them, It is not for them to stand up for their own Interest. No matter how tHey suffer, they cannot be persuaded to assume the responsibility of government, If all of them seek to get a share in the government, what kind of government will it be? They know their own: ignorance; -how tan they be suie that their government will not, worse than all others?
'The present trouble with Shanghai ly twofold. First, Shanghai is not strong enough to defend herself against Chinese militarists from without; and secondly, the Shanghat government fails' not because the Chinese are not represented, but Because ft is a more representation of foreign interest. As I understand, the muse of Chinese people would not discriminate against for-coign government, wore it not for the fact that that government makes Stselt so visibly foreign. To have foreigners as rulers is harmless in itself; but when these foreign rulers discriminate against the Chinese, the Chinese are offended, The Chinese here receive more safely and protection; that may n something, but not much.
as T have said, the Chinese al-own interest _ns xccondery importance. 'The divine ways of love and justice rust the true basis of every govern-tent; and when' Sangh ment fails in this, it fails in everything. Such rules as excluding Chinese from parks undo all the 00d the government may have done other directions. In the eyes of the Chinese, ax government is concerned, the Foreign Settlements are mo better than Chayei or the native city. Poverty or dirt does not offend the Chinese '50 much as selfishness and injustice. Many Chinese are satisfied with lodgings not fit even for European dogs; what of that? Poor men, despised in the West, are honoured in China. What offends us most is such opinions as expressed by many foreigners that, because the Chinese live like dogs, they should treated as dogs! The house you dwell in does not make you at all. The greatest of -men may live in miserable hovels; while what foul air pervades an apparently magnificent city such as Shanghai! Iam not a Christian; and yet, I believe in this contempt of worldly greatness, I am here a Christian than. many who profess that name.
To tell the truth, the mass of Chinese people here want no share inthe government. When I pro-
Pose that the Shanghai government should be reconstructed, I mean that the present authorities Shanghai should take the initiative that reconstruction. The ery of "No taxation without representation" is raised only by a small minority. That ery has the support of most Chinese, only because the Shanghai government fail in its duty of government as conceived by the Chinese. That failing can be remedied and must be remedied. to the same end will be equally good. When I propose a parliament for Shanghai, Ihave understood, and I thought others would understand, that the foreigners, as men in authority at present, will be in fairly big majority. The Chinese too may have men of wisdom and unselfishness; but it is doubtful whether such men will come out and take the responsibility. The foreigners will still take the lead in all things; but, whereas before they. represented only the interests of few foreigners, now, helped by' their Chinese confederates, they' must imitate the divine ways of love and justice, T cannot understand why your correspondents should often advise me to spend my time in serving my own country and my own people, The fact is, we Chinese have 10 such nationalistic ideal at all.
Truth and love is everything compared with which China is nothing. Without truth China can have no existence; but with the full realization of truth, not only China, but the whole world: will be saved, I have genuine love for Shanghai with all its foreigners and Chinese. Indeed, the Chinese will not discriminate against foreigners, if only the foreigners will cease to discriminate against us. "We. shall welcome foreigners as our rulers, it only they, as rulers, will not look down upon their poor subjects... We consider all as equals; rulers and subjects, foreigners and Chinese, T Hold no powers and, far from coveting it, T will hesitate if I am given any serious responsibility; will keep on speaking what I believe to be the trath in my own heart; and where else can T have such an opportunity at present except in a foreign press! The militarists are running the Chinese papers by their own selfish will; truth: is suppressed; propaganda prevails. everywhere. The foreign press least opah-minded, "And of course truth can only be published where trath is acceptable, T must be brief with "HA.T." His quotation of my letter does not prove anything. The whole par-graph is conditioned with "if." If government is a right, then all this follow; but have T not. said government must be conceived duty instead of as a right?
expressed no astonishment and disapproval for men like Marx and: Lenin; what T said waa, such men, without human sympathy, should not be allowed to run the' govern ment by themselves.
Government is a divine duty; and really capable Chinese, unless' they have full confidence in themselves and in their own power, will not care to assume any. place responsibility. The greatest trouble with the world is that too many men are struggling for power. is only polite that we should keep ourselves apart from such straggle. Once the foreigners open the seats of government unreservedly to the 'Chinese, it will be found that the Chinese' will willingly follow the lead of the foreigners who are more experienced than they. Competition is never a Chinese ideal; self-denial and ce-operation have their roots! fav deeper in the Chinese nature.
Tam, ete, Shanghai, Aug. 6, 192
To the Editor of the Nowra-Catwa Dar News."
Sim—From "unequal" treaties, unequal" status, and the superior-tly of the foreigner, "F.D.2." now launches into "foreign discrimination against the Chinese" (which is the same tale all over again) in a wholly curious and altogether unclassifiable pot-pourri, to. which you, Sir-have graciously given the above title, T-do not wish to be personal, but this continually harping on a point! without any logical sequence, this meandering, this circumlocution, this evading the main issues, this} childish repetition, lack of this
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.