With these consideration cleared, we may proceed to examine the enormous strides that have taken and are taking place in the domain of social morality, say in England and now The late Dr. Arthur Smith has a remarkable chapter in his "Chinese Characteristics"—that witty and only Partly true description of Chinese lif the "indifference to suffering and "lack of altruism on the part of the Chinese." Nearly all that he has said about the Chinese—and it Is a terrible indictment—could have been of England of a hundred. years Then our "peaceful" England consisted in groups of communities absolutely self-contained and living ina microcosms of their own, Parochiaism was the characterization of our country fe. The people were nar-Tow in outlook and brutal in their indifference to all other groups. The term "foreigners" was not confined fe allen people. a village not far removed from their own was as alien the antipodes. There were no communications except the rare stage coaches to some places, no news-apers which flashed intelligence to Yemote corners of the countryside. Men lived and moved in an. atmosphere that narrowed their vision tu their own local interests and anything or anybody from the outside world was as much a curiosity. as the "foreign devil" in China, visiting country village for the first time and the same feelings of resentment were induced in both cases. Novelty wag suspected because it was new, and often without reason.
'There was a sort of protective reac. tion inseparable from undeveloped communities of limited outlook. Like small child, the unknown is always feared. Seldom were great waves of! national dimensions possible. Wel-Ungton's victories, Nelson's triumphs. and fears: of~ Napoleon stirred the nation as a nation, but anything of less catastrophic nature left the there is a growing stream from small People, at least onside the towns villages flowing into the larger:
indifferent, centres. The extension of motor roads is also bringing light into the darkness Some English Survival fand ideas of the big outside world Within one's own memory and experience, this intense parochialism has fre permeating the mass, and the missionary element is else spreading been met. Some of the mining vil-knowledge and breaking into the lsges in the West Riding of Yorkshire were pure survivals of the bad old days, "The movement is slow as it must m a huge inert mass, but it is grad-'There were certain villages) within ually gaining momentum and will ten or twenty miles of the large probably astonish us with its sub-Industrial towns so backward that JRequent speed. Labour unions passage through them was always Jgiving a voice other than blind force fraught with anxiety. On one occa Jand. farmer Unions are compelling attention from the officials.
The lists of contributors to the were wearing China International Famine Relief fence and decency. The comments Commission reveal more than a mere they evoked and the brutal remarks list of contributions, they show us made were amazing and the party new spirit of altruism, or rather are was lucky to get out without being an indication of the removal manhandled, barriers that have held in check the 'On another occasion @ small party' natural impulses to satisfy the urge to was walking through a village and benevolence. two of the girls were wearing the in one Chinese school the scholars, new "bustles." That we were only fall Chinese under Chinese masters, tuud-bespiatiered was-considered very ad built up a Christmas fund of $20, fortunate and the abuse was worthy 'Alter a description of the sufferers in of the village reputation. {the flood district It was unanimously Earlier in the last century country' voted to send the money to assistance England had Zew glimpses into the of the sufferers, outside world. and even down nto our own times the only club life me Altruism from Overseas village knew was the "pub" and The members of the Swatow Chi-groups of louts congregated in the nese Christian Church sent in $200 directs Jonfng the's time away. Then! land the SM.C. Chinese School for there was the low economic life of Girls subscribed $573. The National the majority. Life was one perpetual Christian Couneit have collected $3,000 grind with scant leisure for persona! {from its Chinese members and there Improvement. It was not until the a pathetic instance of a house boy advent of national schools and later having collected about $10 in cent beard schools that there was any imunits from his acquaintances. An-provement in general conditions, tothe: case is that when a party of; aided of curse by the industrial "boys" on a President liner came revival.
Jacross with G.$130 gathered from Under conditions where people had Jamong themselves with a promise of, te devote so much time to breadwinmore. ning and without the stimulus from Overseas Chinese do not forget the outside world, it is not to be their country and one body has Wondered at that a narrow life, already subscribed $40,000 while the, marked by indifference to all but Chinese Red Cross Society has sent in personal interests was induced, similar amount in addition to bed-'Conditions are vastly different new. ding and flour.
The advent of the railway with its Straws, no doubt, and not nearly; cheap excursions to the sea. the huge IsuMicient to meet the enormous de-Retwork of bus services which touch at mands, but of sociological importance. almost every village in the country, In one area 5,000,000. people are newspapers which lay the whole driven off their land or the land made m: world to one's view and the mighty useless to them by the overflow of the influence of the cinema which makes Yellow River which has inundated Jarm chair travel as real almost as the.
8,000 square miles of good land putting original thing itself. 'The world has out of use for at least ten months }ahrunk and peoples' knowledge of owing to siltage and the dimtculty of ty things has widened. The old parol draining. But here and there are incchialism is dead and the brutality of dividuals who are waking up to co-'Ignorance destroyed for ever. operate responsibility and sending With these changes has corns the their sums large or small, Uberation of all those sentiments we The international character of the [call humanitarianism. The news of wave of altruism is seen from the fact, disaster in any part of the world is, that American, British, French, Soviet, ashed to every part of the country id the whole nation experiences.a Netherlands, Sikh, Todian, "ifoham= medan and Christian are among the wave of sympathy. subscribers.
Conditions in the ce-operate life of The Chinese employees of the the country itself have undergone vast SMC, are responding nobly and such. changes. All over the place are to be Institutions as the Chinese Women's found institutions for the benedt of Club are doing their bit. Other Chi-suffering people and the poorest sick ese fraternities are not lagging jate given treatment of the highest behind. skill. "One need not enlarge on this aspect of new humanitarianism, China Falls in Step
(China's Condition To-day It means that China is marching step by step with mafionals from China is now where we were a few every quarter of the globe and decades ago, a country with vaster indicates an awakening national con-dimensions, " but just' as intensely parochial as we were scouanese which accepts responat¥ ity for communal assistance to suffering Communications are backward but jand the movement is of immense fare beginning to improve, But there value as a sociologionl factor. are thousands of villages which do One of the most striking features is hot even communicate with each the way Chinese schools and colleges other. Few residents in village "A" fare reacting. "It only needs to place would dream of meandering around the needs of the situation and. the. village "BY. He would at once be Fesponse is immediate and generous. suspected of ulterior purposes and in The old spirit of indifference which country where the evil eye is be-was based on narrow local outlooks Heved in, "the visitor would be fs giving way to the spirit of altruism credited with any evil arising sub-(regard for others) and from that: [sequent to his visit. point of view, is of extreme interest t0 There would, however, be riy call moralists and students of sociology. to go Because there are'no common Truely "Under Heaven all men are Interests. The intense struggle for existence, however, ig an important Drothers™ and the telg of human common to all men," irrespective Hactor.
The grinding poverty, the of race or creed. fact that in some provinces tenant farmers are as high as 8) and more per cent, and rents rank from 50 per Upon instructions of the Ministry cent, and more of the total crops, the Tete 'Administration has con-of Communications, the Tientsin mp' of the money lender on' the [poverty-stricken farmer, and in some Jeases the rapaciousness of the land-ducted direct telegraph communica: Hions tests between Tientsin and lord fill the minds of the villagers to Tokyo. The tests, reports state, show the exclusion of all other ideas except that" messages from Tokyo" were the struggle to exist. The Chinese clear but the sending was not clear farmer is without peer in his own due to insufficient power of the line. The average smallness of his transmission apparatus. holding has developed an. intense Jeultivation unknown fo us in the West Mencuars found guilty of raising Jand every stalk of rice is practically the prices of commodities have been the object of individual care. His in-paraded through the streets of Tsinan dustry is amazing and for him, there by the authorities a5 punisfiment £0r no respite. His spare moments are violation of the recent onder to used with the fragrant hoe gathering maintain the former market prices. every scrap of manure for his com-This has caused an immediate drop post tank and other duties to which in the prices of rice and flaw, re-here is no end. Culturally he is cut Ports the Chinese press. Special loft from any sources of enlightenment. steps are being taken to check the [Not for him are cinemas or news-rise in price of other commodities Papers. If he had the as well 25 to maintain adeqp:.te Sup would not read them; ho is iliterate. ' plies for' the "commpinity.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.