To the Editor of the "Nomru-Cmxa Darcy News"
Sm—Dr. H. V. Haven's letter appearing in your last Friday's tssife not very convincing. His argument that an individual or nation with "eminent inherited qualities" will always make good is belng:- dally dis proved. We often find prominent and really brilliant men with offsprings possessing an intelligence just the re-whose pat igence was anything but outstanding, yet in spite of this they have made histor} Further, -how does it, come about that "great civilizations" have been and have disappeared? The poor, mediocre men or nation should never have risen and downed their lord and master, That great Roman Empire should still be, if we are to. accept Dr. Hayek's word, for the In-hented qualities as conquerors should have been passed down from genera fon to generation, and thus have kept the under-dog in his plac Now referring to the words "culturally equal," just exactly what oes this mean? ' This would not by' chance include the great achievements, (2) of the so-called civilized nations in developing destructive powers. which' increase a hundred.fold every: decade, and which will make the hor-Yors ahd massacres of the last mere child's play compared with that Which will be waged next, Some of our great European clvilizations are at the present moment de. monstrating their wonderful cultural superiority by the killing of hundreds of thousands of their soldiers, not to mention the slaughter of women and children, in that so-called Spanish Civil War. Recent reports of the conditions and the killing of harmless refugees at the fall of Malaga makes tone wonder If the so-called great civilizations of Europe have even pro-grossed from the lowest stage of Again, it was one of those wonder. ful European civilizations (inherited no doubt from their forefathers) that Fecently murdered thousands of their "inferior black brothers" with all the modern and latest equipment that the science of civilizations could produce tanks, aeroplanes and explosives, against what?
Maybe the power to ill or murder one's neighbours in greater numbers the hallmark of cultural superiority. Dr. Havex or his followers might Regarding his second yolnt, Dr. Havex. mentions that research" was made between the mixed population of Rehoboth, and states that many fof the half-breeds possessed Intel-Ugence greater than the Hottentots, but not "up to that of the average European, "In the first place, under what conditions were the half-breeds ought up? It may be taken for granted that they were not given a chance from the start for, as stated, they were mostly bastards and, therefore, were probably without the guiding hand of the paternal parent. Now environment at all times has proven itself to be greater than Inheritance, and if these offspring had had the environment and education given to the average European, they would have most likely been equally as good as their European brothers, It is not for me to state that one nation whether, It be black, red, yellow or white, Is better than another, and there 1s only one way that this question could ever be solved, that would be to take, say, one thousand black, red, yellow and white, children, placing them side by side.in the same orphanage, giving each and all equal treatment, then compare the results. Until this has been done on large scale it 1s Impossible for the advocates of racial equality or inferlority to back up their arguments with selentife background, Some race mixtures, as in India, of an Anglo-Indian union, have proved themselves to be successful and are holding some good positions on the Railway of India to-da; There Is another side to be remem: og a rule the offspring of marriage do not got a fair chance in life. This question was gone into by Dr; Wu Lien-teh, in Which he pointed out the unsatis factory environment and the bac treatment which is usually meted out to them during their school days, It has been my privilege to have come in contact with children of mixed unions, who have been educated in England and Australia, and I have found such children with intelligence above the average of their school-mates, for as a rule they. Proved. themselves more willing 16 study, probably to overcome that feeling of imposed inferiority.
Now Da. Hayek singles out the Australian aboriginals,. It is generally believed that this aboriginal is. the lowest type of Known humanity in existence to-day, yet I have actually seen full-blooded Aust ginals outclassing their many subjects; for instance, It is very. common to find in the oltbacks of Australia to-day the Abba stockman a/or drovers with uncanny instinct the handling of cattle and sheep, thus they are able to handle larger herds with less dlmeulty, On the other hand, we seldom find a white man that is able to learn the Abbo's power of tracking with such fan unerring accuracy as that of the 'Abba, Tam sure that every race will state that Ils culture oulclasses that of any other, but with two races inter~ mingling, would' not in most cases the better culture over-rule or be chosen out In preference to the inferior or weaker?
Something further on this subject from Dr. Havex or his followers will be appreciated, Shanghai, Mar, 8. pressions he has now written this book, in two parts. The frst ce stitutes an attempt to present the most Important facts as they appeared fo him in Japan, China, India and the Near East, and in' the second part he devoles himself to the discovery of the problems which confront the Christian Church in developing its activities in those lands, Barriers Broken The layman will naturally pay, '3¢ special attention to the frst part of Me. Paton's book, and in just over 100 pages the author manages to give Jan exceptionally vivid and objective study of the conditions which he meets, The diMeulties of Japan, [China, India and the Near East are fairly' and dispassionately considered Jand the forces at work in each country.are subjected to penetrating analysis and, above all, a kindly tolerance which makes the book of special value and evokes gratitude to its author. Of the spirit of his [thesis it is possible to judge from the concluding words of his commentary a che te a not for the more technical question the place of Christianity in the Far East, It is suMclent to say that Mr, Paton brings to that problem wide experience matching his own broad vision and generosity of view. He is ready to join issue with those who dismiss Iniernational Christian organizations as mere talking-shops. He is not content to rely on the value of the personal friendship produced by those activities, precious though that may be. For he urges that the task of religion is to give to the Christian movement more of an ould ward reality and a greater vigour and Jdecisiveness in action. Mr. Paton has not attempted to marshal the vast array of new facts or even new theories in regard" to the countries with which he deals. He quite une affectedly shows by his own example how a western mind, equipped with the right mixture of' perception and sympathy, can come to an appreciation which would, in essence, not eonfilet very greatly with the: so-salled realist pictures drawn by in" telligence services—E:,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.