Tokyo, Aug. 22.
Japan must be prepared to face problems arising from the interest of Third Powers in the South Seas Mr. Yosuke Matsuoka, Foreign Minister, said today when he congratulated a new South Seas organizations.
Sixteen South Seas associations comprising businessmen, industrialists and research experts, today organized the "Japan Federation of South Seas Associations." The purpose of the new group will be to attain "close cooperation with the Government for the realization of Japan's southward polic; "Owing to European Powers and America also being greatly interested in the South Seas regions over which Japan is gravely concerned, we must fully be prepared to meet difficulties arising from relations of these Third Powers with the South Seas regions," Mr. Matsuoka said.—United Press. chiachwang, it was revealed here today.
"The service linking Tokyo and Pei ping, via Fukuoka and Tsingtao also Will be revived beginning October 1, it was disclosed.—Domei.
Chinese language problems for the foreigner was the subject of an address to the Rotary Club yesterday by Dr. E. Reifler, former professor of Chiaotung University in Shanghai. In the course of a witty, if learned, talk on "The fiasco of our Chinese language Studies," Dr. Reifler deplored the "illiteracy" of the average foreigner in Chinese, and attributed it to sheer laziness on the part of the great majority. "Our Chinese language studies have, 600 years after Marco Polo; turned out to be a complete failure. From this horrible verdict only a few cranks, usually called Sinologues, are to be excepted." 4 Going into the reasons for this Chinese illiteracy on the part of foreigners, the speaker asked in what other country of the world a person would reside for any length of time without acquiring a considerable knowledge of the language, thus showing that it is not necessarily unwillingness to learn that hampers the foreigner in China. He gave three fundamental reasons for the. indifference. "The first reason I attribute to the Chinese Government, the second and third to prejudice and lack of independent thinking on the part of the foreigner."
The Chinese Government is to blame, he went on, insofar as, although it is carrying on a campaign against illiteracy among the Chinese, it has completely overlooked the foreigner. Prejudice accounted for the impression among Europeans that Chinese is too difficult for the foreigner to master, also for the frequent statement that Chinese is eign too difüeult for the Chinese themselves. Even if this were the case, continued Dr. Reifler, the European brain is usually considered superior, and therefore it is not the brain which is at fault, but rather the method of teaching.
"Chinese Not Difficult"
"Chinese is not difficult at all. It is only those foreigners who are too lazy to think and find out the truth, who are too lazy to sit down honestly and study the language, who are difficult. Should they do that earnestly they would soon find out that Chinese can not only become the most thrilling adventure of one's life, but that it is also much easier than the European languages."
He went on to criticize the inferiority of the methods of presenting the language to students.
The organic development of the language has been overlooked by Sinologues, stated the speaker, the continuous change being of vital importance. "After many years of study I have come to the conclusion that the bulk of the Chinese compound characters is composed logically in such a way that the so-called phonetic represents the very ancestor of a whole series."
Later Dr. Reifler stated that Chinese characters are nothing but the written expression of the organic development of the Chinese unwritten words, and that they can be dealt with in ihe same way as the spoken words of European languages.
Tilustrations of his theory of teaching Chinese followed on a blackboard, and indicated a rational method of dealing with the problem. The speaker concluded with comments on "the Owing to the sudden and most unfortunate indisposition of the well-known Prima Ballerina Audrey King, the previously announced extra-performance of dances and ballet music by the Municipal Orchestra, promised for Wednesday evening, August 28, is now definitely cancelled.
To compensate and not to disappoint too much that very large Portion of the public which is soi; very keen on dancing and choreographic art, the Conductor has rearranged the programme for the special concert for tomorrow in Jess-feld Park at 9.15 pin.
The concert will consist, in fact, of two very distinct parts: the first one dedicated to symphonic music by northern composers, including the famous Piano-Concerto with Orchestra by Grieg, to be played by the brilliant young Chinese pianiste Miss Lois Woo; and the second part presenting ballet music and dances with the collaboration of the well-known Premiere Danseuse of the Russian Ballet, Miss Doris Yanover, who, with her exquisite mimic and dancing art will interpret "on the green", appearing of course in special costumes, two delightful excerpts of music: the "Clair de Lune" by Debussy and the "Arabian Dance" by Tschailovsky.
The appearance at the same concert, of two soloists, who, though belonging to two such different fields of art, have both become equal favourites of the Shanghai public, should make tomorrow nights concert one of the outstanding successes of the season.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.