CHINA'S TROUBLES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 21, 25 January 1930, Page 7 (Supplement)

CHINA'S TROUBLES.

NEGLECT OF . CONFUCIAN STUDY. / BLAMED FOR CIVIL WAR. MAY CAUSE DOWNFALL OF NATION. "Civil war and other internal strife will continue in China go long as the Nationalist Government prohibits the study of the Confucian classics in the shools and universities," according to Dr. Chen Huan-chang, president of the Confucian University and the Confucian Association of Peking, in an address to the Pan-Pacific Club of Tokyo. The scholar deplored the neglect of the classics in his country. He said Japan's greatness was due in large part to the many generations of encouragement of the study of Confucian doctrines. Dr. Chen said: "111 China there is a national religion, namely, Confucianism. For more than 2000 years Confucianism

has been made the State religion of China, and, since Confucianism has had no objection to other religions, China has given freedom of belief to all faiths. "Historical facts tells us that Confucianism, is the foundation of China's national life. "Whenever Confucianism was promoted by the Government the national life flourished. Whenever Confucianism was neglected by the Government the national life decayed. Because the people who possess good natures given'byGod are nearly the same characters in different ages, they have always believed in Confucianism without changes at any time. The responsibility for the troubles of the nation falls upon those who control the Government. When China Prospered. "For instance, during the best times of the Han, the Tang, the Sung, the Wing and the Ching dynasties, when Confucianism was encouraged, the Chinese nation was very prosperous. During the Southern and Northern dynasties and the five dynasties when Confucianism was not observed, China was torn by civil wars. In fact, Chinese national life depends absolutely on Confucianism. If you do not know what will be the political condition of China you can judge from the attitude of the Government toward Confucianism. "For more than twenty centuries the Chinese studied Confucian books in school, from their childhood. It was this that made China so great in the past. Now, since the death of Yuan Shih-kai, the Government, against the will of the great majority of the people, prohibited the reading of Confucian books in all the primary, secondary and high schools. "Even in the so-called universities there is practically no teaching of Chinese classics. You can imagine what a great calamity this will bring to the Chinese nation. Nothing so bad as this has ever happened in the whole of Chinese history. Life and Death Problem. "It is a life and death problem for the Chinese. If the schoolboys are permanently not allowed to read Confucian books, not only will China cease to be a nation, but the Chinese will cease to be a people. Civil wars will never come to an end; friendly relations of the Pan-Pacific will never be settled, and world peace can never be permanently maintained. "Now, Japan is one of the nations situated on the Pacific Ocean. Why is Japan so great? What has made it so great? It is simply that Japan has promoted Confucianism in her political and social life, as has been shown by the imperial edict on education. China is not far from Japan, but as regards Confucianism China has many advantages over Japan. "And yet China does not imitate the good example of her nearest neighbour, but adopts - a suicidal policy. How foolish it is! t How dangeros it is! I have made numerous appeals before our people, and I now appeal to you as our nearest neighbour. I hope you will advocate our movement, so that not only will China receive the benefit, but also the whole world be made permanently peaceful."