CHINESE AND JAPANESE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6059, 19 September 1894, Page 4

CHINESE AND JAPANESE.

„ 1 Mr Douglas Blad.-n. m tbe St James' Oaz/tte, saye the Japarirsa. though inferior m ptijHoal ..Mug.h, are much ro re c urajjeeus tb»n the Chinese, both io cefying the perils of the tea and m defyine oold at. ol Ela.hina their enemies to pieces with their long sword, or ih-me.lvee to pieces with their nhjrt .worn if the day went ag»io»t them (by the cheerful process kaow «s harakiri), had been tho tradition of J.oaue.a soldiers from time immemorial to the day when they took up bayonet aud Gatling. Their soldier? were all samurai, or gentlemen, whose only cc*upatioo. were fighting and writing poetry. Heading the history of Japan is like reading the '■ Morte d'Arthur." Only the Japamre knight introduced into real life the Quixotic theories of ohivalry ; and when he oould m longer live with g._oe promptly killed himself, regardless of the disabilities it inflicted on hie family, whioh were probably established to prevent suioide becoming too universal, Suoh a people, however, rests under a disadvantage when pitted against a practical nation like China. Its national pride would forbid its employing the red haired barbarian who oun '• account for " co many Asiatics ; while the Ohinftm.»n might gleefully send a telegram to a Chinese head centre m Sin-ipire «r Auiitra'ia, where there are hundreds of white daredevils willing to go to the devil m any mortal w&j if tHey are well enough paid. Aud there would be r>o difficulty about the money or brains for their transport, where Chinamen were ooncerned, Chinese oapitai and capacity aro omnipresent. As aa inttarjos of tbe power of tha Chinaman I remember that the manager of the leading hotel m Houg Kong telling me that he dared not dismiss a servant or hire one without consulting his compradore Tbe compradore, ot Chinese go-between the European employer aud his servants, has praotioally a veto m almost every concern m tbe Kast. On the other hand, there are sureties for his own honesty, and he proteots his employer with rare courage and fidelity from the duplicity of other Orientals, whioh a Europern could not hope to combat unaided. Every European banker aud merohootin Japan hs,. his Chinese shroff or compradore, and thej t.lk excellent Japanese. Hut tho Chinese sailors trading to Japan bardly ever know a word of Japanese and oarry on their conversation with the natives m pidgin (business) English. It is very funny to tee a pig tailed Chinaman using tbe language of Shakespeare as bis Died urn of conversation with a kimono'd Yokabams shopkeeper j though it is certainly still funnier to see a Chinaman of Swatow talking pidgin English to a Chinaman of Oantan because they cannot underetand each other m Chinese. There are only two points on whioh the Japaueie and Chinese agree tbdr hatred of foreigner- And their contempt for Christianity. And even m these pleasing partioulara they have tbeir differences. For the Japanese hate, the Englishman more than any other foreigner ; and the Chinaman likes him better; the reason being that tho Chinaman has a great re.peot for a man who says what he roe.nß and loves sport, being himself tbe greatest parnbler m the universe* and of spot lets integrity m tneroant le transactions. On the other hand, of aH nationp, the English are tho mnet impatient of Japanese arrogance, and have to bear tbe responsibility of blooking treaty -revision until the Japaoeso courts afford a genuine security for tho persons aod business transactions of foreigners ; the Germans and Americans having temporised by saying that they will oonsent whenever the English do. As to religion, the Japanese assume an air of amused tolerarc?, and try Christianity m a light bearted sort of way. A Japanese will try anything until something more interesting comes along. I have heard of a Japanese of position, wbo had been m America, saying tbat he would become a Christian as soon as they pooled tbe various sects. The great difficulty m Christianising the Japanese is their volatility. The ( hineie, ou the other hand, though they have not muoh idea of nationality, are most conservative to their oustoms. Tbey, ac a rule, present a stern serried front to Christianity, and will have none of it. mmnto^omemmrtmtmmmttmtemottm