University of Nanking - Linguist Yearbook (Nanking, China)

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LOOKING BACKWARD AND DIVIDED 41 matters. whether it be the punishmont of the guilty or the selection of a wife for one of the members of the clan. Under him come the various members of the family, each in his proper rank-grandfa- thers over fathers, fathers over sons, older brothers over younger. To the average western mind, accustomed to thinking in terms of nations, or to the more modern Christian thinker whose field is the world, 'this reverence and slavelike obedienceto one's'1elders is almost incomprehensible. The system inevitably leaves the older and more Conservative element of the nation in control, while the younger and the more progressive element must submit, or else spurn that which iS surrounded by the holiest of sanctions. And thus the whole trend of thought becomesbackward insteadrof forward. Within the family there is the liveliest spiritofcooperation. What affects one member affects all, whether good or ill. One man's Success is the clan's forruneg his trouble is their concern. The man who through industry or good luck is able to attain to some degree of prosperity shares it with all his familyg the poorer and less fortunate can expect a measure of relief at his hands. -Thus it often happens that the proprietor of a store or the manager of a concern must employ members of his family only, instead of those who may recommend themselves to him by their diligence and industry. This of course has its advantages and its disadvantages. It tends to level fortune and to alleviate suffering and poverty, both of which are greatly needed in China. On the other hand it curbs the ambition Of many superior men, and encourages laziness on the part of the less energetic. But perhaps the greatest disadvantage of this system IS the resulting division of society into small units between which there is but little cooperation. In a normal community as we know it In the West many enterprises are undertaken by the community as a whole. The building of schools and hospitals, the paving and upkeep of the streets, the lighting system and the water supply, are all generally under public management. NVe have learned that, looked at from a religious, altruistis, or purely selfish point of view, the age old question, Am I my brother's keeper, must still be answered affirmatively. One cannot have life abundantly unless his neighbor also enjoys advantages like his own. But not so in China. Each family cares for its own members, but there its responsibilities end. Those who are not fortunate enough to be protected by a large and Wealthy clan must do the bestutliey can This lack of cooperation, this indifference to one's,,neighbor's condition, is felt in countless Common, everyday ways, and prevents real progress. As a rule the Streets are poor and dirtyg the lighting system, it it can be called Such, of the lowest order, except for wells and numerous ponds there is no water supply system, and nw drainageg the schools are quite in1flequ1te, or wholly lackingg there is no community attention Po general sanitary or other needs. In recent years, due.to the invasion of weste-rn ideas, education and religion, a freer spirit is beginning to develop and manv younger Chinese arebreaking, away from the ancient customs, looking 'beyond the boundary of'the family, of the communityip and' the- nation as ta' whole. But the

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l 40 .t THE LINGUIST SOME SOCIAL ASPECTS. OF THE CONFLICT OF Two Ctvttazartons , We who come to China become conscious'-'fquiekly of the fact that underneath the surface of the seemingly placidsociety about us there are great forces cbt-ing and flowing, heaving-land' surging: Occasionally these forces come to the surface in some outburst, 'and then we get a conception of their hiddenipower. lil-:duced to its simplest and most inclusive terms, what we' are .witnessing is the struggle between two very different civilizations for the mastery of a great people. The new and pushing NVest is making adesperate attempt to oust the hoary, oriental civilization of China. Little wonder that the conliict is a bitter one, even more bitter than the surface conditions would indicate. w NVe have tried to present certain aspects of this struggle for the information of those interested in the future of our adopted -country. - We have attempted to talce you, our readers, into the home. into the market place and into the school-. We are very conscious of our limitations as we make the attempt. We are limited by the space available-we only wish we could take you on further, e. g.,, 'into the political and military situation of this fioundcring democracy. We are even more circumscribed by our own comparatively limited opportunity for observation, and our limited experience. But one would have to be blind not to see the things which we have presented for your consideration, and so having seen them we pass them on to you. - J. W. DECKER . LOOKING BACKVVARD AND DIVIDED . , . A One need live in China only a very short while to become conscious of the fact that the essential organization of Chinese -society is radically different from our own. and that this organ- ization must be reckoned with by those who desire to influence Chi- nese life. Q The west has its family systems, but none of them can compete with the Chinese family system in its influence and power in the life of the people. At times this system has been the veritable bulwark of the nation, protecting it from disintegration and disaster. In the 'present age it is proving the stronghold of conservatism, the very 'citadel against which the attacks of progress are often dashed into a thousand impotent fragments. The present family system is sustained lby the practice of .ancestor worship, and the beliefthat direycalamities willxsurely follow if the ancestral rites are neglected or the elders -sho,yvn'any disrespect. These ideas were taught by the ancients, reiterated by Confucius, and are an inseparable part of the makeup of ev,grggApChinese. To the family belongall those who worship a common ancestor. Very precise laws govern this unit. Virtual life' and death powers arevested-e in the-- senior member. H-is word' is -lawwonr all

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42 Tl-Ili LINGUIST power of the family is still paramount, and until the people can learnlto transcend its limits and look to the welfaregof all, they cannot hopte to enjoy such advantages as we take for granted. 'Another serious bar to social' unity and' cooperation is the still prevailing system of class distinctions. This system has not become as fixed and rigid as the caste system in India, nevertheless society is pretty clearly divided into three distinct classes-- upper, to which belong the teachers and officialsg middle, to which belong the mer- chants andthe artisans 5 and tlielower. or coolie class. While theoreti- cally it is quite possible to rise from a lower to a higher class, practi- cally there are many grave, almost unsurmountable, difficulties in the wav. Between these classes there is not a great deal of intercourse, and less cooperation. It is not surprising that the lack of national unity is felt every- where- in the language, in the monetary system in inter-provincial relationships. The dialect of one community is almost unintelligible in another only a hundred miles awayn Money good in this province is discounted in the next. One section may be at war with another, and the rest of the country neither know nor care about it. Thus we see China today. divided and hampered by almost uncon- querable prejudices. The Chinese have always been great wall builders. and today walls, literal and figurative, confront us on every hand. There are walls around houses, schools, temples 3 walls around the parks and walls around the cities, each excluding the rest of man- kind from the one little unit around which it is built. At one time the nation attempted to build a wall which would shut out its trouble- some neighbors. But even as the Great Wall, that colossal monument to Chinese industry, skill and engineering. has proven futile and fallen short of its purpose, so we may hope to see the various walls which separate each from his neighbor prove useless and ineffective. Until that happens it will be impossible for China to become a strong and united' nation,and to take its place among the nations of the world. The task of breaking down these hampering walls is indeed a great adventure. It will be a long, slow process which will demand patience, perseverance and wisdomg the customs and superstitious of three or four thousand years cannot be eradicated in a generation. But those who can love men, and believe in God. can have their part in this great adventure, and they, in time, will be privileged to see it succeed. l R. F. lung , J er: I X Qi X ' Z z' 'J at ' 4. s ff W- . . g ,. W fig! .1 :Lv , , Q yr 4' K