And who will
contradict it? They do not see with the eyes of the West; we do not, we
cannot, see with their eyes. But surely the living of this simple life,
the same as it was in the beginning, has a good deal in it; it is not
uncivilization, not barbarism, and the fair-minded traveler in China can
come to but one opinion, even in the midst of all the conflicting
emotions which result from his own upbringing, that we could, if we
would, learn many a good lesson from the old-time life of the Celestial
in his own country.
Yet these are the very people who may jostle us harshly later on in the
racial struggle.
I am not suggesting that when the Chinese adopts the cult of the West,
and comes into general contact with it--and I believe that I am right in
saying that this is the desire, generally speaking, of the whole of the
enlightened classes--he continues with his few wants. As a matter of
fact, he does not. He is as extravagant, and perhaps more so, than the
most of us. I have seen Straits Chinese waste at the gaming tables in
their gorgeous clubs as much in one night as some European residents
handle in one year, and he is quick to get his motor-car, his horses and
carriages, and endless other ornaments of wealth.
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