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Jd**21,1919THE NORTH-CHINA HERALD753NOTES COMMENTSJune 14.AN OPIUM MURDER.A story coming from Kiangsi in connexion with the planting if poppy, if true in nil its ghastly detail*. call* for immediate investigation It appears that, away in the interior of the province, five clan* planted poppy, doing a good trade in the harvests until a neighbouring village, whose inhabitants had not gone in for opium, gave the game away. A foreign-educated young man in the village informed the magistrate what was going on over the way. The magistrate confirmed the growing by paying a visit to the place, and unfortunately whilst there let slip who had brought in the information. Terribly infuriated, the planters «et upon the family of the patriotic informer, and killed every membersome ten odd person*. It will he interesting to learn what developments take place as a result of this outrage.COMIC OPERA ON THE HIGH SEAS.A few days ago Mr. David Fraser. in discussing the Southern Cause in our column*, referred to the comedy of the Kuangli. »he Chinese gunboat which had been detained by the British authorities with her crew in Hongkong harbour. Gowip in Hongkong mnb® the story more Gilherfian than it appeared at Irsf It i* 'aid that while detained in the Colony, the crew of the gunboat were receiving no pay. The. then sent an emissary to Canton arid sold ” the vessel, on which they were practically prisoners. to one of Canton’* hiah financiers. This gentlemen had in hi* possession an old Custom* launch which he had purchased He hoisted the Ou-toma flag on it. steamed down to Hongkong. paid the prisoner* on bryird the Kuangb the purchase price demanded, and ir-.k the vessel and crew in tow with the Customs fine flying on hi* launch. It was not till an hour or more after that the police cot wind of what had happened. A police launch steamed after the Kuangli and was invited by the Captain to accompany her to a certain rendezvous to discus matter*. The police launch, however, aware that it was outgunned by the Kuangli. declined their prewing invitation, not wishing to become an addition to the enemy fleet. And so home to Hongkong. _SOCIALISM AND WORLD POWER.Man* Germans agree with Dr.' Lensch, the new professor of Social and Economic History in the University of Berlin, that there is 110 reason why Socialist Germany nhould not carry out the scheme of world power which was tbc goal of the Imperialists. Thu Hamburg*Frtmdenblalt appears to he of this opinion. This journal, however, puts the doctrine in the worda of a Japanese, which it think* of special interest because of their correspondence with the programme of Count Brockdorff-Rantaau.” This convenient Japaneao declares that the real cause of the war was the incomparable energy of a single Power, shut up in a grey corner of Europe and striving toward* the ran. German militarism, he thinks, was a protest againstEnglish capitalism. uhosc effort to throttle the world it opposed. Militarism failed, but thenew Germany must resumethe old war with new weapons. Thc*e are to be found in democracy, the deadly enemy of capitalism. Germany is th* country of work; England and America are the countrir* where capitalism make other people work A Jap-sDtse coming from England or America to Germany at onre feel* that he has come home from foreign land*. The world i* not yet ripe for international Socialism, and Germany is the leader of national Socialism, which will destroy Anglo-Saxon capital!*! Iirnn must cease to folio*- England hut adopt the German ideal A« a fir't testimony of her good faith she will return T'ingtao to China. Then, presumably with the help of Germany. Japan will assist China to throw out English capitalism.THE LEAN ENGLISHMAN.A good deal of nonsense continues to be written about Germans and the Germans We repeatedly read of the starvingGermanhe is always in the centre of the stage with, a* “Punch recently reminded hisreaders, the starving Pole, Czech or Rumanian very much in thebackground. These lat^r are onlyfriends—not enemies. But what is the truth concerning Germany, who, having tried to ruin and starve the world, should by all the laws of man be in some distress! Acwrding to a correspondent of the Daily Mail who has been in Germany since the beginning of the year the stranger coming to Berlin would Bod difficulty in realizing from tho appearance of the people that there was anything radically wrong with them iri the way of nourishment. As far as the faces go which one passes in the Leipzigerstrasse or in Enter dea Lin don, they are neither pallid nor meagre enough to be described a* unhealthy looking. 80 far so good. Sentimentalists may be reassured. Germans were better off a few months after the declaration of the armistice than the Belgian* or tho French, who will carry with them marks of sufferings to the grave. But the writer proceeds to explain that he ha* foimd many lean Englishmen in Germany, and gives a pathetic account of a meagre congregation of meagre people at the house of a British clergyman in Berlin who had met to appeal to the British Government for food.” The German ha* always considered biaurclf first.June 16.THE POISON FALLACY.A Chines© correspondent writing to-day in another column seen the only solution to China’s troubles in the education of the masses Tho poison rumours that appear to have gaio«*l such credence among ube more ignorant classes give pitiful point to hia theory—no new one, it is true, but ono that cannot he too frequently emphasized. The alleged poisoning of a pond in the Western district led to an immediate application of mob law only a few days ago. A littJe reflexion should prove the absurdity, if not the impossibility, of auch mad ex-Soita as poi*oning water andod. One explanation, given by Chinese, was that people drinking tho water would he poisoned, ignoring the fact tha-t mn« Chinese use Municipal water, and that in any ease the water is boiled before using Organic poisons would be destroyed hy boiling, while inorganic poisons are generally expensive, are not easily obtained, and would be need ed in large quantities—tastewould almc*t immediately detect them. Vegetables, it i* true, are washed in creeks and ponds, but the *mnll quantity of water remain-ing on them after washing, it* extreme dilution, and subsequent boil ing put* this possibility also out of court. Another version is that the fish in the ponds would be poisoned and then eaten with fatal results. No nation, probably, is so particular in its dcmnnd for absolutely fresh fish as the Chinese Poisoned water means dead fish. No shred of evidence exist* to prove anv of theae assertion*. In Kashing Road district poisoned cabbage was the cry. A suspected leaf was even brought in to the local police station Apart from the fart that, no trace of poison could be detected, it is fairly well known that raw cabbage is an uncommon dish in the native dietary, and it is certain that boiling and straining would eliminate poison even if it were present. Here is an instance where student* eon perfonn really good work bv a little practical education of their fellow-countrymen. The cowardly and frequent attacks lately by mobs of several hundreds of people on unprotected and innocent persons nre blots that will not easily he wiped out Ignorance, after all. is riot, the whole explana tion. Armed robbens and murder-ers. when caught, are only too glad |y handed over to the police—why not the alleged poisoner ITHE REV. C. E. DARWKNT.At Union Church yesterday morning, the Rev. C. E. Darwent announced that be had decided to accept the invitation from Union Church. Tientsin. He said that someone had stated that wiso men gave their conclusions, and foolish men gave their reasons. Disputes always arose out of reason*. He had no recondite reason for hia decision : it might be summed up that he had been a long time in Shanghai and, possibly, the change would be a good thing for them and for
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North China Herald
Shanghai, Shanghai, CN
Sat, Jun 21, 1919
Page 43
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CA, USA 03 Dec 2017
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