第11章

atoncesolovinglyseductiveandharshlycompelling—— bywhichChinesepoetsandlovershaverevealedtheirthoughtsandwontheirquestforcenturies。Thestirringtom-tom，ifnottheragtimewhichsetstheoccidentalcaperingto-day，wascommontotheChinesethreeorfourhundredyearsago。 TheyhearditfromthewildTartarsandMongols——hearditandrejectedit，becauseitwasprimitive，untamed，andnottobecomparedwiththeirowncarefullycontrolledmelodies。Mr。EmersonWhithorne，thefamousBritishcomposer，whoisanauthorityonorientalmusic，madethisstatementtotheLondonmusicloverslastweek: \"`ThepopularityofChinesemusicisstillinitschildhood。 Fromnowonitwillgrowrapidly。Chinesemusichasnoliterature，asweunderstandthatterm，butnonecansaythatithasnotmostcaptivatingmelodies。Totheartistictemperament，inparticular，itappealsenormously，andwell-knownartists——musicians，painters，andsoon——saythatitaffectstheminquiteanextraordinaryway。\'\" Chinesemusicfromanoccidentalstandpointhasbeenunjustlydescribedas\"clashingcymbals，twangingguitars，harshflageolets，andshrillflutes，ear-splittingandheadache-producingtotheforeigner。\" Suchgeneralcondemnationshowsdeplorableignorance。* ThewriterhadapparentlyneverattendedanofficialserviceinhonorofConfucius，heldbienniallyduringthewholeoftheChingdynastyat3A。M。The\"stonechimes\"，consistingofsonorousstonesvaryingintoneandhanginginframes，whichwereplayedonthosesolemnoccasions，haveahauntingmelodysuchascanbeheardnowhereelse。 China，Ibelieve，istheonlycountrythathasproducedmusicfromstones。 ItisnaturallygratifyingtometohearthatChineseairsarenowhavingavogueinLondon，andthattheywillsoonbeheardinNewYork。 ItwilltakesomelittletimeforWesternerstolearntolistenintelligentlytoourmelodieswhich，beingalwaysinunison，inonekeyandinonemovement，areaptatfirsttosoundaswearisomeandmonotonousasMadamePatti\'scomplicatednotesdidtome，butwhentheyunderstandthemtheywillhavefoundanewdelightinlife—— *WuTingfangisquitecorrecttodeplorethisstatementasadescriptionofChinesemusic。However，inallfairness，itisanaccuratedescriptionofhowaWesternearfirsthearsCERTAINtypesofChinesemusic。 Aftersuccessivehearingsthisimpressionwillflyaway，butuntilthenCERTAINtypesarereminiscentoftwoalley-catsfightinginagarbagecan。 Thisisnotmeantasadegradingcomment，anymoresothanWuTingfang\'scommentsonopera。Somemusicisanacquiredtaste，andafteracquirement，itsbeautybecomesnotonlyrecognizablebutinescapable。 CertainothertypesofChinesemusiccaneasilybeappreciatedonthefirsthearing——A。R。L。，1996—— AlthoughweChinesedonotdivideourplaysintocomediesandtragediesthereisfrequentlyagooddealofhumorontheChinesestage；yetwehavenothinginChinacorrespondingtothepopularmusicalcomedyoftheWest。 Amusicalcomedyisreallyaseriesofvaudevilleperformancesstrungtogetherbythefeeblestofplots。Theessenceseemstobecatchysongs，prettydances，andcomicdialogue。Theplotisapparentlyimmaterial，itsonlyexcuseforexistencebeingtogiveacertainorderofsequencetotheaforesaidsongs，dances，anddialogues。That，indeed，istheonlyobjectfortheplaywright\'sintroducinganyplotatall，hencehedoesnotmuchcarewhetheritislogicalorevenwithintheboundsofprobability。Theplay-goers，Ithink，careevenless。 Theygotohearthesongs，seethedances，laughatthedialogues，andindulgeinfrivolousfrivolities；whatdotheywantwithaplot，muchlessamoral？ChinesevaudevilletakestheformofclevertumblingtrickswhichIthinkaremuchpreferabletothesensuous，curious，andself-revealingdancesoneseesintheWest。 Althoughmusicalcomedy，or，moreproperlyspeaking，musicalfarce，isbecomingmoreandmorepopularinbothEuropeandAmericaitisalsobecomingproportionatelymorefarcical；althoughinmanytheatersitisstagedasoftenasthemoreseriousdrama，insomehavingexclusivedominion；andalthoughtheatermanagersfindthattheseplaysdrawbiggercrowdsandfilltheirhousesbetterthananyother，inthelargecitiesrunningforoverayear，Icannothelpregardingthisfeatureoftheatricallifeassomuchtheatricalchaos。 Itlacksculture，andissometimesbothbizarreandneurotic。 Idonotobjecttopatter，smartgiveandtake，inwhichthecomicalanglesoflifeareexposed，ifitisbrilliant；neitherhaveIanythingtosayagainstlightcomedyinwhichtheridiculoussideofthingsisportrayed。 Thissortofentertainmentmayhelpmenwhohavespentabusyday，crowdedwithanxiousmoments，andweightedwithseriousresponsibilities，butexhibitionswhichmakemenontheirwayhometalknotofart，orofmusic，orofwit，butof\"thelittlegirlwhoworealittleblacknet\" aredistinctlytobecondemned。Eventheclasswhothinkitwasteoftimetothink，andwhogotothetheateronlyto\"laughawfully\"，arenothelpedbythissortofentertainment。Suchsongsasthefollowing，whichIhaveculledfromthe`PlayPictorial\'，amonthlypublishedinLondon，mustintimepallthetasteofeventheshallow-minded。 \"Can\'tyouspareaglance？ Havewegotachance？ You\'vegotaknowingpairofeyes； Whenit\'s2to1 Itisn\'tmuchfun，\" Thisiswhatshesoonreplies: \"Oh，won\'tyoubuyarace-card，Andtakeatipfromme？ Ifyouwanttofindawinner，It\'seasyascanbeWhentheCupidstakesarestarting，Yourheadsareallawhirl，Andmytipto-dayIsabiteachwayOntherace-cardgirl。\" Yetthis，apparently，isthesortofthingwhichappealstothemodernAmericanwhowantsamusementofthelightestkind，amusementwhichappealstotheeyeandearwiththelightestpossibletaxonhisalreadyover-burdenedbrain。Hecertainlycannotcomplainthathiswisheshavenotbeenfaithfullyfulfilled。ItmaybeduetomyignoranceofEnglish，butthesongIhavejustquotedseemstomesilly，andIdonotthinkany\"ragtimemusic\"couldmakeitworthsinging。 Ofcoursemanysongsandplaysinthemusichallsaresuchasaffordinnocentmirth，butithastobeconfessedthatthereareotherthingsofadifferenttypewhichitisnotwiseforrespectablefamiliestotaketheyoungtosee。 IwouldnotliketosayallIthinkofthisfeatureofWesterncivilization，butImayquoteanEnglishmanwithoutgivingoffense。Writinginthe`MetropolitanMagazine\'，LouisSherwinsays:\"Thereisnotadoubtthattheso-called`high-browdancer\'hashadalottodowiththebare-leggedepidemicthatragesuponthecomic-operastageto-day。 NothingcouldbefurtherremovedfrommusicalcomedythantheartofsuchwomenasIsadoraDuncanandMaudeAllen。ToinformMissDuncanthatshehasbeenthemeansofmakingnuditypopularinmusicalfarcewouldbeyondquestionincurthelady\'sveryreasonablewrath。 Butitisnonethelesstrue。Whenthebare-leggedclassicdancermadeherappearanceinoperahouses，andonconcertplatformswithsymphonyorchestras，itwasthecueforeverychorusgirlwithanambitiontoundressinpublic。FirstofallwehadaplagueofSalomes。Thenthemusicalcomedyproducers，followingtheirusualcustomofreligiouslyavoidinganythingoriginal，begantosendtheponyballetsandsoubrettesonthestageswithouttheirhosieryandwiththeirkneescladinnothingbutacoatofwhitewash(sometimestheyevenforgottoputonthewhitewash，andthenthesightwashorrible)。Thehumanformdivine，withfewexceptions，isadevilishspectacleunlessitisproperlymadeup。 Sometwentyyearsfromnowmanagerswilldiscoverwhataudiencesfoundoutmonthsago，thatachorusgirl\'sbarelegisinfinitelylessbeautifulthanthesamelegwhendulydisguisedbypetticoatsandthings。\" Chapter16。ConjuringandCircusesAfterwhatIhavesaidastothepositionoftheactorinChinamyreaderswillnotbesurprisedatmysayingthattheperformanceofaconjurorshouldnotbeencouraged。Whatpleasurecantherebeinbeingtricked？ Itmaybeagreatdisplayofdexteritytoturnwaterintowine，toseemtocutoffaperson\'shead，toappeartoswallowswords，toescapefromlockedhandcuffs，andtoperformthevariouscabinettricks，butclevernessdoesnotalterthefactthatafterallitisonlydeceptioncunninglycontrivedandperformedinsuchawayastoevadediscovery。 Itappearsrighttomanybecauseitiscalled\"legerdemain\"and\"conjuring\" butinrealityitisexactlythesamethingasthatbywhichthesuccessfulcard-sharperstripshisvictims，viz。，suchquicknessofhandthattheeyeisdeceived。Shouldweencouragesuchartfuldevices？ Historytellsmanystoriesastothewayinwhichpeoplehavebeenkeptinsuperstitiousbondagebyillusionsandmagic，andifitbenowheldtoberighttodeceiveforfunhowcanitbeheldtohavebeenwrongtodeceiveforreligion？ Thosewhomadethepeoplebelievethroughpractisingdeceptiondoubtlessbelievedthetricktobelessharmfulthanunbelief。Icontend，therefore，thatpeoplewhogotoseeconjuringperformancesderivenogoodfromthem，butthat，onthecontrary，theyareapttobeimpressedwiththeideathattopractisedeceptionistoshowpraiseworthyskill。 Itisstrangehowmanypeoplepaymoneytootherstodeceivethem。 Morethaneverbefore，peopleto-dayactuallyenjoybeingcheated。 Ifthetrickswereclumsilydevisedandeasilydetectedtherewouldbenoattraction，buttheclevererandmorepuzzlingthetrickthemoreeagerlypeopleflocktoseeit。 Christianpreachersandmoralistscoulddowelltotakeupthismatteranddiscouragepeoplefromfrequentingtheexhibitionsoftricksters。 Therearedoubtlessmanylawsinnatureyetundiscovered，andafewpersonsundoubtedlypossessabnormalpowers。Thismakesthecultivationoftheloveoftrickerythemoredangerous。Itpreventsthetruthfrombeingperceived。Itenablescharlatanstofinddupes，andcausestherealmagiciantobeapplaudedasalegerdemainist。 ThisiswhattheNewTestamenttellsushappenedinthecaseofJesusChrist。 Hismiraclesfailedtoconvincebecausethepeoplehadforalongtimelovedthosewhocoulddeceivethemcleverly。*Thepeoplesaidtohim，\"Thouhastadevil，\"andotherswarnedthemafterhisdeathsaying，\"Thatdeceiversaidwhilehewasyetalive`AfterthreedaysIwillriseagain。\'\"Whenpeoplearetaughtnotonlytomarvelatthemarvelousbuttobeindifferenttoitsfalsehoodstheylosethepowerofdiscrimination，andareapttotakethetrueforthefalse，therealfortheunreal—— *Thisisaratherunorthodoxview，butnonethelessinteresting，especiallyasitpertainstohisfollowingstatements——A。R。L。，1996—— Foranevening\'shealthyenjoymentIbelieveacircusisasgoodaplaceascanbefoundanywhere。Theairthereisnotcloseandvitiatedasinatheater；youcanspendtwoorthreehourscomfortablywithoutinhalingnoxiousatmospheres。Itisinterestingtonotethatthecircusisperhapstheonlyformofanciententertainmentwhichhasretainedsomethingofitspristinesimplicity。 To-day，asintheoldRomancircuses，tiersofseatsrunroundthecourse，whichinthelargercircusesisstillintheformofanellipse，withitsverticalaxis，wherethehorsesandperformersenter，cutaway。 ButthemodernworldhasnothinginthisconnectiontocomparewiththeCircusMaximusofRome，which，accordingtoPliny，heldaquarterofamillionspectators。Itissingular，however，thatwhiletheoldRomancircuseswereheldinpermanentbuildings，moderncircusesaremostlytravellingexhibitionsintemporaryerections。 Insomerespectstheentertainmentofferedhasdegeneratedwiththechange，forwehaveto-daynothinginthecircustocorrespondtothethrillingchariotracesinwhichtheoldRomansdelighted。 Iwonderthatinthesedaysofrestlesssearchfornoveltiessomeonedoesnotre-introducetheRomanchariotraceundertheoldconditions，andwithareproductionoftheoldsurroundings。Itwouldbeasinterestingandasexcitingas，andcertainlylessdangerousthan，poloplayedinautomobiles，whichIunderstandisoneofthelatestfadsintheWest。Amodernhorse-race，withitsskill，daringandpicturesqueness，istheonlymodernentertainmentcomparabletothegorgeousracesoftheRomans。 Theexhibitionofskillfulfeatsofhorsemanshipandacrobaticdisplaysbyjuvenileactors，rope-dancing，highvaultingandotherdaringgymnasticfeatsseeninanyofourpresent-daycircusesareinteresting，butnotnew。TheRomanshadmanyclevertight-ropewalkers，andIdonotthinktheyusedthelongpoleloadedattheendstoenablethemtomaintaintheirequilibrium，asdosomelaterperformers。 Japanesetumblersareverypopularandsomeoftheirtricksclever，butIthinktheWesternpublicwouldfindChineseacrobatsapleasantdiversion。Withpractice，itwouldseemasifwhentakeninhandduringitssuppleyearsthereisnothingthatcannotbedonewiththehumanbody。Sometimesitalmostappearsasifitwereboneless，sowellarepeopleablebypracticetomakeuseoftheirlimbstoaccomplishfeatswhichastonishordinarypersonswhoselimbsarelesspliable。 Thetrapezegivesopportunityforthedisplayofverycleverexhibition，ofstrengthandagility；atfirstsightthegymnastwouldappeartobeflyingfromonecross-bartotheother，andwhenwatchingsuchflightsIhaveaskedmyself:\"Ifapersoncandothat，whycannothefly？\" Perhapshumanbeingswillsomedaybeseenflyingaboutintheairlikebirds。 Itonlyrequiresanextensionofthetrapeze\"stunt\"。Travellingintheairbymeansofairshipsoraeroplanesistamesportincomparisonwithbird-likeflights，whetherwithorwithoutartificialwings。 Therearemanyadvantagesinbeingabletotravelintheair。 Oneisaclearandpureatmospheresuchascannotbeobtainedinarailwaycar，orinacabinonboardaship；anotheristheopportunityaffordedoflookingdownonthisearth，seeingitasinapanorama，withthepeoplelookinglikeants。Suchanexperiencemustbroadenthementaloutlookoftheprivilegedspectator，andenablehimtoguesshowfragmentaryandpervertedmustbeourrestrictedviewofthingsingeneral。Thereis，however，dangerofusingsuchopportunitiesforselfishandmischievouspurposes。 Awickedmanmightthrowabombordosomeotherwickednonsensejustassomeoneelse，whoreallyseesthingsastheyareandnotastheyseemtobe，mightemployhissuperiorknowledgetobenefithimselfandinjurehisfellows；butthementionofthetrapezeanditsbird-likeperformershasdivertedmefrommytheme。 Isupposethatareferencetothecircuswouldbeincompletewhichoverlookedtheclowns，thosepoorsurvivalsofaprofessionalclassofjesterswhoplayedwhatappearstohavebeenanecessarypartinsocietyinruderdays，whenamusementswerelessrefinedandlessnumerous。 TheChinesehaveneverfelttheneedofprofessionalfoolers，andIcannotsaythatIadmirethecircusclown，buttheintelligencewhichcarefultrainingdevelopsinthehorse，thedog，etc。，interestsmeagooddeal。AninstanceofthiscameundermyownobservationduringarecentvisittoShanghaiof\"Fillis\'Circus\"。Mr。Fillishadamarewhichformanyyearshadactedthepartofthehorseofahighwayrobber。 Therobber，flyingfromhisenemies，urgestheanimalbeyonditsstrength，andthesceneculminatedwiththedyinghorsebeingcarriedfromthearenatothegreatgriefofitsmaster。WhenthisentertainmentwasgiveninShanghaithishorse——\"BlackBess\"——fellsick。 Atonicwasadministeredintheshapeofthelivelytunewhichthebandalwaysplayedasshewasabouttoenterthearenaandplayherpartasthehighwayman\'smare。Theanimalmadepitiableattemptstorise，andherinabilitytodosoapparentlysuggestedtotheintelligentcreaturethedyingsceneshehadsooftenplayed。 Shelaydownandrelaxed，preparedtodieinreality。Theattendants，ignorantofthemannerinwhichthehorsehadletherselfgo，triedtolifther，butinherrelaxedconditionherbowelssplit—— BlackBesshadactedherpartforthelasttime。 Chapter17。SportsPerhapsinnothingdotheChinesedifferfromtheirWesternfriendsinthematterofamusementsmorethaninregardtosports。 TheChinesewouldneverthinkofassemblinginthousandsjusttoseeagameplayed。Wearenotmodernizedenoughtocaretospendhalfadaywatchingothersplay。Whenwearetiredofworkweliketodoourownplaying。Ournationalgameistheshuttlecock，whichwetossfromonetoanotheroverourshoulders，hittingtheshuttlecockwiththeflatsolesoftheshoeswearewearing。 Sometimeswehitwithonepartofthefoot，sometimeswithanother，accordingtotherulesofthegame。This，likekite-flying，isagreatamusementamongmenandboys。 WehavenothingcorrespondingtotennisandotherWesternballgames，nor，indeed，anygameinwhichtheoppositesexesjoin。 Archerywasahealth-givingexerciseofwhichmodernideasofwarrobbedus。 Thesamebanefulinfluencehascausedtheold-fashionedhealthfulgymnasticexerciseswithheavyweightstobediscarded。 Ihaveseenyoungmenonboardocean-goingsteamersthrowingheavybagsofsandtooneanotherasapastime。 This，thoughexcellentpractice，hardlyequalsourancientathleticfeatswiththebowortheheavyweight。WesternsportshavebeenintroducedintosomemissionandotherschoolsinChina，butImuchdoubtiftheywilleverbereallypopularamongmypeople。Theyaretooviolent，and，fromtheorientalstandpoint，lackingindignity。 Yet，whenChineseresidingabroaddotakeupWesternathleticsportstheyprovethemselvestheequalsofallcompetitors，aswitnesstheirsuccessintheManilaOlympiad，andthenamethebaseballplayersfromtheHawaiianIslandsChineseUniversitymadeforthemselveswhentheyvisitedAmerica。Nevertheless，weretheaverageChinesetoldthatmanypeoplebuythedailypaperintheWestsimplytoseetheresultofsomegame，andthatasportingjournalismflourishesthere，i。e。，papersdevotedentirelytosport，theywouldregardthestatementasitselfapleasantsport。 Personally，IthinkwemightlearnmuchfromtheWestinregardtosports。 Theycertainlyincreasethephysicalandmentalfaculties，andforthisreason，iffornoother，deservetobewarmlysupported。 Chinasuffersbecauseheryouthshaveneverbeentrainedtoteam-work。 Weshouldbeamoreunitedpeopleifasboysandyoungmenwelearnedtotakepartingameswhichtooktheformofacontest，inwhich，whileeachcontestantdoeshisbestforhisownside，thewinningorlosingofthegameisnotconsideredsoimportantasthepleasureoftheexercise。IthinkagreatdealofthemanlinesswhichIhaveadmiredintheWestmustbeattributedtothenaturalloveofhealthysportforsport\'ssake。 Gameshonestlyandfairlyplayedinculcatethevirtuesofhonor，candidness，andchivalry，ofwhichAmericahasproducedmanyworthyspecimens。 Whenonesideisdefeatedthewinnerdoesnotexultoverhisdefeatedopponentsbutattributeshisvictorytoanaccident； Ihaveseenthedefeatedcrewinaboatraceapplaudingtheirwinningopponents。Itisanobleexampleforthedefeatedcontestantstogivecredittoandtoapplaudthewinner，anexamplewhichIhopewillbefollowedbymycountrymen。 Asanardentbelieverinthenatural，healthyandcompassionatelifeIwasinterestedtofindintheEncyclopaediaBritannicahowfrequentlyvegetarianshavebeenwinnersinathleticsports。* TheywontheBerlintoDresdenwalkingmatch，adistanceof125miles，theCarwardineCup(100miles)andDibbleShield(6hours) cyclingraces(1901-02)，theamateurchampionshipofEnglandintennis(foursuccessiveyearsupto1902)andracquets(1902)，thecyclingchampionshipofIndia(threeyears)，half-milerunningchampionshipofScotland(1896)，world\'samateurcyclerecordsforalltimesfromfourhourstothirteenhours(1902)，100mileschampionshipYorkshireRoadClub(1899，1901)，tennisgoldmedal(fivetimes)。IhavenotaccesstolaterstatisticsonthissubjectbutIknowthatitisthereverseoftruthtosay，asProfessorGautier，oftheSarbonne，aCatholicfoundationinParis，recentlysaid，thatvegetarians\"sufferfromlackofenergyandweakenedwillpower。\"Theabovefactsdisproveit，andasagainstProf。Gautier，IquoteDr。J。H。Kellogg，theeminentphysicianandSuperintendentofBattleCreekSanitariuminMichigan，U。S。A。，whohasbeenastrictvegetarianformanyyearsandwho，thoughoversixtyyearsofage，isasstrongandvigorousasamanofforty； hetoldmethatheworkedsixteenhoursdailywithouttheleastfatigue。 Mrs。AnnieBesant，PresidentoftheTheosophicalSociety，isanotherexample。Iamcrediblyinformedthatshehasbeenavegetarianforatleastthirty-fiveyearsandthatitisdoubtfulifanyflesh-eaterwhoissixty-fivecanequalherinenergy。 Whateverelsevegetariansmaylacktheyarenotlackinginpowersofendurance—— *E。B。，9thed。，vol。33，p。649—— Itisneedlessformetosaythathunting，or，asitiscalled，\"sport\"，isentirelyopposedtomyideaofthefitnessofthings。 Idonotseewhyitshouldnotbeasinterestingtoshootat\"claypigeons\" astokilllivingbirds；andwhymovingtargetsarenotassuitablearecreationasrunninganimals。\"Thepleasuresofthechase\" arenodoubtfascinating，butwhenoneremembersthattheseso-calledpleasuresarememorieswehavebroughtwithusfromthetimewhenweweresavagesandhuntedforthesakeoffood，noonecanbeproudofstillpossessingsuchtastes。 Tosaythathuntersto-dayonlykilltoeatwouldbedeniedindignantlybyeverytruesportsman。Thatthequarryissometimeseatenafterwardisbutanincidentinthegame；thesplendidoutdoorexercisewhichthehuntprovidescaneasilybefoundinotherwayswithoutinflictingthefear，distress，andpainwhichthehuntedanimalsendure。 Itisasadcommentaryonthestageatwhichhumanitystillisthatevenroyalty，towhomwelookforvirtuousexamples，seldommissesanopportunitytohunt。Whenamanhasastronghobbyheisunabletoseeitsevilsideeventhoughinotherrespectshemaybehumaneandkind-hearted。Thusthesorryspectacleispresentedofhighlycivilizedandhumanepeopledisplayingtheircouragebyhuntingandattackingwildanimals，notonlyintheirownnativecountrybutinforeignlandsaswell。Suchpersonagesare，Iregrettohavetoadd，notunknownintheUnitedStates。 Thefactthathuntinghasbeenfollowedfromtimeimmemorial，thattheancientEgyptians，Assyrians，andBabyloniansindulgedinthispastime，doesnotmakeitanymoresuitableanoccupationforusto-day。Thegoodqualitiesoftemperandpatiencewhichhuntingdemandsareequallywelldevelopedbyathleticsports。 Iunderstandthatagoodhuntingestablishmentwillcostasmuchas$10，000(2000Pounds)ayear。Surelythosewhocanaffordsomuchonluxuriescouldfindamorerefinedamusementinyachtingandsimilarrecreations。 Tosailayachtsuccessfullyinhalfagaleofwind，is，Ishouldimagine，moreventuresome，moreexciting，andapastimerequiringamanifestationofmoreofthequalitiesofdaring，thanshootingafrightenedanimalfromthesaferetreatofthesaddleofatrustyhorse； andnoteventhehuntofthewildbeastcanequalintruesportsmanshipacontestwiththewindandthewaves，foritisonlyoccasionallythatabeastshowsfightbecauseheiswounded，andeventhenmaniswellprotectedbyhisgun；butwhetheryachtingorswimmingthesportsman\'sattitudeofwatchfulnessisuninterrupted。 Ifancyitisconventionandcustom，ratherthanconvictionofthesuperiorityofthesport，thathasgivenhuntingitspre-eminence。 ItisonrecordthatfourthousandyearsagotheancientemperorsofChinastartedperiodicallyonhuntingexpeditions。Theythussoughtrelieffromthemonotonyoflifeinthosedays；inthedaysoftheStuarts，inEngland，royaltyfoundpleasureinshowswhichwerechildishandevenimmoral。 Ofcourseinbarbarouscountriesallsavagesusedtohuntforfood。 Forthemhuntingwasaneconomicnecessity，anditisnoslandertosaythatthemodernhuntisarelicofbarbarism。 Itis，indeed，amatterofsurprisetomethatthiscruelpracticehasnotceased，butstillexistsinthistwentiethcentury。 Itgoeswithoutsayingthathuntingmeanskillingthedefenseless，inflictingmiseryanddeathonthehelpless；evenifitbeadmittedthatthereissomejustificationforkillingaferociousanddangerousanimal，whyshouldwetakepleasureinhuntingandkillingthefox，thedeer，thehare，theotter，andsimilarcreatures？ Peoplewhohuntboastoftheirbraveryandfearlessness，andtoshowtheirintrepidityandexcellentshootingtheygotothewildernessandothercountriestocarryontheir\"sport\"。 IadmiretheirfearlesscouragebutIamcompelledtoexpressmyopinionthatsuchactionsarenotconsistentwiththoseofagood-heartedhumanegentleman。 Stilllessexcuseisthereforthepracticeofshooting。 Whatrighthavewetowantonlykilltheseharmlessanddefenselessbirdsflyingintheair？Ioncewatchedpigeonshootingatafamouswateringplace，thepoorbirdswereallowedtoflyfromthetrap-holessimplythattheymightberuthlesslykilledormaimed。Thatwaswantoncruelty； toreprobatetoostronglysuchrevoltingbarbarityisalmostimpossible。 IamgladtosaythatsuchcruelpracticesdidnotcomeundermyobservationduringmyresidenceintheStates，andIhopethattheyarenotAmericanvicesbutareprohibitedbylaw。Nocountry，withtheleastclaimtocivilization，shouldallowsuchthings，andourdescendantswillbeastonishedthatpeoplecallingthemselvescivilizedshouldhaveindulgedinsuchwholesaleandgratuitousatrocities。Whenpeopleallowanimalstobemurdered——foritisnothingbutmurder——forthesakeofsport，theyoughtnottobesurprisedthatmenaremurderedbycriminalsforreasonswhichseemtothemgoodandsufficient。 Ananimalhasasmuchrighttoitslifeasmanhastohis。 Bothmaybecalledupontosacrificelifeforthesakeofsomegreatergoodtoagreaternumber，butbywhatmannerofreasoningcankillingforkilling\'ssakebejustified？Doesthesuperiorcunningandintellectofmanwarranthistakinglifeforfun？Then，shouldaracesuperiortohumanityeverappearontheearth，manwouldhavenojustcauseofcomplaintifhewerekilledoffforitsamusement。ThereformerlyexistedinIndiaa\"well-organizedconfederacyofprofessionalassassins\"calledThugs，whoworshippedthegoddessKaliwithhumanlives。Theymurderedaccordingto\"rigidlyprescribedforms\"andforreligiousreasons。TheEnglish，whentheycameintopowerinIndia，naturallytookvigorousmeasurestostampoutThuggeeism；butfromahigherpointofviewthanourownlittleselves，isthereafterallsomuchdifferencebetweentheordinarysportsmanandthefanaticThuggee？Iftherebe，thebalanceisratherinfavorofthelatter，fortheThugatleasthadthesanctionofreligion，whilethehunterhasnothingtoexcusehiscrueltybeyondthelustofkilling。Idonotunderstandwhythehumanesocieties，suchas\"TheSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoAnimals\"，aresosupineinregardtothesepractices。TheChinesearefrequentlyaccusedofbeingcrueltoanimals，butIthinkthatthosewhoarelivinginglasshousesshouldnotthrowstones。 InthisconnectionIwouldremarkthatbirdsareshotnotonlyforpleasureandfortheirflesh，butinsomecasesfortheirplumage，andwomenwhowearhatsadornedwithbirds\'feathers，do，thoughindirectly，encouragetheslaughteroftheinnocent。OnceaChinesewasarrestedbythepoliceinHongkongforcrueltytoarat。Itappearedthattherathadcommittedgreathavocinhishousehold，stealinganddamagingvariousarticlesoffood；whenatlastitwascaughtthemannaileditsfeettoaboard，asawarningtootherrats。ForthishewasbroughtbeforetheEnglishMagistrate，whoimposedapenaltyoftendollars。 Hewasastonished，andpleadedthattheratdeserveddeath，onaccountoftheserioushavoccommittedinhishouse。 TheMagistratetoldhimthatheoughttohaveinstantlykilledtherat，andnottohavetorturedit。Theamazedoffenderpaidhisfine，butmurmuredthathedidnotseethejusticeoftheBritishCourtinnotallowinghimtopunishtheratashechose，whileforeignersinChinawereallowedtheprivilegeofshootinginnocentbirdswithoutmolestation。 Imustconfess，peoplearenotalwaysconsistent。 ThePeaceSocietiesshouldtakeupthismatter，forhuntingisanimitationofwarandanapprenticeshiptoit。 Itcertainlycanfindnojustificationinanyofthegreatworldreligions，andnoteventheBritish，ortheGermans，whoidolizesoldiers，wouldimmortalizeamansimplybecausehewasahunter。 Fromwhateverpointthesubjectbevieweditseemsundeniablethathuntingisonlyasurvivalofsavagery。