Note 6 — Chapter I · GEOGRAPHICAL AND INTRODUCTORY

Lest it should be supposed that I am taking an unduly favourable view of the position of the Chinese, and especially of the Chinese of Sze Chuan, under their government, I fortify my opinion by quoting that of Mr. Litton, British acting consul at Chungking. He writes in his official report to our Foreign Office, presented to both Houses of Parliament in May, 1899, thus:—“The government, though obstructive and unintelligent, is not as a rule actively oppressive; one may travel for days in West China without seeing any signs of that reserve of force which we associate with the policeman round the corner. The country people of Sze Chuan manage their own affairs through their headmen, and get on very well in spite of, rather than because of, the central government at Chengtu. So long as a native keeps out of the law courts, and does not attempt any startling innovations on the customs of his ancestors, he finds in the general love of law and order very fair security that he will enjoy the fruit of his labour.” This general disposition towards law and order, though it may have something to do with race, is undoubtedly on the whole the result of the teachings of Confucius.