《中國(guó)人的性格》是美國(guó)傳教士阿瑟·史密斯（明恩溥）基于1872年赴華傳教期間的社會(huì)觀察撰寫的著作，首版英文名《Chinese Characteristics》于19世紀(jì)末問(wèn)世，。作者在華生活逾五十年，書(shū)中融合人類學(xué)視角與傳教士立場(chǎng)，記錄了晚清民眾的性格特征與文化形態(tài)。

全書(shū)以27個(gè)主題章節(jié)剖析中國(guó)人行為模式，包含“保全面子”“省吃儉用”等生活哲學(xué)，以及“漠視精確”“因循守舊”等社會(huì)現(xiàn)象。通過(guò)對(duì)比西方工業(yè)文明，著重探討東方特有的生存韌性，如環(huán)境適應(yīng)力與疼痛耐受性。書(shū)中案例多源自山東鄉(xiāng)村生活經(jīng)歷，涉及衣食住行、孝悌觀念等主題，部分結(jié)論因宗教立場(chǎng)存在視角爭(zhēng)議。該著作開(kāi)創(chuàng)西方研究中國(guó)國(guó)民性先河，被譯成多國(guó)文字，成為近代中西文化互鑒的重要文本。

第九章　靈活的頑固

我們關(guān)于中國(guó)人的最初知識(shí)是來(lái)自我們的仆人。盡管他們渾然不覺(jué)，他們是我們了解中國(guó)人性格的第一任老師。我們對(duì)他們也總是不滿意，然而，他們給我們上的課卻令我們難以忘懷。隨著我們與中國(guó)人的接觸日益廣泛與深入，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，盡管仆人們是中國(guó)人中很小的一部分，但我們與仆人圈子相處不知不覺(jué)中逐漸形成的判斷結(jié)論，明顯地得到更加廣泛的確證。因?yàn)閺哪撤N意義上說(shuō)，每個(gè)中國(guó)人都是整個(gè)民族的一個(gè)縮影。本章用這個(gè)看似自相矛盾的標(biāo)題來(lái)表述我們所探討的中國(guó)人的性格，雖然不能令人滿意，但這個(gè)題目看起來(lái)卻是最為合適，只要略加描述，就會(huì)很容易使人明白。

一個(gè)居住在中國(guó)的外國(guó)家庭可能會(huì)雇傭很多用人。在所雇的仆人中，沒(méi)有第二個(gè)人能夠像廚師那樣完全左右著全家的安寧。女主人雇傭一個(gè)新廚子時(shí)會(huì)對(duì)他說(shuō)，事情應(yīng)當(dāng)怎么做，不應(yīng)當(dāng)怎么做時(shí)，這位新廚子就像是服從的化身。對(duì)這家人家里已有的規(guī)矩，他都真誠(chéng)地表示贊同，其誠(chéng)懇即使還沒(méi)有贏得信任，也能給人以好感。女主人特意舉例告誡他說(shuō)，前任廚師有一個(gè)不能容忍的習(xí)慣，面包坯還沒(méi)有完全發(fā)好，就放進(jìn)烤箱。就因?yàn)榕魅烁械叫枰獔?jiān)持諸如此類的細(xì)節(jié)問(wèn)題，還有其他很多事都不能與女主人所想的一致，于是兩人吵翻。

對(duì)于這一點(diǎn)，候選的廚師的反應(yīng)令人愉快，他表示，他或許有這樣或者那樣的什么缺點(diǎn)，但這些缺點(diǎn)中不可能有固執(zhí)。女主人還告訴他，在廚房里，狗、二流子和抽煙都是不能容忍的。他回答說(shuō)，他討厭狗，也不抽煙，是一個(gè)外地人，城里只有幾個(gè)朋友，都不是二流子。在提了這么多要求之后，他開(kāi)始履行職責(zé)。

但沒(méi)過(guò)上幾天，就發(fā)現(xiàn)這個(gè)廚師在烤面包方面是前任廚師的“親兄弟”，也是把沒(méi)發(fā)好的面包坯放進(jìn)烤箱。而且還有數(shù)不清的人在廚房里進(jìn)進(jìn)出出，許多人還帶著狗。廚房里永遠(yuǎn)彌漫著一種沉重的香煙味，如同永久不變的寶物。廚師自己坦然承認(rèn)，面包做得不是最好，但肯定不是由于揉得不夠。在揉面方面，他是很講究的。在廚房里看到的那些陌生人是他的“哥們兒”，但他們都不曾養(yǎng)過(guò)狗，而且他們現(xiàn)在肯定都走了，不再來(lái)了——盡管第二天，這些人又在廚房出現(xiàn)了。沒(méi)有一個(gè)仆人會(huì)抽煙，煙味肯定是隔壁傳過(guò)來(lái)的，那一家的仆人都是煙鬼。這個(gè)廚師是個(gè)通情達(dá)理的人，但是，既然這里沒(méi)有什么需要改變，他也就不知道如何去改變。

同樣一個(gè)情況，還發(fā)生在一個(gè)苦力的身上。他被派去割草，給他一把雪亮、鋒利的外國(guó)鐮刀，他滿臉微笑地接過(guò)鐮刀表示欣賞。但后來(lái)到了干活的那天，他用的卻是一把中國(guó)鐮刀，由大約四英寸的舊鐵片加上一個(gè)短柄做成的。他似乎在說(shuō)：“還是舊的更好用一些。”你給洗衣工一臺(tái)外國(guó)的洗衣機(jī)，洗起衣服來(lái)既節(jié)省時(shí)間，又省肥皂，省力氣，最為主要的是洗得還特別干凈，還給他加上一臺(tái)他專享的甩干機(jī)，使用起來(lái)既不費(fèi)力又不損壞衣服的纖維。但是到最后，洗衣機(jī)和甩干機(jī)都被丟在一邊，成了“有用的廢品”，洗衣工仍然像往常一樣搓洗和絞擰衣服，衣物都弄出破洞來(lái)，弄成了碎片。要想去改變這種情況，就只得以不間斷的告誡為代價(jià)。

一個(gè)園丁被派去用手頭的磚坯修理一下破損的圍墻。可是，他認(rèn)為在墻頭上插上一尺深的樹(shù)枝會(huì)更好一些，并且他就這樣做了。如果你問(wèn)他這樣做的原因，他會(huì)說(shuō)出這樣做的優(yōu)越性。雇傭一個(gè)郵差把一包重要的郵件送到很遠(yuǎn)的地方去，光在路上就要走好幾天的路程。頭天傍晚，把郵包交給他，本來(lái)，次日一大清早就可以出發(fā)。可是第二天下午，還看到他在附近的胡同里晃悠。派人把他叫了回來(lái)，問(wèn)他是怎么回事。他告訴我們說(shuō)，他不得不休息一天，以來(lái)清洗他的襪子！你按天雇傭的一個(gè)車夫也是這樣的感受。告訴他走某條路，照理其他人也會(huì)這么走，他也答應(yīng)了。然而，他卻帶你走另一條完全不同的路，因?yàn)樗?tīng)一個(gè)陌生的過(guò)路人說(shuō)，那條路不好走。廚師、苦力、園丁、車夫——他們?nèi)疾幌嘈盼覀兊呐袛啵幌嘈潘麄冏约骸?/p>

在一處外國(guó)人開(kāi)的診所和醫(yī)院里，都經(jīng)常可以看到這類現(xiàn)象，以佐證我的這個(gè)話題。醫(yī)生仔細(xì)地給病人做了檢查，開(kāi)了藥。為了避免出錯(cuò)，病人拿到藥后，醫(yī)生反復(fù)叮囑什么時(shí)間吃藥，吃多少，千萬(wàn)別搞錯(cuò)。病人生怕忘了這些詳細(xì)的規(guī)定，來(lái)回一兩次，反復(fù)加以確認(rèn)。可是一到家，他就一口把兩天的藥都吃了下去，因?yàn)樗J(rèn)為，療效的好壞肯定與藥量的多少成正比。醫(yī)生反復(fù)告誡患者不要?jiǎng)油夥蟮乃幐啵蛇@些告誡一點(diǎn)都不管用，還是不能阻止他隨時(shí)揭掉膏藥。因?yàn)椴∪瞬幌Ｍ兂梢恢弧盀觚敗保屢粚佑矚らL(zhǎng)在皮膚上。

這個(gè)現(xiàn)象不會(huì)讓人感到舒服，但根據(jù)觀察，這一現(xiàn)象卻是被證明充分存在的：在一個(gè)診所里，主治醫(yī)生具有非常豐富的臨床經(jīng)驗(yàn)，也擁有各種醫(yī)學(xué)頭銜，且經(jīng)驗(yàn)非常豐富，而助手卻是一字不識(shí)，也不知藥的名稱和病的癥狀。但對(duì)于一般病人來(lái)說(shuō)，一個(gè)無(wú)知的助手的看法（并當(dāng)然地）似乎與主治醫(yī)生的看法同樣重要。甚至看門人或苦力的一句話也足以使病人完全不顧醫(yī)生的囑咐，而去采納某種肯定是愚蠢的、且完全可能致命的做法。

至此，我們所談到的中國(guó)人靈活的頑固的例子，都是與外國(guó)人有關(guān)的。因?yàn)檫@些事能夠最快引起我們的注意，并影響到我們的最實(shí)際的利益。但是，我們?cè)绞巧钊氲椒从持袊?guó)人真實(shí)氣質(zhì)的人際關(guān)系中，就越會(huì)看到“口是心非”的狀況到處都是一樣的，并非一個(gè)特例。中國(guó)的仆人對(duì)待中國(guó)的主人，與對(duì)待外國(guó)的雇主是一樣的，謙虛、順從，但他們沒(méi)有意識(shí)到仆人是不能自行其是的，同樣，他們的主人也并沒(méi)有意識(shí)到要求仆人唯命是從。一個(gè)外國(guó)雇主要求雇員切實(shí)地按照吩咐地那樣去做，如果仆人不這樣做，雇主就會(huì)在他們之間漸漸地產(chǎn)生敵意。

筆者的一位朋友有一大幫仆人，就屬于這個(gè)數(shù)目龐大的仆從階級(jí)，他們將極端忠誠(chéng)與極端的固執(zhí)融為一體，這使他們成為既難得又討厭的人物。我的這位朋友每每談起這些怪“家伙”，就表現(xiàn)出這類仆人的主人所常有的兩難；他經(jīng)常處于舉棋不定的狀態(tài)，不知該殺了那些自以為是的仆人，還是給他們加薪！中國(guó)的雇主完全清楚，他的指令會(huì)被撂在一邊，但他事先會(huì)有所準(zhǔn)備，就像預(yù)留一筆錢以防備壞賬，或者像在機(jī)械設(shè)計(jì)中所說(shuō)的，留些空隙以減少摩擦。

這種無(wú)視命令的現(xiàn)狀，也不同程度體現(xiàn)在中國(guó)的各級(jí)官員中直至到最高層。導(dǎo)致違反上級(jí)命令的動(dòng)機(jī)會(huì)有許多種，比如個(gè)人的惰性和為了朋友情面，最重要的動(dòng)機(jī)還是金錢的魔力。有一位地方官，由于其居住地的水質(zhì)過(guò)硬，有咸味，就命令他的仆人用水車到幾里以外的河里去運(yùn)水。仆人并不是照章辦理，而只是到附近有甜水的村子去取水。他知道水應(yīng)該是甜的，所取來(lái)的水與官員要求的一樣多，而且又少走了三分之二的路程，讓各方皆大歡喜。即使這位官員確切知道他的仆人沒(méi)有依照他的命令去做，那么只要有好水喝，他也許就不會(huì)過(guò)問(wèn)這件事了。

在中國(guó)，“不論白貓黑貓，能抓到老鼠就是好貓”，成功就是一切，一事成功，事事成功。中國(guó)人天生怕得罪人，生怕出亂子，不愿惹禍上身。因此，出現(xiàn)了違反命令的不端行為，就算有五百個(gè)人知道實(shí)情，也不會(huì)有人去報(bào)告。典型的例子，有一個(gè)中國(guó)仆人，主人要求他把蓄水池里的水用容器裝起來(lái)，以備后用。結(jié)果卻發(fā)現(xiàn)，他把水統(tǒng)統(tǒng)倒進(jìn)了井里。就這樣，他表面上一副順從的樣子，而實(shí)際上卻是完全相反。雷尼博士說(shuō)到一件事：廈門的一位官員把一份皇上的公文分成兩部分，把后半部分放到前面，前后倒置，為的就是讓別人難以讀懂。在與外國(guó)人打交道的事務(wù)中，這種花招是很常見(jiàn)的，中國(guó)的官員們很少愿意讓外國(guó)人稱心滿意的。

我們經(jīng)常可以看到，即使在執(zhí)法過(guò)程中也有違法行為，而與司法仲裁的規(guī)范相沖突。一個(gè)地方官判處一名罪犯戴兩個(gè)月的沉重木枷，只有到了晚上才能卸下來(lái)。但是，只要在“最關(guān)鍵的地方”打點(diǎn)上幾個(gè)小錢，使些銀子，那么命令也就可以大打折扣，改頭換面執(zhí)行了。那位犯人只需在地方官進(jìn)出衙門時(shí)戴上木枷，裝裝樣子，而在其余的時(shí)間內(nèi)，犯人盡可以把可惡的重負(fù)丟在一邊。這位地方官是否從不懷疑，賄賂會(huì)戰(zhàn)勝他的判決。他會(huì)不會(huì)偷偷從后面溜出去，當(dāng)場(chǎng)抓住違背命令的證據(jù)？但他沒(méi)有這樣做。這個(gè)地方官自己也是中國(guó)人，他知道，判決書(shū)一下達(dá)，它就不被當(dāng)做一回事了。考慮到這一點(diǎn)，他在量刑時(shí)就已經(jīng)把服刑期延長(zhǎng)一倍。

這只是各部門官員之間錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜關(guān)系的一個(gè)實(shí)例。外國(guó)人長(zhǎng)期不間斷的觀察也證實(shí)了這一點(diǎn)。上一級(jí)官員命令下一級(jí)官員，應(yīng)當(dāng)去核實(shí)某一步驟的執(zhí)行情況。下級(jí)畢恭畢敬地報(bào)告說(shuō)，這件事已經(jīng)做了，事實(shí)上，這期間根本什么都沒(méi)做。在許多情況下，事情就到此結(jié)束了。但是，如果某一個(gè)部門不斷給予施加壓力，而且命令非常急迫，下一級(jí)就會(huì)把這種壓力轉(zhuǎn)嫁給更下一級(jí)的官員，并把上一級(jí)的指責(zé)也轉(zhuǎn)嫁到他們頭上，直到這種壓力的“風(fēng)頭”消失殆盡。然后，一切又照常如初。這就是所謂的“改革圖新”。這種“改革圖新”在很大程度上類似于禁止鴉片銷售和罌粟的種植，忽冷忽熱，其結(jié)果也是眾所周知的。

毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，肯定會(huì)有人認(rèn)為中國(guó)人是最“固執(zhí)”的民族。對(duì)于這些人來(lái)說(shuō)，我們用“靈活”這個(gè)形容詞去描述中國(guó)人“頑固”的特性，似乎顯得異常的不恰當(dāng)。盡管如此，我們必須重申這樣一個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，中國(guó)人遠(yuǎn)非是一個(gè)最固執(zhí)的民族。他們遠(yuǎn)不如盎格魯撒克遜人來(lái)得固執(zhí)。我們說(shuō)他們“頑固”，這是因?yàn)樵谒麄兿耱呑右粯拥摹邦B固”中，也含有一種服從的特質(zhì)，而這往往是盎格魯撒克遜人所缺乏的。

有一個(gè)說(shuō)明中國(guó)人這種“靈活”天賦的最好例子是，中國(guó)人能夠不失風(fēng)度地接受他人的指責(zé)。在盎格魯撒克遜人中，這是一門被遺忘的藝術(shù)，甚至可以說(shuō)，這種藝術(shù)連見(jiàn)也沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)。但是，中國(guó)人卻能夠耐心地、專心地、誠(chéng)心地聽(tīng)你指出他的缺點(diǎn)，并樂(lè)于接受，還說(shuō)：“是我錯(cuò)，是我錯(cuò)。”也許，他會(huì)因?yàn)槟闵拼@樣一個(gè)微不足道的小人物而感謝你，并保證，他會(huì)將你所指出的缺點(diǎn)立刻徹底地改正，并永不再犯。你也很清楚，這些信誓旦旦的承諾不過(guò)是“鏡中之花、水中之月”。但是，就算他們的天性是不著邊際的，這些話還是很受聽(tīng)的，也有可能使事情就此結(jié)束。而且，你如果對(duì)此加以注意，就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，他們希望得到的目的也就是這樣子。

有人把中國(guó)人比做竹子，很少有比這個(gè)更為精確的比擬了。竹子很高雅，用途很廣泛。它很柔韌，中間是空的。東風(fēng)吹來(lái)，它朝西彎，西風(fēng)吹來(lái)，它朝東彎。沒(méi)風(fēng)的時(shí)候，它一點(diǎn)也不彎，挺直軀干。竹子的幼苗是一種草本植物。然而，草易于打結(jié)，而幼竹盡管柔順，但很難打結(jié)。

世界上沒(méi)有什么比人的頭發(fā)更柔軟的東西了，它可以被拉得很長(zhǎng)很長(zhǎng)，但是，拉力一旦沒(méi)了，它就立刻縮回去。憑借自身的重量，頭發(fā)可以倒向任何的方向。許多人腦袋的頭發(fā)長(zhǎng)成怎么樣，就是怎么樣，一般是不能改變它的方向。俗話說(shuō)，有一種頭發(fā)是“牛舔過(guò)的”，也就是說(shuō)，由于一綹翹著不易梳理的頭發(fā)，而其他頭發(fā)，不管有多少，都必須順著這一方向梳理。如果把我們居住的星球看成是一個(gè)頭，各個(gè)民族看做是頭發(fā)，那么，中華民族就是一綹被牛舔過(guò)的頭發(fā)。它可以被梳理，可以被修剪，也可以被剃去，但是重新長(zhǎng)出來(lái)的頭發(fā)，一定依然與以前一樣，其生長(zhǎng)的總方向也是難以改變的。

英文原版：

THE first knowledge which we acquire of the Chinese isderived from cur servants. Unconsciously to themselves,and not always to our satisfaction, they are our earliest teachers in the native character, and the lessons thus learned weoften find it hard to forget. But in proportion as our experience of the Chinese becomes broad, we discover that the conclusions to which we had been insensibly impelled by ourdealings with a very narrow circle of servants are strikinglyconfirmed by our wider knowledge, for there is a sense inwhich every Chinese may be said to be an epitome of thewhole race. The particular characteristic with which we havenow to deal, although not satisfactorily described by the paradoxical title which seems to come nearest to an adequateexpression, can easily be made intelligible by a very slightdescription.

Of all the servants employed in a foreign establishment inChina, there is no one who so entirely holds the peace of thehousehold in the hollow of his hands, as the cook. His aspectis the personification of deference as he is told by his newmistress what are the methods which she wishes him to employ, and what methods she most emphatically does not wishemployed. To all that is laid down as the rule of the establishment he assents with a cordiality which is prepossessing,not to say winning. He is, for example, expressly warnedthat the late cook had a disagreeable habit of putting the bread into the oven before it was suitably raised, and that asthis is one of the details on which a mistress feels bound toinsist, he and his mistress parted. To this the candidate responds cheerfully, showing that whatever his other faults maybe, obstinacy does not seem to be one of them. He is toldthat dogs, loafers, and smoking will not be tolerated in thekitchen ;to which he replies that he hates dogs, has neverlearned to smoke, and being a comparative stranger, has butfew friends in the city, and none of them are loafers. Afterthese preliminaries his duties begin, and it is but a few daysbefore it is discovered that this cook is a species of " bloodbrother " of the last one in the item of imperfectly risen bread,that there is an unaccountable number of persons coming toand departing from the kitchen, many of them accompaniedby dogs, and that a not very faint odour of stale tobacco isone of the permanent assets of the establishment. The cookcordially admits that the bread is not quite equal to his best,but is sure that it is not due to imperfect kneading. He isparticular on that point. The strangers seen in the kitchenare certain " yard brothers " of the coolie, but none of themhad dogs, and they are all gone now and will not return—though they are seen again next day. Not one of the servantsever smokes, and the odour must have come over the wallfrom the establishment of a man whose servants are dreadfulsmokers. The cook is the personification of reasonableness,but as there is nothing to change he does not know how tochange it.

The same state of things holds with the coolie who is set tocut the grass with a foreign sickle, bright and sharp. He receives it with a smile of approval, and is seen later in the daydoing the work with a Chinese reaping-machine, which is ahandle. *'bit of old iron about four inches in length, fitted to a shortThe old," he seems to say, " is better." The washerman is provided with a foreign washing-machine, which economises time, soap, labour, and, most of all, the clothingto be washed. He is furnished with a patent wringer whichrequires no strength, and does not damage the fabrics. Thewashing-machine and the wringer are alike suffered to relapseinto " innocuous desuetude," and the washerman continues toscrub and wrench the garments into holes and shreds as informer days. Eternal vigilance iS the price at which innovations of this nature are to be defended.

The gardener is told to repair a decayed wall by using someadobe bricks which are already on hand, but he thinks itbetter to use the branches of trees buried a foot deep in thetop of the wall, and accordingly does so, explaining, if he isquestioned, the superiority of his method. The messengerwho is employed to take an important mail to a place severaldays' journey distant, receives his packages late in the evening,that he may start the next morning by daylight. The nextafternoon he is seen in a neighbouring alley, and on beingsent for and asked what he means, he informs us that he wasobHged to take a day and wash his stockings! It is the sameexperience with the carter whom you have hired by the day.He is told to go a particular route, to which, hke all others inthe cases supposed, he assents, and takes you by an entirelydifferent one, because he has heard from some passing strangerthat the other was not so good. Cooks, coolies, gardeners,carters—all agree in distrusting otir judgment, and in placingsupreme reliance upon their own.

Phenomena illustrating our subject are constantly observedwherever there is a foreign dispensary and hospital. Thepatient is examined carefully and prescribed for, receives hismedicine in a specified number of doses, with directions thricerepeated to avoid mistakes, as to the manner in which andtimes at which it is to be taken. Lest he should forget thedetails, he returns once or twice to make stu"e, goes home andswallows the doses for two days at a gulp, because the excellence of the cure must be in the direct ratio of the dose. Themost mwiute and emphatic cautions against disturbing a plaster jacket are not sufficient to prevent its summary removal,because the patient does not wish to become a " turtle," andhave a hard shell grow to his skin.

It is not a very comforting reflection, but it is one whichseems to be abundantly justified by observation, that theopinion of the most ignorant eissistant in a dispensary seems(and therefore is) to the average patient as valuable as that ofthe physician in charge, though the former may not be ableto read a character, does not know the name of a drug orthe symptoms of any disease, and though the latter may havebeen decorated with all the letters in the alphabet of medicaltitles, and have had a generation of experience. Yet a hintfrom the gatekeeper or the coolie may be sufficient to securethe complete disregard of the directions of the physician, andthe adoption of something certainly foolish, and possibly fatal.

Thus far, we have spoken of instances of inflexibility in whichforeigners are concerned, for those are the ones to which ourattention is soonest drawn, and which possess for us the mostpractical interest. But the more our observation is directed tothe relations of the Chinese to one another, through which ifanywhere their true dispositions are to be manifested, themore we perceive that the state of things indicated by the expressive Chinese phrase " Outwardly is, inwardly is not," isnot exceptional. Chinese servants are yielding and complaisant to Chinese masters, as Chinese servants are to foreignmasters, but they have no idea of not doing things in theirown way, and it is not unhkely that their masters never for amoment suppose that their orders will be literally obeyed. Aforeign employer requires his employes to do exactly as theyare told, and because they do not do so he is in a state ofchronic hostility to some of them. A friend of the writerwho had one of that numerous class of servants who combine extreme faithfulness with extreme mulishness—thus makingthemselves an indispensably necessary nuisance—happily expressed a dilemma into which the masters of such servants areoften brought, when he remarked that as regarded that particular "Boy," he was in a condition of chronic indecision,whether to kill him or to raise his wages! The Chinese masterknows perfectly well that his commands will be ignored invarious ways, but he anticipates this inevitable result as onemight set aside a reserve for bad debts, or allow a margin forfriction in mechanics.

The same greater or less disregard of orders appears to prevail through all the various ranks of Chinese officials in theirrelations to one another, up to the very topmost round. Thereare several motives any one of which may lead to the contravening of instructions, such as personal indolence, a wish tooblige friends, or, most potent of all, the magnetic influenceof cash. A district magistrate who lived in a place where thewater is brackish, ordered his servant to take a water-cart anddraw water from a river several miles distant. The servantdid nothing of the kind, but merely went to a village where heknew the water to be sweet, and provided the magistrate withas much as he wanted of this fluid, to the saving of two thirdsthe distance and to the entire satisfaction of all parties. If themagistrate had known to a certainty that he was disobeyed, itis not probable that he would have uttered a whisper on thesubject so long as the water was good. In China " the catthat catches the rat is the good cat." Nothing succeeds likesuccess. The dread of giving offence and the innate Chineseinstinct of avoiding a disturbance would prevent misdemeanours of disobedience from being reported, though five hundredpeople might be in the secret. That was a typical Chineseservant who, having been told to empty the water from acistern into something which would save it for future use,was found to have poured it all into a well! Thus he contrived to preserve the shell of conformity, with the most absolute negation of any practical result. Dr. Rennie mentionsthe case of an official at Amoy, who cut in two an Imperialproclamation, posting the last part first, so that it could noteasily be read. Such devices are common in matters concerning foreigners, whom mandarins seldom wish to please.

It is easy to see how such a poKcy of evasion may comeinto colUsion with the demands of justice. The magistratesentences a criminal to wear a heavy wooden collar for aperiod of two months, except at night, when it is to be removed. By the judicious expenditure of cash " where it willdo the most good," this order is only so far carried out thatthe criminal is decorated with the cangue at such times as themagistrate is making his entrance to and his exit from theyamen. At all other times the criminal is quite free from theobnoxious burden. Does the magistrate not suspect that hissentence will be defeated by bribery, and will he sUp out theback way in order to come upon the explicit proof of disobedience? By no means. The magistrate is himself a Chinese,and he knew when the sentence was fixed that it would notbe regarded, and with this in mind he made the term twice aslong as it might otherwise have been. This seems to be asample of the intricacies of official intercourse in all departments, as exemplified by what forefgners continually observe.The higher officer orders the lower to see that a certain step istaken. The lower official reports respectfully that it has beendone. Meanwhile nothing has been done at all. In manycases this is the end of the matter. But if there is a continuedpressure from some quarter, and the orders are urgent, thelower magistrate transmits the pressure to those still lower,and throws the blame upon them, until the momentum of thepressure is exhausted, and then things go on just as they werebefore. This is called " reform," and is often seen on a greatscale, as in the spasmodic suppression of the sale of opium, or of the cultivat'on of the poppy, with results which are knownto all.

There are doubtless those to whom the Chinese seem themost " obstinate " of peoples, and to such the adjective " flexible," which we have employed to characterise the " inflexibility" of the Chinese, will appear singularly inappropriate.Nevertheless, we must repeat the conviction that the Chineseare far from being the most obstinate of peoples, and that theyare in fact far less obstinate than the Anglo-Saxons, We callthem " flexible " because, with a " firmness " like that of mules,they unite a capacity of bending of which the Anglo-Saxon isfrequently destitute.

No better illustration of this talent of the Chinese for " flexibility " can be cited, than their ability to receive gracefullya reproof. Among the Anglo-Saxon race it is a lost art, orrather it is an art that was never discovered. But the Chinese listens patiently, attentively, even cordially, while youare exposing to him his own shortcomings, assents cheerfully,and adds, " I am in fault, I am in fault." Perhaps he eventhanks you for your kindness to his unworthy self, and promises that the particulars which you have specified shall beimmediately, thoroughly, permanently reformed. These fairpromises you well know to be " flowers in the mirror, and thebright moon in the water," but despite their unsubstantialnature, it is impossible not to be mollified therewith, and this,be it noted, is the object for which they were designed.

Few comparisons of the sort hit the mark more exactlythan that which likens the Chinese to the bamboo. It isgraceful, it is everywhere useful, it is supple, and it is hollow.When the east wind blows it bends to the west. When thewest wind blows it bends to the east. When no wind blowsit does not bend at all. The bamboo plant is a grass. It iseasy to tie knots in grasses. It is difficult, despite its suppleness, to tie knots in the bamboo plant. Nothing in nature is more flexible than a human hair. It can be drawn out a largepercentage of its own length, and when the tractile force iswithdrawn, it at once contracts. It bends in any direction byits own weight alone. There is a certain growth of hair onmany human heads which consists of definite tufts, quite persistent in the direction of their growth, and generally incapable of any modification. Such a growth is vulgarly called a" cow-lick," and as it cannot be controlled, the remaininghairs, however numerous they may be, must be arranged withreference thereto. If the planet on which we dwell be considered as a head, and the several nations as the hair, theChinese race is a venerable cow-lick, capable of being combed,clipped, and possibly shaved, but which is certain to growagain just as before, and the general direction of which is notlikely to be changed.