Chinese Mettle by Emily Georgiana Kemp

"I heard a thousand blended notes, / While in a grove I sat reclined, / In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts / Bring sad thoughts to the mind. / To her fair works did Nature link / The human soul that through me ran; / And much it grieved my heart to think / What man has made of man. / Through primrose tufts in that green bower, / The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; / And 'tis my faith that every flower / Enjoys the air it breathes. / The birds around me hopped and played, / Their thoughts I cannot measure: / But the least motion which they made, / It seemed a thrill of pleasure. / The budding twigs spread out their fan, / To catch the breezy air; / And I must think, do all I can, / That there was pleasure there. / If such belief from Heaven be sent, / If such be Nature's holy plan; / Have I not reason to lament / What man has made of man. " / -W. WORDSWORTH.

Kweichow is supposed to be the original home of the Miao stock. The mountainous character of the province with its rugged fastnesses and deep valleys is admirably suited to be the refuge for the many tribes who have continually been driven back throughout the centuries by their enemies, the Chinese. Many have taken refuge in the neighbouring province of Yünnan and even in French territory south of the Red River. The hostility of the Chinese to them is due to three causes, as far as I can gather: (_i_) to the low morality of the tribes, (_ii_) to their illiteracy, and (_iii_) to their dissimilarity of character to the Chinese. The first two points are very vital to the Chinese: they are at the root of all their civilization, for no ancient race has laid greater stress on the necessity of morality and learning. Their contempt for the Miao is unbounded and out of all proportion. Our interpreter was astonished to find how different they were from all that he had ever heard, and decided that he must enlighten Peking on the subject when he returned home!