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ara » fo poave nwt CEre morte FT 2 BY PEARL BUCK knows China as few West- ermers do. She often knows what is go- ing 10 happen there before it happens. HE Chinese people in their age- old common sense have never rushed to rid themselves of tyrants. They are not hurrying now. They helieve that Heaven and Nature will perform the act. How do they hnow when Heaven has decreed. against a Kvrant? By the simple fact that the price of rice has gone higher than the average man can afford to pay. A ood ruler keeps the price of rice down, When he is no longer able to heep it down, it is time for him te go. Chinese democracy is) symbolized in the family, now a> always. The Chinese conceive of the relationships of the people to the ruler and his advisers as the same that hold in a family. between the Father-head. older brother subordinate-head> and the other members. Chinese) democ- racy. when it taker final shape. will not rest on political machinery but on paternally democratic indisidual-: and a fatherly man will he the head. to continue in office so dong as he i able to hold the respect and trust of the people fy keeping the price of rice down, The essential qualiay of the €binese concept of democracy mas he feornria in the rejection of the idea of whole sale merchandising. Two ounces of spring melon. the old story gors. sold for three small cash an ounce, Whet arich man said. “What will the price AN OIPNEORKMED INTERPRET ATION THE PRESENT MOOD OF CHINA Pearl Buck Offers A NOTE ON THE PRICE OF RICE (and power! be ona hundred times two ounces?” the answer was, “lt is still three small cash for two ounces.” Why should the rich be able to buy more cheaply than the poor and so use up all the necessities of life? China is” naturally organized against monopo- lies. Such accumulations as have been made were made under the corrupt: ing conditions fostered by foreign taxes and customs. At present, the price of rico in China i- fabulous, far above the abil- ity of the people to pay. Rice ir the basic commodity, and all other com- modities are related to it. Ht is com: parable to steel in the United States. Since the Nationalist povernment can do nothing. apparently. about reduc- ing prices. it is, in the opinion of the people, doomed to fall. They have watched with interest the effort. of the American- te holster this decaying regime. Had the bol- stering heen able to reduce the price of rice. it would have had -ignifi- cance. But this would have taken many billions of dollars, in fact the taking over and complete reforms tion of the whole Chinese econony . The Chinese knew that the American- were nol prepared to go so far. There forse. thes have known from the be pinning Uhat the present resime was doomed. in spite of small delay -. THE CHINESE ATTITUDE ro’ Vb COMME NISTs The Chinese, having seen that the price of rice has risen above all preeedenut under the present leader. ‘Gow that atas tine to look for others. They gre scanning their horizons with full confidence. Leaders have always risen from the people and will always rise, It ix a question of time. The time has heen unduly stretched because of the interference of for- eign nations, notably the United States, but the end will come. What about the Communists? _ The question the Chinese people ask is—what sort of men and women are they? Are they Chinese frat or Communists first? The Chinese peo- ple believe that there are both kinds. The Communists who are Chinese first are those who have got their Communism second-hand, who have never left their native soil. The Com- munists who are Communists before they are Chinese are the ‘returned Russian-trained students. They “have drunk Communist milk from the breast of Soviet Russia.” The Chinese people believe, gen- erally speaking. that the first group will come back into Chinese life. bringing with them ideas which may resisify their country. But the re- turned-student Communists will never again he trusted to be loyal to China. ts it likely, then, that the new leaders will be Communists of the first sort? The Chinese people say Nature forbids. These Communists are men who understand peasants and peasant life but they have no expe- rience in government. Traditionally Chinese government lies in the hands. not of peasants, but of men of learn- ing and philosophy. The new leaders will rise from these again, and in their wisdom they will call upon others who understand peasant life to help them but not control. Again the test will be the price of rice. The Chinese people are thinking these things. and they wait as they have waited sometimes for a hundred years. They wait until again Heaven and Nature cuide their way. 17