spending their strength nor
sharpening their wits in trying experiments. Indeed, experimenting
stopped centuries ago; each natural difficulty, every social and
economic problem had been met and answered in some sort of way, and so
the people lived year after year, doing things just as their fathers had
done them. And now they impress one as very experienced, though
old-fashioned; but not aged,--no, not at all.

On the contrary, face to face with the Chinese at home, one is
overwhelmed by an impression of power,--actual power, potential power,
power of the individual, power of the group, power well used, power
misspent. The impression is almost stunning. You seem to be watching a
community of ants, persistent, untiring, organized, only the ant-hill is
a town, and the ants are men physically strong, gluttons for work,
resourceful, adaptable, cheerful. Then multiply such ant-hills by
thousands and you have China. For not merely is the Chinese the best
worker in the world, but he also leads in organization. No Chinese
stands alone; behind him is the family, the clan, the guild. He does not
confront life naked and solitary, he is one of a group; that gives him
confidence, and keeps him under control. It makes it both easier and
more difficult to deal with him. Treat him unjustly, and you are
fighting, not a man but a group. But if he wrongs you, you have a hold
upon him, you can call him to account through his group.

And the power of organization smooths greatly the daily machinery of
living in China. As I leaned over the side of the steamer in Singapore
Harbour, watching the seven hundred coolies come aboard that we were
taking home to Kwangtung province, the chief officer remarked to me, "A
thousand Chinese make us less trouble than one Indian"; and he went on
to explain, "When we enter here, half a dozen Chinese boarding-house
keepers come on board and ask how much deck-room we have. They agree on
what they want, and then each stakes out his claim, as it were, with
bits of red paper emblazoned with Chinese characters. A little later
coolies come, bringing the luggage of the home-going Chinese, each thing
marked with a piece of red paper with the same black lettering. They ask
no questions, but look about until they have found the corresponding
marks on the deck, and there they unload. And later the Kwangtung men
arrive, each with a red ticket, and they too ask no questions, but just
hunt up their things all properly ma