Chapter 15 Interest in American life and politics

In Hu Shi's time, the students studying abroad in Geng style were quite well-off.In addition to tuition and miscellaneous fees, the monthly living expenses per person was 80 US dollars, which was about 200 Chinese silver dollars at that time.This is really a huge amount, almost equal to the income of 40 domestic workers.Such a foreign student lives in a very good life. Take residence as an example.Hu Shi originally lived in the World Student Association, and later moved to No. 120 Oak Street.A person's room is 13 feet long and 9 feet wide, with a complete set of furniture and equipment.The scenery is also quite good.According to Hu Shi’s own description: the window is facing a stream, “There are so many trees on both sides of the stream, and the clear cypresses, gentle willows, and ancient oaks can be seen from the window. In the gaps in the forest, you can see the clear stream, which is clear and shallow to the bottom. It is rapids", so the sound of the water is rushing, day and night.Hu Shi was quite proud of living in such a place with clear windows and beautiful scenery. He woke up in the middle of the night and wrote a poem:

The mountain stream under the window keeps ringing, and it's even clearer from midnight to pillow. Dream back to midnight and frequently ask, do you know if it is the sound of the spring or the sound of the rain? ① International students with such a well-off life are mostly exposed to the life of the upper class in the United States.Most of the people Hu Shi visited were the families of well-known professors and scholars on the campus of Kangda University. He had contact with some Christian leaders and their activities. Embarrassed, not only has the old-fashioned problems of Chinese old-fashioned scholars, but also carries the heavy burden of repenting and licentiousness, and is full of pessimism.Nowadays, when one walks into the life circle of the American upper class and is infected by American Christian civilization, one will inevitably feel ashamed, feel fresh, envious of everything, and be extremely interested in everything.He felt that Americans have a kind of "optimism and vitality born of naivety", so that "the contagion of this kind of joyful vision of life cannot be avoided", and gradually healed his attitude of youth and maturity.

One day, Hu Shi went to watch a football match with his classmates.This is the first time in his life.At first, he was sitting upright, looking at the game from the perspective of reading philosophy textbooks, so naturally he couldn't see any way to do it; moreover, he was always a little displeased with the rough fighting of the players and the desperate cheering and screaming of the audience. Lose the dignity and decency of college students.However, as the competition became more and more intense, Hu Shi was gradually infected and gradually understood the enthusiasm of the audience.Later, he turned around by chance and saw a gray-haired professor of botany he knew, dancing in the stands like a young man, cheering and shouting sincerely.Hu Shi was very moved, felt ashamed, and no longer sat upright.Before long, he also unconsciously joined the ranks of enthusiastic cheers. ②

In less than three years in the United States, Hu Shi's pessimistic thoughts and moods have changed a lot.When communicating with friends, he always encourages him with "optimism"; he also likes Bu Langyin's optimistic poems.He himself feels that the biggest gain from going abroad for several years is this optimistic philosophy of life.This had a major impact on his life, and he later even called himself an "incurable optimist". Hu Shi had a stronger interest in American political life.From China under the imperial rule of the Qing Dynasty to the newly emerging capitalist democracy in the United States, it can be said that I know nothing about the political organization, political parties, elections and legal system of this country, but everything is novel, which makes me feel very strange. Fascinated.When he first read the United States' "Declaration of Independence", he was amazed and said:

Yesterday, I read the American Independence Manifesto, read it carefully, and felt that every word and every sentence has a sharp edge, and I plead for the people everywhere, with righteous words and strict speeches, which is truly eternal.Chen Luo of our country is not enough to say this! ③He went to Washington and often went to Congress to attend.In Yisejia, I often go to the city council to attend.At one time there were eight people in the city council meeting.A friend told him that one of the eight people was a university professor, and the rest were businessmen in the city, including a cigar merchant, a dairy owner, a coal merchant, a clerk in a grocery store, and a construction engineer.The former mayor was a laundromat, and after becoming mayor, he became a laundromat owner.Hu Shi admired all of these, and felt that the "spirit of republic peace and rights" was particularly worth learning. ④

During his stay in the United States, Hu Shi experienced two U.S. elections.The first time was in 1912, when the 1911 Revolution overthrew the long-term imperial rule and the Republic of China was officially born.The Democratic Party's presidential candidate is Wilson, the Republican Party is Taft, and the Progressive Party split from the Republican Party is the elder Roosevelt.The three parties are evenly matched, evenly matched, and the competition is fierce.Therefore, even foreign students are very concerned about it, which is even more attractive to Hu Shi. In order to understand the elections in the United States, Hu Shi deliberately took the special course "American Government and Political Parties" taught by Professor Samuel P. Orth.This is a course that is most closely integrated with American real politics and directly serves politics.According to Hu Shi's recollection, the opening remarks of Ao's first class were very clear and interesting.What he said was to the effect that:

This year is an election year.I want every student in the class to subscribe to three dailies—three papers published in New York, not the local tabloids—the New York Times is pro-Wilson; The New York Evening Journal (I don't know if it's part of the "Hearst family" news system.But the newspaper is not a major newspaper. ] is for Roosevelt.If you order each copy for three months, you will gain immeasurably in the future.In these three months, read every news every day.After carefully reading the election news, make a summary; and then make a newspaper reading report based on the summary and give it to me.Newspapers are essential reference books for this course, and reports are homework.In addition, you also need to do a comparative study of illegal and disciplined election campaigns among the 48 federal states, and hand it in as a final assignment! Objects you support.Hu Shi naturally followed suit and chose to support the leader of the Progressive Party, Old Roosevelt.He wears a bighorn bison badge on his chest, which symbolizes his support for Roche, and attends various political rallies, listens to speeches, listens to debates, goes to the city center at night to watch elections, runs around, and is extremely excited.

At that time, Hu Shi was serving as the president of the Cornell branch of the World Student Association. On October 30, he initiated a "game voting" in the cafeteria of the World Student Union to "elect" the president of the United States.A total of 53 students from various countries participated in the voting, and the results are as follows: Although it was a game voting, Hu Shi carefully analyzed the voting results one by one.The next day, Kangda's "University Daily" organized another game election, with more than 2,000 teachers, students and staff participating.Hu Shi also ran to vote for Roosevelt with relish.The results of these two game elections disappointed Hu Shi. Roosevelt, whom he supported, "lost" and Wilson won the first place in both votes.What is strange is that the result of the game voting is exactly the same as the result of the actual election later.

Wilson was elected President of the United States. In 1914, Hu Shi went to Washington to attend a World Student Conference.President Wilson and Secretary of State Brian received the delegates in person and delivered speeches.Hu Shi had developed deep faith in Wilson.So, by the time of the 1916 election, he had switched to supporting Wilson.He and a few Chinese classmates ran to "New York Times Square" to see the election results at the climax of voting.The successive news seemed to be unfavorable to Wilson, and they were disappointed.Waited until midnight before walking back to school.The next morning, I got up and read the election news in the newspaper again.I couldn't buy The New York Times, so I walked several streets to buy a copy.

The headline of the "Times" was "Wilson may narrowly win", a line of big characters jumped into Hu Shi's eyes, he was so happy, and only then remembered to go back to school for breakfast.It’s really to the point of “forgetting sleep and food”! ⑥ After field observation and research on the two American elections, Hu Shi became very interested in the political life of the United States. Elections, the constitution and the legal system, etc., have a very deep understanding. Under the influence of American life and politics, Hu Shi broadened his horizons, lifted his spirits, and deeply accepted Western ideas of democracy, freedom and the rule of law.This "has a decisive influence" on his political thoughts and life path throughout his life.

① See "The Second Relocation" (September 25, 1914) in "Notes of the Canghui Room", Volume 7, Shanghai Yadong Library, 1936 edition, pp. 418-419. ②See Hu Shi's "My Belief", "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Selected Letters", Volume 2, Beijing Zhonghua Book Company, August 1980, pp. 561-562. ③ "Zanghui Room Notes", Volume 1, diary on March 9, 1911.Shanghai Yadong Edition, p. 13. ④Refer to "Notes of the Zanghui Room", Volume 3, "According to the Citizens' Assembly in Qisejiacheng, April 4th, 1914" (February 4, 1914), Shanghai Yadong Edition, pp. 196-198.Among them, "Citizen Council", the original text is Common Council, and the translation of "City Council" is more accurate. ⑤ "Hu Shi's Oral Autobiography" (translated and annotated by Tang Degang), Taipei Biographical Literature Publishing House, March 1981, first edition, p. 32. ⑥Refer to Hu Shi's "My Faith" and "Zanghui Room Notes", Volume 2, Diary on October 30 and 31, 1912 (Shanghai Yadong Edition, pp. 111-116).