Chapter 27 Crescent Society Critic Tasks

The critics in the Crescent Club [2] hate and ridicule, but only one kind of person is ridiculed, and they are those who make ridicule articles.The critics in the New Moon Club do not take people who are dissatisfied with the status quo very much, but they are only dissatisfied with one status quo, and now there are people who are dissatisfied with the status quo. This is roughly the meaning of "returning the person's body in the same way" [3], shedding tears to maintain law and order. For example, killing people is not acceptable.But the person who kills the "murderer" is also a murderer, so who can say that he is wrong?Hitting people is not acceptable.But when the old man wants to beat the prisoner's buttocks, and the Zaoli comes to beat him ten to one, is it considered a crime?Although critics of the Crescent Society also have ridicule and dissatisfaction, I think this is the reason for those who can only transcend the evil of ridicule and dissatisfaction.

But as usual, since executioners and slaves have done such a task of maintaining law and order, they will naturally be respected in the society, and they may even say a few words at will to show their prestige in front of the common people, as long as they do not hinder Security, the chief has always pretended not to know. Now the critics of the Crescent Society are trying their best to maintain law and order, but what they want is "freedom of thought" [4], just thinking, ideas that will never be realized.Unexpectedly, when they encountered another law of maintaining law and order [5], they were not even allowed to think about it.From then on, I am afraid that I will be dissatisfied with the two status quo.

BB [1] This article was originally published in the first issue of the first volume of "Sprout Monthly" on January 1, 1930. 〔2〕Critics in the Crescent Society refer to Liang Shiqiu.In his "On the Attitude of Criticism" published in Volume 2, No. 5 (July 1929) of the "New Moon" monthly magazine, he advocated so-called "serious" criticism" and attacked "humorous and satirical articles" as "Crude and clamoring words", accusing young people who are "dissatisfied with the status quo" for "speaking a few bitter and witty words". [3] "That is to use the way of others, to treat the person's body" see "The Doctrine of the Mean" Song Dynasty Note by Zhu Xi.

〔4〕"Freedom of Thought" The Crescent School advocated "freedom of thought" at that time.For example, Liang Shiqiu said in "On the Unification of Thought" in the third volume of the second volume of the "New Moon" monthly magazine (May 1929): "We oppose the unity of thought, and we demand freedom of thought."According to the fact that they put forward this proposition from the standpoint of bourgeois democracy, they actually oppose the real freedom of thought of the people. 〔5〕Another kind of law and order refers to the ideological control of the Kuomintang.At that time, the "freedom of thought" demanded by the Crescent School was not allowed. For example, Hu Shi successively published articles such as "Human Rights and the Law" and "Knowing Difficulties, Acting Is Not Easy" in the "New Moon" monthly magazine in 1929. The authorities believed that he "criticized the party's righteousness" and "insulted the Prime Minister", and had decided that the Ministry of Education should "warn" Hu Shi.