纽约时报1895年2月19日对自杀殉国的北洋海军将领评价-附原文翻译

 

纽约时报1895年2月19日对自杀殉国的北洋海军将领评价-附原文翻译

THREE CHINESE SUICIDES

Three Chinese officers, Admiral Ting, Commodore Liu, and Gen. Chang, seem to deserve credit for a higher degree of Patriotism and a nicer sense of honor and propriety than have been exhibited by any of their compatriots during the present war. They have been driven to exhibit these qualities in a melancholy and tragical way, namely, by suicide; but it does not appear that they had any better method of expressing their sentiments. They had been outmaneuvered and outfought by the Japanese, and they took their own lives rather than survive their defeat, leaving letters for their superiors, which would doubtless be interesting, but which we can scarcely hope will be published.
It may or may not be true of these officers that nothing in their lives was so becoming as the leaving of them. But they have done a patriotic service in showing that there are at least three Chinamen out of four hundred millions who count something more valuable than their own skins. Such a showing was very much needed. It has been the aim of the Chinese officials to betray their country to the utmost pecuniary advantage, and to protect themselves from personal injury. If they happened to be Generals they have run away, when they could, before a battle began, instead of waiting to run away during the battle or after it, as their troops were compelled to do. Indeed, this news of the triple suicide is the first announcement there has been that the words honor and shame had any meaning to Chinese officers of high rank. The majority of these officers have made their country an object of contempt to all mankind, a circumstance which did not seem to concern anybody in China. That three Chinese officers should show sensitiveness enough about a Chinese defeat to drive then to suicide is a small sign that the nation is not altogether so contemptible as it has appeared.
It may be that we overpraise these persons. It is the Chinese theory that Chinese troops are invincible, and that no Chinese force can be defeated except by the misconduct of its commander. It follows that when an army is defeated its commander should be beheaded, and this means of raising the morale of the army is frequently applied, so that the Chinese General fights or runs away with a halter around his neck. It may be that these three officers had reason to believe that the Emperor would demand not only their yellow jackets, but their heads, if they escaped alive from the “vermin” whom he had ordered them to destroy. But, even so, it was much more respectable and dignified in them to anticipate the penalty of failure than to await it, and any exhibition on the part of a Chinese commander, of comparative respectability and dignity and of a decent respect to the opinion of mankind, is as encouraging as it is unexpected.

The New York Times
Published: February 19, 1895


這篇後經過翻譯，收錄在《帝国的回憶——纽约时报 晚清观察记》一書中:

三 名中国海军将领，北洋舰队司令丁汝昌将军、右翼总兵兼“定远”舰舰长刘步蟾将军和张将军，在目前的战争中表现出了比他们的同胞更加坚贞的爱国精神和更高尚 的民族气节，他们值得大清国的人民引为骄傲。他们是通过一种令人哀伤的、悲剧性的方式—— 自杀，来表现出这种可贵品质的。但是，看来他们也不能找到比这更好的方式来表达情操了。的确，他们被日本人打败了，但他们在战败时不苟且偷生，而是在给上 司留下信件后自杀殉国。那些信件无疑非常引人注目，但我们很难指望它们能公之于众。

不管这些军官在他们的实际生活中是否像他们离开时表 现的那样，但至少他们在展现一个中国人的爱国精神方面做出了贡献，他们向世人展示：在四万万中国人中，至少有三个人认为世界上还有一些别的什么东西要比自 己的生命更宝贵。这种表现难能可贵，也是中国人非常需要的。大清国的官员一贯的行为准则是：为了金钱以及保证自己的利益不受伤害，可以出卖国家。如果这些 人碰巧是将军的话，只要有可能，他们在开战之前就早早地逃之夭夭了，而不会等到战斗开始后再逃。他们可不像手下的士兵，那些士兵是被迫在坚持作战。

的 确，这三位军官的自杀首次表明，“光荣”与“耻辱”这两个词，对大清国的某些高级官员来说毕竟还是有不同含义的。大清国官员中的大多数在让自己的国家成为 世人蔑视的对象时，似乎也让世人不再关心任何中国人。这三名中国军官由于祖国的战败而自杀，这个小小的迹象表明，这个民族并不整个都是可鄙的，她并不像以 前向世人所表现出的那样。

当然，我们也可能对这些人过奖了。大清国的理论是：帝国军队是战无不胜的，除非是其统帅指挥不当，否则，大清 国的军队就决不会被打败。由此演绎出了以下逻辑，如果军队战败了，其统帅就应该被砍头，并且这种理论屡屡付诸实践，以此来严明军队的纪律，提高军队的士 气。因此说，大清国的将军们是脖子上拴着绞索来指挥战斗的，逃跑也是如此。可能是这种情况：这三名中国军官有理由相信，假如他们从那些“东洋鬼子”手下活 着逃生，他们的皇帝不但会夺去他们的黄马褂，而起更会要他们的脑袋。皇帝就是命令他们去消灭那帮“东洋鬼子”的。但即使如此，他们不是去等待惩罚，而是自 杀殉职，这种做法是多么有骨气、多么可敬啊！就一个中国军官来说，他们身上表现出的任何一点可敬的品性和做人的尊严，都是对人类一种意想不到的鼓舞。