Tue June number of that excellent Tapanese magazine in English, the Har East, opens with an article headed "Our View of China." It is critical, sympathetic, but inconsequent; and its concluding sentences make it specially interesting to British readers. " China is an unknown quantity," the writer begins by saying; and truly those who have been longest in the country feel that they know least about it. It is then stated that that "even those who have spent ten or twenty years in the interior of China, and are thoroughly acquainted with the thoughts and feelings of her people declare most decidedly that China is hopeless and helpless; that her future offers nothing but dissolution; that she will soon lose her position in the family of nations; while her people will become simply the servants and slaves of others." The result of the late war confirmed this belief; but the writer in the Far East differs radically from this opinion. The country is too vast, he holds, and the state of the people too sound, for this to be true, Greece, Rome, or to the countries of modern Europe, as regards the development of her institutions. On the other hand she has been the source of the civilisation of the Orient." This is fortified by a long quotation from that rather inaccurate authority, Dr. S. Wells Williams. The civilisation of China is not indigenous the West, thoughts assimilation has been so perfect that the superficial observer is deceived into thinking that it owes nothing to outside sources. But the Far East tells us that "China is not only to be admired because she did not borrow from other lands, a negative virtue, but she is asa matter of positive merit, to be credited with various useful inventions. For example, it is universally admitted that the matiner's compass, gunpowder, porcelain, printing, ete. were invented by the Chinese long before the people of the West even dreamed of them. If we enumerate those countries which assess each a nationality of its own, hina must be placed at their head. How could such a people fail to be proud and conservative?"
If Japan turned round and suddenly, less than thirty years ago, became a Westernoid country, why cannot China? Because Japan has always beea an adaptive country. All her previous civilisation was borrowed from China, and therefore when a higher civilisation was presented to her, she had no difficulty in accepting it. With China itis different she cannot throw off like an old coat her own civilisation which she has enjoyed for several thousand years, "And therefore it is our firm opinion that the only way to render the Chinese progressive is to make them understand the real value of modern civilisation, if neces sary, even by means of iron and blood."
The Chinese are not so very obstinate after all. They do progress. The in-visions of Great Britain, France, and Japan in the present century have not taught them nothing.. The talk is of railways in all directions, and China is reorganizing her army and navy. The railways will be a potent engine of education, and " this prospect encourages us to believe that the future of China, on the whole, is hopeful, though its present condition may not be satisfactory." doubtful; she is making no serious efforts at reform. Corruption is still rampant and no one dares to stem the tide. " While polities are thus corrupt, her diplomatic relations are in a serious condition. 'An enormous Power' is watching for a chance to spring upon her. Every opportunity and' every means are utilised by that Power to promote its influence in. China. The conclusion of the Russo-Chinese secret treaty preceded the lease of the Kiaochou Bay... What do all these rumours, even though some of them may be untrue, signify? If the next tensor fifteen years pass away in this manner, we fear China will be a poor captive, before she wakes up to the necessity of reform." 'I'hen the Jar East does justice to Great Britain's position in China, All she sought was the promotion of her trade, and in promoting it she took the highest position in the country, "But now the situation is changing, or rather has changed, Before the war, she kept the peace of the Far East by her understanding with China, There may not have been any written treaty, but there was an understanding. Then, British influence was unique in the empire. During the war, she found out that she had over-estimated the strength of China and began to treat her with less consideration than before, This offended the Peking court and made it impossible to rely upon her as before. 'I'he competitors of Great Britain took advantage of this opportunity, They tried their best to get the sympathy of China, by every means, by threats, by favours, by flattery, etc. Since Great Britain is now wholly isolated and has no strong ally in place of China, her influence in China, as well as in the Far East, has considerably diminished. But she is reaping what she has sowed. No one is responsible for this state of affairs but herself."
It would almost look as if the writer was annoyed at Great Britain's not joining the New Triple Alliance in the coercion of Japan. He ends by expressing another doubt whether China will reform in time, If she does, "the future of the Far East. will certainly be brighter. If not, none can tell what.the future may, have in afore."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.