What is noticeable is the extreme friendliness of the people and offici Never before in one's ten years in China have the people along the way from Ichang to Kiating been so cordial ridly, and never before have the been so eager to give assistance and make everything pleasant and easy for the traveller. The air seems to be full of friendliness and good feeling. No doubt John Chinaman feels that his battles are being fought for him by Japan. If that is so nothing could be more according to "John's" way of looking at things. It is the idea of a middle man doing his business for him. "John" certainly likes to do business through middlemen. Let the middleman get and ive the hard knocks and " John" will do the "heavy looking-on" and pay the bills to run the thing. It will not suit anybody more than it will suit " John" to see Russia get well thrashed, especially if the Japs do it.
The Official Machinery of the province seems to be working as usual with about the same amount of rubbing and squeaking that always goes on. That the silvery oil of bribery needed to make the wheels go round is plentiful is evident from the constant change of officials in all the offices of th province. The game of "get in" and "get out" is very popular. Get into office, do up the round of squeezes that belong with it, and got out again is the order of the day. How long will China stand it? may well be asked. The best answer is, how long has China stood it? If an official holds the same office for ayeer, he is doing well these days; if the people of China do not like change, they must be getting a lot of something they don't like just now.
The One Anxict.
The question that most concerns foreigners here in this distant interior is, how long are we to consider it safe to stay here with a great war going on, ically on Chinese soil? The English have a great responsibility devolving upon them at the present time. We look to them for light. They doubtless could not do the community at large a greater service than to keep it well informed as to current events. It may be true that the Chinaman has no ill will against other nationals, but, as a leading Chinaman in America recently said: "When trouble comes in China again, it will not be that China will want to hurt the foreigner, but that China will not be able to protect him." It is not anew thing for China to be weak. During the past her weakness has been her strength. China now faces a new situation, and without strength is nothing.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.