Feb, 2.
'THe American Association of China, whose report for 1923 has just reached us, are much more modest in their outpourings than we remember in bygone days, In. truth, the task of writing reports on "progress of events"' (as the pie goes) is a depressing one nowadays, con sisting of nothing but the record of fruitless expostulation. To some extent the American Association appears to be overshadowed by its sister Chamber of Commerce. The Associution's membership is only 207, resident, and the report' urges that more Americans, especially those not eligible for the Chamber, should join. 'This is reasonable, experience having shown, certainly in the British, and we have no doubt in the American community: as well, that there is scope for both' Chamber and Association and work that quite obviously is better handled by one than by the other.
The report states that the Executive Committee have made every effort to bring before the authorities at 'Washington' the views of the Association on matters of vital importance to Americans residing in China."" The Lincheng outrage is cited particular, when the Association actively joined with other similar organizations, American and British, in telegraphic bombardment of Home Governments. Tt is the ceaseless preoccupation of foreigners in China how to enlighten public and official opinion in their home countries as to the true state of affairs in this, We find that great Hosideratum urgently dwelt on in. the very first number of. the North China, Herald" seventy. three years ago, and it reinaing, og desirable and qs unattainable as ever. In fact,, the situation is really worse to-day than it was in 1843. Then, nobody knew anything about China and the people on the spot had a free hand, Now, every twopenny politician thinks he knows ey thing about China, and Minis. ters are simply bound hand and foot to their respective chan-colleries, Thus we find the American Association writing to. the President of the United States to urge "that no action be taken on the proposed remission of the unremitted portion of the Boxer Indemnity until China, had a united government." As the report shows, the contingency does not appear imminent. But the mere reference is enough to illustrate the general state of trepidation of foreign communities produced by the sloppy sentiment which suffuses the eyes of Western-is to be feared we must add, especially American, politicians looking towards China.—Tt is. not that these communities ask for tie mailed fist: far from it. All they would make clear ix that sympathy—the watchword, now, in every affair of the Far East—unless based on a full: understanding of facts can only end in disaster, and that the class of person in China, with whom the foreign diplomats: deal is in no sense representative of the real people an ne interests of the land of Sinim.
Some interesting paragraphs Aeseribe the work of providing relief among needy Am which, it need hardly be added, has grown largely years. The Association undertook to raise "the: necessary funds—which it did to the tune, of $8,000, no mean sum with
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.