Dee. 27.
From time to time letters ap: pear in our correspondence columns touching the question Jof the influence-of the foreismer in China in the future. The subject is full of vital interest. No one can with tolerable certainty say what will happen in (China during the next five leades, or two, or one, for Ching still is, as she has. always been, a land of surprises for the foreigner. Looking backwards, however, it seems that foreign influence, among the Chinese people te-day is not as strong as it was say twenty years ago—or, if as strong, it works in a different way. "Those of us who have passed the last two decades in this country must admit that we look out over a scene vastly changed during [that period. In those days—and this applies to any time up to the time of the Roxer troubles, for foreigners did not begin to come in great numbers until after that outbreak—there were fewer foreigners resident in China: missionaries had not gained such ground in the in-they have since; moving pictures were not known there were very few newspapers, and of those which existed circulations were very small; popular education hal not gained any appreciable hold:
Chinese books and magazines were few and far between, and not read by the general' po-place; and altogether the country was not "developed" as it is to-day. Economically, international trade in China was not then as important, nor by any means as large, as it now is. Direct trading with foreign countries by Chinese, morcov was practically nil, for th were extremely few native fin then who essayed to buy a thing from abroad unless on the ordinary indent business through the established foreign house: and it seems to us that we did not then heer the continual wail of bad trade as we hear to-day. The foreigner, generally speaking, was much more then of a wonder of wonders to the average Chinese, and commerce was regarded as an Jabsolutely necessary link he. tween the Chinese buyer and the manufacturer and shipper western countries. The number of Chinese banks having wen-cies abroad could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Times have changed. As we look backwards, taking a cursory view of things, therefore, we are of the opinion that a very lave proportion of the Chinese who have occasion to think of the matter rightly or wrongly believe that they have come fo the point where they can dispense with the foreigner. We are not saying that this applies to all, or even to that part of the nation that most matters, but there unquestionably is a large number of Chinese who fect that. they would rather that the for: eigner were out of the counts This, however, is by no means any new idea. In the '40's, '50's, and '60's foreign -intereourse was merely ungraciously tolers ed, was not then, and never has been since, regarded as blessing. Indeed, it may truthfully be said thatthe Chinere people have never shown any enthusiasm for the presence of the foreigner in their country." The whole history of foreign intercourse with China has been a
the trade we are doing to-day record of aggression, andy all ig the result of the foreigner: riding full tilt against strong conservative thought. and eral resistance to the adopt of his new things and ides. The Chinese asa mass have never wanted the foreigner. They told us blandly that they had the best food—rice; the best drink—tea; the best raiment—silk; and that it was only out of magnanimity. of heart that they consented to trade with us. From their point of view, there twas some reason in their claim.
Tt must not be forgotten by those who smile at this Chinese idea that it was not necessary. for China to buy from or sell to foreigners, for her own inter~ provincial trade quite sufficed to dispose of superfluous products and supply the demand of consumers. At the, end of the eighteenth century China's supremacy was unquestioned in hey own eastern world, and she had been living quite apart from the outside "barbarian" world. At the end of. the nineteenth, there was witnessed an attempt to expel all foreigners who had made such inroads, against: the will of the people, 80 carefully planned and vicious in its conception that the modern world has not known its counterpart, Though few of us will be here to read the story, our future influence in this country ix none the tess an important mat ter for all foreigners. While we cannot sce that the Chinese viewpoint regarding foreigners in their midst kas changed very much during the last two decades, we see signs everywhere around us that the almost immovable consn: vatism of the people is being ¢radually broken down, "and the cause therefor may be directly traced to the foreigner and his ways, If there is a section of the people who feel that they can do without the foreigner, there is a larger section who realize that such a move, however desirable, would be_ impossible and who soe that China single: handed can never free herself from domestic and international dangers that surround her. Surely nothing appears on the horizon ut this moment to create hope for immediate improvement in any direction. Trade is bad, and the lot of the for eigner in China is not, we believe we are right in saying, as happy 4 of yore, nor as. pro-sporous; but we are probably too near the scene of action: to appraise at its correct value what is taking place within our vision, One's patience at the difference of the Powers may ave become exhausted, one may deplore much that he sees in everyday life in any part of the country in which his lot is cast, one may not be able to see any' gleam of better things throught the murky atmosphere of polities and milituriem; but experience must lead us to acknowledge that the Chinese, though slow to move and think, are as a mass an unconquerable people, Looking forward, we can paint many pictures of how, things might turn out, but none cai say with certainty, On the one hand, we can see China reunited through the rapacious efforts of some ax yet undiscovered Napoleon. We enn see the country Yorging ahead under his strong centralized direction, this Napoleon ruling with a hand of iron, the only rule the Chinese fe. We can see foreign trade developing, domestic industries spreading, the great resources of the country being opened up. obligations of the Government being met, and a general quickening of prosperity of both Chinese and foreigners.
On the other hand, we see a long period of economic lastitude, made necessary by the continual warfare of the querulous warlords, bringing nothing but devastation, distress and poverty to toiling millions in many parts of the country.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.