HARDLY necessary is it to say that the whole British community in China mourns to-day over the loss to their country of Sir John' Jordan. And it is not only the British subjects resident China to whom his death comes as this severe blow, but to people! of many other nationalities, chief} among whom will be found the! Chinese, for seldom or never has the representative of a foreign country achieved so much influence with the people to whom he was accredited as did Sir John Jordan. It is not only the man—the diffident, lovable Sir John Jordan—whom we mourn, but] also the Minister—a man whose prestige in the country was second to none, a man who takes rank as among the very greatest Ministers who has ever represented Great Britain in Peking.
When one considers the list of those who have held this position, the name of Sir Harry! Parkes at once stands out, and now in reviewing the career of Sir John Jordan we feel that his name may well be coupled with that of the former. Some would put it even higher, but this is no time' to attempt to try to adjust the sense of values which. hi tory will put upon them. Sir Harry Parkes was a great Consul before he became a Minister, and at the time of his death he had been for only about two years the British representative in Peking. Sir John Jordan had also done work of great value in the Consular Service; and he had been in Korea, and then he held the post of Minister to China for fourteen years. These were arduous years, for not only was constructive work afoot during that period, but disruptive influences as well. There was the Revolution of 1911, then Dr. Sun Yat-sen's attempt of 1913 and Yuan Shih-kai's coup a few years later. The European War was on at this latter time, and there was much work to be done in guiding the policies of China along channels favourable to the Allies. The man who could successfully uphold British interests in such a time—and this was done by Sir John Jordan—could not but be a great Minister.
Why was it possible for this great achievement to be accomplished by a man, quiet and diffident in manner as a rule yet with a fiery, hot brain? There were two great elements contributing to this success: one was his great knowledge of the country and the people with whom he was dealing, and the other was his transparent honesty, Anything that savoured of an attempt to overreach an adversary in negotiation was hateful to him, and not only did he demand the straight deal ier Great Britain but equally the straight deal for China, Intensely loyal to the country he represent ed, he would not only fight to the last for her just claims—and at times he would allow sessions ith Chinese representatives to go on for hours rather than be beaten where he considered his country as having a sound case Iso he would support the where he considered that justice was on their side, Pursuing this policy without fear or favour, he gained an immense prestige among the Chinese, and it is safe to say that no foreign name was better known in China than that of Chu Erh-tien, as Not only British but also Chinese have reason to be grateful for these splendid gifts which Sir John Jordan placed at their disposal. An infinite amo was accomplished by him during these years in promoting British trade in the country, as witness the railway agreements and sch. settlements of disputes as have resulted in the formation of the Kailan Mining Administration and the Fuchung Corporation, while in its own polities China owes him much. Affairs, for instance, were intensely critical from an international point of view when the Revolution broke out in 1911, and the intervention of outside influences might have had a far-reaching effect on the country. Sir John Jordan stood for the policy of letting China work out her own destiny, and his prestige among the diplomats of Peking caused this to be adopted. So it was a case for them of keeping the ring, and it is interesting to note that such a policy of the strictest neutrality has caused Chinese to regard our late Minister as almost a god-father to the Republic. This: is only one instance in which Sir John Jordan worked heart and soul for a people he greatly loved: the others are all too many to chronicle here, but we should not omit a reference to opiam reforms, a subject in which he took the utmost interest.
While referring to the memory of Sir John Jordan, it is fitting ti fat we should put on recorét our debt of gratitude to those members of the Consular Service who. also..were. afterwards: appointed Minister. In this cott:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.