The article which we publish today on the Great Asia Doctrine may be regarded from two points of view. On the face of it there is little beyond propaganda to be considered, and such propaganda, coming in overwhelming mass frou. many sources, becomes too wearisome for words. This is the uiost likely theory, far more so than the revival of a scheme of an Asiatic brotherhood, once the dream of Eastern dreamers. Fairly certain it is that work was once seriously started on this brotherhood, which was to have resulted in an Asiatic confederacy in which the white man would not appear. The effort happened many years ago, when certain plans were laid "and money accumulated, but beyond talk of the purchase of arms nothing eventuate ed. Then seven or eight years ago the same kind of thing cropped up once more, was a nine-days' wonder and vanished into space. On this occasion, however, a great deal more was known of it,' even to the countries believed to be interested in the nievement, and, what now appears to be the' most' important item, it was stated that socialists in China were in touch with anarchists in Russia. A network of intrigue was said to have spread between Shanghai, Canton, Moscow and St. Petersburg. This news must have appeared as highly sensational at the time it was publistied—in 1913—but to-day it is no longer so. It may be doubted whether any of this nievement still remains, for it was the expressed intention in those days to wait for a moment when the Powers were busy and then to strike widespread. That moment has come and gone, and with it in all likelihood the' grandiose scheme vhich would have set Asia ablaze: Meanwhile we still hear of scheties, but they are not heralded forth. as is the Great Asia Doctrine; rather does the news of them travel by devious routes.
A Word for the C. L. C.
The "Globe's" Paris correspondent, remarking that France will not be sorry to sve the last of the Chinese labourers depart, proceeds to make a most slashing attack o1 them. He says:—
They have been an unmitigated nuisance. Not only have they been addicted to pillaging in the ruined countryside, already so sorely tried, but they have committed acts of sacrilege and violence that make them thoroughly detested. Tt may have been justifiable enough to employ them during the war. But it was a mistake to keep them in the ruined regions after the Armistice. They have proved bad workmen. It is not by their exertions that the battle. fields have been even partially cleaned up. On the contrary, they have si terrorised the countryside. They pale down wooden buildings, which served as shelters, at the first sign of cold weather. They robbed the peasants, and they caused grave scandals by burning even:
wooden crosses of the graves.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.