To the Editor of the "NorrH-Cutna Dairy News."
Sir,—In your issue of the 13th instant Mr. Coates expects to correct a wide impression that his published statements are partly responsible for the Chinese version of the Coming Terror. I wish to point out, that I am not satisfied with limiting his responsibility to his published statements only -and am of opinion-that even with such a limitation his correction ig not convincing.
His correction consists in comparing the date of his first publication in your paper—end September, 1922—with that of a Chinese pamphlet bearing a date one month prior.
It is hardly credible, that Mr. Coates has not approached anybody with his ideas before that date, so that the fact that a Chinese pamphlet, styled by Mr. Coates as "the original manifest to," should bear a date just one month earlier than his publication in your paper, is no proof that this manifesto bears no relation to his propaganda.
But even if he did not approach others with his ideas before the end of September, 1929, so that he would -be justified in starting his responsibility "from that date, the given "correction" cannot be accepted as satisfactory, before we know something more than Mr. Coates has stated.
I. By what means is Mr. Coates justified in stating. scientifieally that the pamphlet in his Possession is "the original mani-
LI. Has My. Coates verified that this manifesto addressed from Chengtu, Sze., and bearing the date of August 1922, has been actually issued at Chengtu agithe said date, so that we may adept for a fact, that the given place of origin and the date of issue are not fakes? Nothing would be more natural, than that the author of the Chinese version, especially if "he had been inspired) by the publications beginning at the end of September, should try to give the manifesto an appearance of originality, by antedating and assuming a place' of issue far from Shanghai.
III. Therefore it is especially interesting to know, the exact date on which Mr. Coates got hold of this so-called "original". manifesto, and by what means he assured himself of this originality, including the genuineness of date and place of issue.
IV. If date and place of issue are exact, there remains the question if Mr. Coates can prove or declare with "a clear conscience, that all relation between the Chinese version and his possible teachings before the end of Sentember, 1922, must be ex-eluded.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.