oon Fan fastens Asstonuest."—By relix, Morley. New York, Double-Gay, Page & Ca. Edward Evans B'Sons, Shanghai.
Mr, Felix Morley is a journalist with pedagogic instincts and a lot of the professor's class room assur: ance. In the late autumn of 1925 he set out, on behalf of the Baltimore "Sun" tomake a thorough study of Japan, China and the Philippines from every possible angle and, five months later, he was back in Bal more, knowing it all and fully prepared to show wherein all others! were wrong. His book is an expansion of a series of articles written for the newspaper that employed him, the additions consisting to some extent of expressions of "personal! opinion, The body of the book, and the most opinionated part of it is devoted to China, as is usual with such books, because the touring] student with few months at his disposal loves to tackle problems that can only be approached with real assurance by those who know China's Tanguage, traditions and mental out-ook through years of experience and absorption of the country's unique atmosphere, Mr. Morley's book: contains some facts which it may be well for the American people to know; but as a contribution to Amexica's understanding of China, it might as well be suid at the outset, the book worse than worthless. warfare and eras of hideous misery for the people.
'There is no space to discuss' the] errors in fact which appear on every page in support of Mr. Morley' analyses of Chinese problems. Some} of the errors are harmless and am: using. He says for instance, that the Anfu party owed its name to the fact that most of its original leaders Jeanie from Anhui or Fukien Pro-'The classical phrase "ax kuo min" (pacify the nation and feurich the people) is so well known! that an explanation of "an—fu" would bore the simplest riesha cool.
"There is much space in the chapter on the Tuchunate devoted to the} virtues of Feng Vu-hsiang und his army, "pledged not to individual ambition but to nations welfare, the bulk of it composed not of drafted Jcoolies but of patriotic volunteers." It is to laugh! Still more amusing will the reader find the statement in the chapter on Canton that the last twelve-month in Canton has seen the revolution of a very capable civil Government which at present controls the military arm in a way unknown elsewhere in China." In fact} most of the chapter on Kuangtung clit' well have been dictated by Eugene Chen. There is however, Jsome open-eyed and straightforward Jeriticism of the shortcomings of the Evidence seems, overbalanced the author's infatuation, In describing the aftermath of the affair of May 30 he writes: "The Municipal Council placed the city under what mounted to martial law, The chapters on China are: "states Rights" in Chinas tne Anavehy of the Tuchunate; Kuangtung, Where Chinese Govern; Shanghai; China Hits Back; What China Demands; and Factors in Unificntion.
Now the whole book ix written around the fundamental error of] assuming that the Chinese reacts to] iven stimuli as the Occidental does; My. Morley is always gropi after Chinese parallels to the 0 Gidental institutions and problem with which he is familiar. He always asking himself or the reader: "Now what would L think in such and euch elxeumstanees if 1 were a Chi nese?" Or he asks: "What would America do if the Chinese were to} come to our shores and do so and ae?" This author's discussion of what he calls "States! Rights" is therefore sheer twaddle, Me starts] off by otating that it is all wrong study China's affairs in terms of per-Sonalities; one must study ments, Ho thinks that in El public aff for much less than in the Occident. Thus he opens his discussion with an] absurdly, wrong premise. In China the personality. of the leader, his} personal connexions and friendships, his ties by marriage, by schooling, affiliation in trade with fellow cdficials and the like, are everything. The advertised doctrines, or prin ciples, ov policies of the "movement" with which he has associated himself are camouflage, "eye-wash" for the million, The leader who talks eloquently of taking Wuchang, let ray, in the name of "nationalism" or patriotism or something else high-sounding, and moves a hundred that and men to that end, may deceive 1 hurried interviewer from Balli-note; but every Chinese who wishes understand his motives noses wrennd until he discovers that the ardent patriot and his staff idlatives have large investments Waehang and vicinity that someone else ig sitting un; that his brother! has a runaway concubine living there] with a personal enemy whom he! woald chastise and that a colleague, who has borrowed half a million to and 250,000 Chinese of every variety Went out on @ completely spontanecus general elvike." The horde of Soviet agents here, and the huge sums spent on fomenting trouble, had nothing to do with this affair of course. He later admits Russian influence in the Shameen catastrophe and in the anti-foreign campaign generally, but does not qualify the spontaneity of the Shanghai strikes.
He thinks that China demands! tinea things and that there will be no peace until these demands are met. They are modification of the status of Shanghai, tariff autonomy and modification ' of the extraterritorial system. That China is} demonstrating her unfitness for such] changes and that they would be as vinous to Chinese as to foreign interests, makes no essential differ.
Mr, Morley puts hi place of the Chinese, or docs, and asks: "How would I feel under such foreign imposed dis-'The answer is that he would not like it, s0 he concludes China's demands are logical and just, In the concluding chapter he concludes that trade, labour zation and education are transcending polite al and regional and ate uniting China in spite of herself. The unifying force of trade 4 of course much more in abeyance now than it was when Mr. Morley} was here, ut would certainly be the greatest force of all under a repectable and strong cent! Govern. ment, with a little peace and better communications. That the about and student "organizations are] artificially fostered, even financed by aliens, and that' the breath of their life is anti-foreignism, Mr. Morley ignores altogceth On the whole the book is not worth reading except as a study of the follies to which a hurried observer, thoroughly competent mo doubt} pass judgment upon Western political and economic problem can commit himself after a tour of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.