To the Baitor of the "Nowra-Cmixa Darr News."
Dear Sir—As a foreigner who is personally acquainted with several of the students who have been concerned in the tragic happenings of the past few days I wish to al to the attention of the foreign community' the fact" that up to date the real motives of the main body of the participating students have not been set forth in the Eng-Tish press. Such term tools!" oF Manti-foreign agita searcely reveal the true raison é'et~ re of student participation in last Saturday's melee. Unless the conflict is to grow more sanguinary, not only in Shanghai but throughout the whole of China, all foreign. ers must make immediate and sportsmantike attempt to appreciate the Chinese viewpoint, especially that of the students.
During recent months a small group of students have been inter-sting. themselves in the plight of the Chinese labourer in mills and factories, and God knows that Chinese labour needs a friend. Under-
Paid, overworked, ignorant and un-Organised, Labout in this land eats bitterness. "Teonsider this growing sympathy for the working lass on the part of students one of the fin-fest_ manifestations of the inherent nobility of the human heart that 1 have witnessed in China. To socially-minded onlookers it is an encour aging sign.
'A fow students who, it is said, aided in the promotion of recent strikes in certain Japanese factories may possibly have been subsidised and prompted by members of the Third Internationale. Out of the hysterical clamour that Bolshevism 4 at the contre of China's present! troubles itis possible here and there discern shreds of truth clinging to the main body of unfounded utterances. But after admitting that Russian influence may have been one of the factors in the situation Team convinced that Tam right when I say that the motive of most Of the students who milled around on Nanking Road last Saturday afternoon was neither pro-zommunism nor anti-foreignism. For' the greater part it was loyally (o fellow students in gaol which motivated the demonstration which ended 20 dis-estrously for all concerned Think back to varsity days and then try and put yourself in the place of these. young chaps. who felt that loyalty to their fellows de manded of them such a protest tha it would carry to every ear. Whea these school boys determined to let the whole city know concerning that felt, to be an injustice to their mates, they were only doing high-spirited varsity men have tbeon doing in all countries for all Being personally acsome of them T state that the students, at least, prior Saturday Ch} afternoon were neither pro-balshevile mor anti-foreign, They were typical college and preparatory school men and nothing more. No wiser and no dumber, no better and no worse, in all lands the same.
Mob psychology, of course, func. tioned Saturday ' afternoon. The crowd when it began to meet wi Opposition found itself doing things which its individual members: had never expected to do, Indiseretions committed became so serious that fair-minded people seem to be united agreeing that the police were justified in taking determined action As to the manner of the determined action to be taken I find that of scores of individuals I have interviewed only two persons have felt that the only remaining action was to shoot to kill.
'A week ago there were thousands of Chinese, possibly, who might rightly have been termed inimical to the policies and desires of foreign powers and individuals in China, But to-day because of the death of these students and labourers there are millions, not thousands, who mean to see the day when foreigners will have no more right to curry oat jin this country such an action as Saturday's than they now have in JJapan or any other sovereign nation'not their own.
The situation is difficult. One high barrier confronting those who seek the way out is the unwilling-of most foreigners to consider the Chinese this hour is the sporting attitude of "putting oneself in the other man's 1 understand that the Student Union counsels its members "No violence." Individual students wits }whom I talk for the most part show willingness to meet wih responsible foreigners to try and find salvage the wreckage.
desire of th of self-righteousness be allowed to east a shadow between Chinese and foreigner that might reach far into the future. Are we willing then to attempt to Took at matters from all Tam, ete, HARRY KINGMAN,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.