Because Wu Pei-fu is China's most competent soldier and has, through violation of the military conventions of the Republic, which made it the rule that generals fought only over the telegraph wires while soldiers exercised their prowess on none but the agrarian population, acquired tremendous power in China, nearly all foreigners and probably a good many thousand of the Chinese rank and filo are looking to him to deal smashing blows at the footling, futile political conventions and traditions of the Republic. They look to him to work out or fight out the fundamental solution to the problems of finance and disbandment particularly, and to do it in the face of opposition from 99 out of every hundred officials and politicians in China. If Wu Pei-fu fails to come up to these expectations, the foreigners and the rank and file in China will believe that he has failed because of his affiliations and personal friendships with members of the official caste. This would be true in part, but in part only. If China is now reunited and if Wu Pei-fu thereafter fails to execute fundamental reforms and solve outstanding problems in a fundamental way, it will be very largely because the people of China. have failed to understand the man's unique psychology and have failed to make use of him as a public servant.
Wu Pei-fu's mind works differently from that of any Chinese official living. His mental attitude towards public affairs is unique in this Chinese generation, but most unique of all is his attitude towards himself and his appraisement of his own authority. What Wu Pei-fx does for China is almost' wholly dependent upon the degree to which the Chinese people come to understand the workings of his mind and react to that understanding.
A Servant oF CHINA.
If he has a personal ambition it is to be a great servant of China-His greatest desire in the conduct of his affairs from day to day is for orders from a source which he can respect and which he can assume to represent the will of China. Ho wante a central government in China, not so that he can dominate it, but so that he can conscientiously take orders from something or someone representative of the will of the Chinese people. In the discussion of political questions Wu Pei-fu lacks initiative and decision, not because he has no ideas in his head and does not know right from wrong, but because he does not think that it is his business to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.