Objection to Scientifi Expeditions Because of Misunderstanding of the Word: Swedish Scientist's Help to China Statement by Mr. Roy Chapman Andrews Peking, July M4. well-known leader. of expedition Mr, Roy Chapman Andrews, the]
to Central Asia, has handed the following statement on Chinese science and foreign scientific ex-snore than a decade 1 have jons:—
been conducting scientific work China in the interest of the Ame can Museum of Natural History. During all of those years 1 have received uniformly courteous trea nent from offieiqls and the utmost assistance and ce-operation from Chinese men of science. Indeed, the working agreement which the Central Asiatic Expedition, under my leadership, has had with Chinese. Institutions doing similar work has been the subject of enthusiastic praise from scientists throughout the world.
"Imagine my surprise, therefore, when upon returning to my home in Peking early in April, I read in the "Peking Leader' "of March 11 article elreulated by Kuo Wen in which was given the joint statement of several scientific organizations in Poking announcing the formation of United Association to fight the efforts of various scientific expeditions to search for the remains of ancient man and other treasure of geological and archaeological interest, {in different parts of China.
"The objection seemed especially aimed against the expedition of Dr. Sven Hedin into the desert] region of Western China, according to the further contents of the news article, Since it appears that the Originators of the United Associ tion are labouring under some mis understandings I feel that it is due Chinese science and world, science as a whole to endeavour to correct these misinterpretations, The Meaning of a Word "Let me then begin with the ques. tion raised by the word expedition, The news article quotes the statement as saying the idea of exploration and conquest is contained in the meaning of the word "expedition." It may be right to apply it a party to search for the ruins of Babylon or other ancient sites Which no longer exist, but no in-Alependent country would tolerate for minute the coming of an expedition in quest of its ancient relics would seem that this entirely erroneous definition of the common term expedition' is the result of the narrower meaning carried the Chinese word into which this term is rendered.
"The following is the authoritative definition of the word expedition' given by the Century Dictionary: An excursion, journey voyage made by a company oF body persons for a specific purposes also such a body arid its whole tut-fit, as the expedition of Xerxes into' /Greece, Wilkes' exploring expedi tion, a trading expedition to the African coast.' The illustrations jolted by the Century Dictionary therefore comprise one military expedition, one scientific expedition Jand one commercial expedition and thus show the universality of the term, "It is unfortunately true that there are military expeditions, but there are also relief expeditions America sent expeditions to China when flood and famine roused their sympathies, These expeditions came to help, not to conquer, and Chinese people were not slow it acknowledging the help of thes expeditions. The people of many; lands sent rebeg expeditions to Japan after the havoc wrought by. the earthquake
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.