(By Arrangement with the "Daily Telegraph.")
Had Japan been fighting with her back to the wall with her very existence dependent on her course of ruthless destruction, nothing would of course stop her. As it is no useful purpose has been served by the indiscriminate slaughter and no appreciable effect of the outcome of the present conflict will depend on its continuance, except perhaps to strengthen the hatred and solidity of the opponent. Japan has Jittle to lose by confining the killing to the battlefield; she has, in fact, everything to gain by pursuing a more or less civilized warfare.
However doubtful the outcome of the coming international efforts to halt the Japanese aggression in China, until given a fair try, I for one refuse to be convinced of the impossibility of outlawing aerial bombardments of non-combatants and non-strategic localities and establishments by concerted and world-wide expression and action. Whatever might be accomplished in that direc-lion will be welcomed by nations, now at peace; and the day may not be so very distant when civilians in Japan, too, will look back with gratitude on such efforts, when Japan will meet a worthier foe than now, with aerial massacres of non-combat ants probably quite as one-sided as now.
COSMOPOLITE.
Shanghai, Oct. 21.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.