Feb. 19.
Lorp Willingdon, head of the British Boxer Indemnity Commission, is due to arrive next Monday, by the R.MLS. Empress lof Asia. Professor Soothill and Dame Adelaide Anderson, the other British members of the Commission, cannot be here for another fortnight. This, though delaying the Commission's work, not time lost as it will give Lord Willingdon a chance to make acquaintances among the Chinese which should be fruitful. By every report he is one whom both nature and experience have prepared for the work he has to do. Personality znd manners count for more in the East than any other qualifications and in both of these Lord Willingdon is well endowed. Of the nature of his task, the correct way of laying out Britain's share of the Boxer nnoney, much has already been Hwritten and no doubt much more will be, before it is done. Very powerful influences have been exerted to alter the original scheme of education for Chinese in some form or other. to more utilitarian ends. Sir Robert Ho Tung has proposed a way of getting both, which certainly Jocks well on paper: namely, to complete the Canton-Hankow railway and then make education a charge on its revenues. But we believe that the weight fof British opinion in China, in spite of the disconcerting events of the past few months, is still on the side of the original pfojicct. The Dutch have done wisely in spending their share Yellow River conservancy; but, so far as we are aware, they had never suggested spending it on anything else and were therefore perfectly free to decide as they pleased. If the original British plan were altered_now, it would be almost impossible to prevent its being said that self-interest was work, that benefits to China were only a screen and that the! veal motive was orders for!
British firms. British pride, reviewing the past few months, will feel more than ever that! there must be no shadow of ex-use for that.
The records of the three Chin-lose gentlemen whose cooperation has been obtained leave the! jouestion of the use of the money, interestingly open. Dr. C. C. Wang is wholly associated with ical management of Dr. Hu Hsih is an' jeducationalist pure and simpl Dr. V. K. Ting is both a practical geologist and an educationalist. The Commission is undoubtedly to be congratulated lon securing their help: without, exaggeration it may be said that, there are no Chinese whose names are more respected among! their countrymen. At the same time it may be permissible to congratulate Dr. Hu, Dr. Ting and Drs Wang on their courage in accepting the invitation. It} cannot be denied that there is still a strong faction in China who make it a sort of profession preach that Great Britain and everything and everybody connected with her is and must remain anathema. Whether this due to Soviet instigation merely native anti-foreignism venting itself on the people who are known to be most patient} of injury and slowest to re-tallote, the result is the same. The Chinese. members of the Boxer Commission must, therefore, be prepared for violent abuse from some of their countrymen and even for attempts to wreck their future careers. That, they have not allowed such considerations to stop them, shows, ithe sort of men they are. Not, only does it mean that they themselves refuse to be in-lated by a violent minority' out of assisting in a scheme which is only designed to do China good; but it may. be regarded as a call to others of, their class to stand aside from and above the blind prejudices. of the past, to recognize friendship where it is to be had and to show that China is represent ed by something better than despotic militarists and shrieking agitators.
Our London correspondent's letter of three days ago dealt at length with the report current at Home before Lord Willingdon's departure that his mission was to some extent a blind and that he was really destined to be the first British Ambassador to Peking. This rumour' has been the subject of an unequivocal clementi by the Foreign Office and there is no reason to, suppose there is anything in it, It is difficult to say whether one would not wish it to be true.
As we said a few days ago, there is a strong feeling in the British community in China that new blood is needed. in our: diplomatic relations with her jand there will probably be good ground in days to come for raising the Legation to the rank of an Embassy. To do so now, vould be paying a most un-ented compliment,—which should certainly not be paid, to the coterie that masquerades as.
Government in Peking. For the moment we need not speculate on whether we should like Lord Willingdon as an Ambassador in China, because that in reality is what he is and his mission is really an embassy in the best sense. What passes now Peking between the in Diplomatic Body and the so-called Government ix a transparent pretence, as far from reality as if a farmer should be found solemnly discussing with scarecrow what was to be done with the field in which it stood. We can never expect any good to come of all the talk in Peking, ud the best we can hope for is that it may do no permanent harm. But Lord Willingdon's mission is something directed straight to the Chinese people, for practical ends; and its outcome will be watched with an interest proportionate to its importance.
For indeed it is a test case, rot only of British relations with China, but of her relations ith the world. As a visible example of turning the cheek to the smiter, as a proof that Great, fain's goodwill towards China as a whole is not impaired by. all the injury and insult. that} has been and is still being heaped upon her by a violent minority of the Chinese, it is indeed without parallel.' And. other nations will be watching to see how far she is allowed to accept the tremendous gift that being brought her in the spirit in which it is offered, These other nations are in no way blind to the lesson of the, brutal and unjustifiable attack that is being made upon British interests in China, While they hasten to suck 1 the advantage out of it that they can, they. know very well that, if Great] Britain could be driven out of] China, their. own turn would come immediately afterwards; indeed they could hardly save themselves from going down too in her destruction. Therefore while they pilfer from her plate, it is always with a keen eye to the future. And there are very, good reasons for thinking that China's future is by no means free from the danger of outside interference as her officials and student extremists appear suppose. The appalling misgovernment of provincial militarists, the lawlessness of the ident sections which at present sway the student body, the ji effectuality of Government, the Yavages of bandits, the woeful waste of national resources and. property: these_thinj permitted to endure for ever, Lord Willingdon's mission, how-lever limited its sphere may seem 0 be, is a clear invitation to the ational consciousness of China to reassert itself against the evil influences by which she is traduced. Much will' depend upon its fate,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.