Apr.
From his letter, published elsewhere, it is not quite clear jin what' respect Mr. H. Thompson traverses the vie expressed on Saturday in this column, under the heading "Reconstruction." Strictly—speak-jing, Mr. Thompson's criticism could be dismissed with the observation that it is irrelevant lor fails to appreciate the points then made. It is possible, how-lever, to discern, in his courteous rejoinder, an attitude which has some support and can therefore be examined with advantage. His four concluding questions fare in essence rhetorical; they lean have only one answer: an emphatic negative. But they '0. Met really state the case for [practical loyalty to the general policy adopted by the British \Government nor do they accurately reflect the views expressed by this journal. There has been no wholesale " condemnation Japan: only a few days ago the importance of keeping the scales leven was emphasised by Sir [John Simon with the warm approval of the "North-China Daily News." Assiduously "has hope for the better attention IChines¢ leaders to the decencies, lof international intercourse been linked with appropriate exposure lof the weakness of Chi Jaiplomatic record. It is one thing to call the recognition, of China as a sovereign state "an intolerable fiction"; it is qui another to express the hope that, by the inspiration of formal—land inevitable—alignment of China in the ranks of sovereign! states, she may be gradually brought to complete fulfilment lof the role, in spite of the manifest difficulties and defects to which past history and recent Jexperiences bear ample tes many." Mr. Thompson has lately expressed his affection for the Chinese people. He will therefore be acquitted of an intention' to be unjust to the objects of that respectable emotion. Yet Ihis, views now published seem unduly to favour the gation that Jdoctors would call the history, lof the patient. Such a history thas to be taken into account, should not be i as ap~ parently, Mr. Thompson would invoke it, to deny to China any wide oh eas effort to reform or any championship when, prima facie, she is {the victim' of ill-treatment.
This seems to apply" with considerable force to the attempt. to justify Japenese actions by pointing out that China is not "an organised state." Logically that defective condition should, from the start, have impressed lon Japan the unwisdom of using ithe armed argument without due appreciation of its possible consequences, Actually it demands objection on even less assailable lerounds. 'This journal depreeatled the proposal, when originally Imade, that China should be elect-Jed to' the Council of the League. However, the League decided on. ithe step'and in that decision [Great Britain and Japan were partners, the latter, - indeed, making graceful congratulations. Jon the occasion. It savours very much of the perpetration of the leon fidence trick to condone faction in clear defiance of the Covenant, the Nine Power Pact land the Paris Pact, by aspersions lon a status to the recognition of which Japan herself was a contributing party. Much "im patient disagreement," lr. Thompson's words,: has been recorded in respect of the fact that the smaller nations in. the League Assembly have been greatly concerned over the present crisis. It is objected that they have not direct knowledge of conditions here and that, like little" boys, they should be seen and not" heard. But they "are most intensely Jaftected. 'They see a militarily more powerful nation brushing aside the principles of the League and' endeavouring by force to impose its will on weaker. They. perceive the danger of allowing such action to go unchallenged; it is a danger in its invitation to other big nations, associated though the maybe ina partnership which has, for its primary object, the defence of the rights of "smaller nations." Tt. will have been Jobserved that, in. Europe, the ffinancia! crisis is stimulating admonitions to. certain smaller states to reduce thei expendi ture yet further on armaments, What kind of answer can they give when they look to developments in these regions?. Their loyalty is severely practical: also is the loyalty of the British vernment to a policy the antithesis of which has been lately adopted by Japan with disastrous results to all concerned.
There can be no denial of the value of studying the past politi: feal record of a country, even if it goes no further back than the limited period of thirty years pamed by Air." Thompson, "OF equal importance, is an apprecintion of current world -developments, not the least striking of which' has been the closer inter dependence of nations. In point ing out the dangers. of antic foreignism in China, which was discussed at length' on Friday fin' this column, a conclusive argument can. be "founded on that interdependence, enhanced as it has been by more rapid and extensive means of communica tion of all kinds, China: cannot fatterd to ignore Western opinion; she is indeed making use of it more frequently every day. The process is. incompatible. with reckless encouragement of antiforeignism. In. their. turn for-Jeigners have to recognise the need for revising views which fare based too often on attention to rest history without regard to the subtle and ever-working changes produced by the emer-[gence of new standards and new modes of thought in their own Jcountries and by the greater in-China, If, for example, the loss caused to' Chine during the recent tragedy were dismissed by the argument that they represented merely the nemesis of perhaps even greater horrors resulting from Chinese action, or by an justice. has. to' be' dispensed airy reliance on the overworked fantitely on the, basis of what! misquotation;,, "ask, ip, get" (ogee A cease FSET! peaccirc dad) dale verted
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.