'That the Japanese military' gentle linen were x0 very badly out in their prophecies ax to the date of the ter= mination of the China Teident need ial surprise anyone, After all, has that the greatest of all false prophets in inthe dale, of hit ant entry Into London and the downfall of the British. Empire? Nevertheless, one might have expect ed that the more general promises fof that earthly" paradise orth China would have come closer fulfilment than has actually been the ease. And It ts rather fortunate for Japanese prestige that the majority of human "beings have very short memories, so that all the' glorious promises of three years ago have Tong singe been forgotten. For, took= Ing' Found today, one can scarcely, by the wildest stretch of tinagination, alt north China an earthly paradise. Even the most optimistic member of the Japanese" army" would, 1 think hesitate to make that elain.
Conditions. in north China not only infinitely worse hey were prior to the Lukouchia incident of July, 1997, but, what is much more serious, ix that even past year these conditions lis markedly deteriorated, And one vil at find an intelligent Chinese or. for that matter, onside military circles. 4 thinking: Japanese, who is not cons Aidorably alarmed at the. situation the outlook forthe' future, where ix certainly nothing to me oleate, howe or why things are kel get better. overrun by guerillas. whose raids now extend as far as towns on the Pel-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.