The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-11-15
Pallacies as to the East.
N. Y. Herald. 4


In view of the possible, we cannot yet THINK
probable, conflict of the only two remotely
Eastern communities with which we of the
United States have any relations. it is not
lacies which widely prevalent. One is
that the commercial interests of the United
States and the world generally, as between
China and Japan, bear any the least com
parison and the other, that while everything
in Japan is improving and what is termed
progression" all in China is decrepitude
and England had the old Empire by the
throat, and Canton was captured, and the
sanctity of Pekin violated, and the Emperor's
palace burned, Mr.. Meigson Cooke, barrster-
at-law and special correspondent OF the London
Times, gravely and positively announced the
coming doom of institutions which in their
present form bad lasted for twenty centuries.
He said the Empire was a mere eggshell, to be
crushed by the first hard blow from without.
Poor old Mr. Seward, because he saw dirt and
bad roads and ruined temples on his aatpodean
ramble, came to the same conclusion. Yet it is
very obvious that blows from without rather
benefit than weaken her, and politiosl in
stitution China stands firmly as in the days
of Belshazzar, holding for her speciaiities the
whole world tributary, and stronger in her
adaptability than ever che was. China will
not import sewing machines and Yankee clecks
like Japan but she has docks on which huge
mea- Of war can be repaired, and war steamers,
manned by Chinese, and All the improvements
of modern artillery. AS far back as 1859 the
French sixty-gun frigate L'AudacIeuse was
dockcu AT CuauSual on ways ueNistu duu DuilC
by Chinese, aud safely relaunched. China,
then, is not decayiug, nor likely to decay
Whether the progress of Japan is to the same
extent failacy this is the place to discuss.
The whole Japan affair has always seemed to
us more of a toy than anything else. AS to the
relative interest of the commercial world in
them, it is simply absurd to talk about it,.
Look at the map and the little Japanese
patches alongside of China's enormous terri
tory. And even of Japan, small as it is, we
have not penetrated beyond the outer surface.
Jeddo is close to the coast relatively to the
superfces of the main land, while at Hankow
and further, five hundred miles up the great
| river of China, are foreign factories and extern
sive trade To make this contrast clearer look
at the relative foreign trade of the two coun-
tries. and to make it still more apparent we
take their largest customer, Great Britain, as
| the standard In 1873, the latest year of
which we have returns, China imported from
England and her colonies 1927 ,00O0 and
Japan about $13 900 900. In the same year
China's exports to Great Britain were S11l ,000,-
600 and Japan's about 81 500 900. Our own
! imports from China were $26 ,000 900, and from
Japan about $9, OO0, 900. The exports from the
| but examination of their details shows that
| it is commercial intercourse that must be
| temporary. OF course, such "a comparison
proves nothing conclusively as to the result of
| any conflict into which these unfortunate COM
| munities-for war is especial misfortune
| to them may be plunged. The islander may
| be too much in such contest for the CONT
| enter into no such speculation, bot merely
note an actual state of facts on which 1t may
| be worth while to mediate. Japan is worth
| less to us than China, and China-all vaticina-
tons to the contrary notwthstandipg-is, in
this sense, not "going to the dogs"