The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-09-28
War N = Civilixsr.
Philadelphia Times .

There is speck Of war In China. There
Is dispute between two kings down there,
and - the barbarians have never yet dream
cd Of Civilized Returning Boards or Electo-
ral Commissions, they have no way to settle
the dispute but by going to war. The French
insist that one fellow is King Of AMMAN and
the Annamites imagine that another fellow
Is King, and fifteen thousand Chinese troops
have been thrown across the Tonquin fron-
tier ~ sort Of Chinese Electoral Commis-
sion or Returning Board, with Chinese fire.
crackers and other war utensils to do their
figure work and certify the return.
1t Is not likely that there will be much
of war between the French and the pig
tail warriors, unless this little speck, now
no BIGGER than mans hand In the serene
sky Of Europe, should blacken into gener-
al row between the governments which are
entirely Indifferent about the bsyonet civili-
zing process In China, but which won't stand
any important grab game by any Of the grest
European powers. France has not yet en-
tirely recuperated from the back.set she got
In her grand march upon Berlin that ended
In the gay Old Fritz being crowned Emperor
Of Germany at Paris, and 1t ID improbable
that France will press the Tonquin dispute
to the extent Of unssttling the peace Of
Europe.
Amy sort Of war between China and any
European power must be blessing TO the
cradle sf the human race. It will matter
little how or why such war may be started,
or what may be the terms of the treaty Of
peace, 1t must difFuse more or less civiliza-
tion throughout China and thus make the
world 90 much better. Al present, when the
enlightened civilization Of the evening Of
the nineteenth century 10 progressing with
matchless energy, the three or -four hundred
millions Of Chinese are oil In benighted big.
otry and Ignorance, and nothing but war
with civilized powers will ever throw the
sunlight Of civilization into China. Even
the English opium wsr, that offended every
honest impulse, broke little corner Of the
she'll that excluded the Chinese from light
Auu AuOWl0u80s Au0 ~ oeo u00n AoIBiv0n t0I
the good that followed the evil Of cause
less war; and every little skirmish China has
had since then has opened the cracks . little
wider for civilization to gst peep into the
barbsrians whose history is lost in dim tra-
dition. +
We don't see that there 10 any special
provocation for war In China just now; but
II France or any other European power
thinks that 1t has bad chip knocked OF its
shoulder BY the Chinese, no better mission
ary work could BE- done than BY fnt-class
civilized war that would carry the eagles Of
France or the lions Of England into the very
center Of Chinese political and commercial
power. The missionary societies don't teach
that style Of civilization, but one good Chi
nese war would do more TO civilize and
Christianize China In one year than mission-
ary battling with barbarian would do In .
decade. Tho sword and pike hare bssn
great helpmatss Of the Bible In the past,
and while the seas wash the i'ores Of the
Pagan, civilized war in barbarous lands
will be one Of the greatest civilizsrs Of the
world.