The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-10-06
CHINA'S SITUATION.
Rev. DR.. Ashmore Talks Entertaining
1y of the War.

The Great Empire Will See Internal Disor-
der, and May Break Up For a Time
reaching Results of the War-Interest-
ing Interview With an Eminent Man
who Has Been Over Forty Years With
the People He Describes.
In connection with the recent meeting OF
the Baptist Missionary Convention, fire.
quent mention was made of Rev. Dir. III
liam AshmoIe, of swallow, China. He was
leading and heroic figure in that assem-
blage, as we'll he might be with his record
of torty-four years of successful and peril
Gus missionary labor in the Chinese Empire.
Few men know that great nation better.
He went there forty-four years ago, ana
has been there almost continuously since,
three OF four years of work in the general
office at home hardly constituting break
of importance in his life abroad. lnclud-
ing the present difficulties he has seen
China in three wars; and few men can
measure better the significance OF the
events at present going on. He LETT there
less than year ago, SO he is in touch with
the spirit of current events.
81 think it quite likely that the Japan ese
Army may capture Pekin.' said he to rep
resentatiye of the PRESS There is real
" little to prevent them. China has an I'M
mense number of raw levies; but they are
undisciplined and lacking in the materiel
of war. OF course that is we'll known.
whether the Japanese go to Pekin OF not
ha& fhor xuin inf
humiliation upon the Chinese nation, and
will probably demand money indemnify
and very likely the cession Of the rich IS
land of Formosa. China has been defeated
before as when certain of her ports were
seized blythe English and French. Pekin
was even captured. But these reVeIses
really made little impression upon the
Chinese.mind, The national concelt ana
self-complacen were hardly dlstuI peo at
III nv what they considered unpleasant IN
cidents merely. They did not even gain
much respect for those strangers VINO hao
Inundated them; and the native contempt
for western people and western oiylnzatlon
remained as great as ever.
.sBut this humiliation at the hands OF the
Japanese is an entirely different matter.
The Japanese have been despIsed oy Inc
Chinese for centuries; and now, Tor such
contemptible beings to humble the greatest
nation of the earth, will make profound
and lasting impression. The Chinese Will
submit. nay whatever indemnity in lands or
territory that may be asked. and then pegin
10 cooitote. Now we see where we are.
rbev will say, we have always thought the
western natl ms were weak and that their
IDEAS were folly. But here are these mlser-
able .Iananese who have been able to whip
ms simnIy because they have adopted those
western methods. We will see about TINS.
When you catch US again you viii x, Know u.
And when China gets into this mood she
will surf rise the world. The Japanese IN
telleet is quick and vivaclous; the Chinese
slower and more solid uo NY
tbink that from a military point OF view
China will ever become dangerous 10 Inc
western world Her people are too peace
full by natlle Put they have great resources
in coal and minerals aid an ingenious IN
dustrious and frugal people. In mahulac-
,ures I believe them easily capable of sur
RAISING the world, when once they shall
waken.
..In suite of Cnina's disorganlZed militia
rs condition, the japanese would better De
otiye in doing this fall whatever they N
Flo do. 1he coming winter will enable
~. Chinese TO recover somewhat from their
s,,,.nrise and take some intelligent measures
for defence. Tley aressnot wholly without
eood ideas. "Chinese'' Gordon, who won
derfully had their confidence gave them
good military advice before he left them.
was in China at the time of the TAI Plng re-
bellion, and knew many of Gordon oncers,
one of whom is now missionary anu 1rlehu
TO me. He told me of Gordon and his IN
huence over the Chinese, which he Illus
trates by this true story. At one desper-
ate tattIe with the rebels, while Gordon,
was commanding the imperial forces, the
conflict grew SO doubtful that some leading
Chinese officers became alarmed, and de-
cided to send two of their number to see
what Gordon thought. The two onicers
found Gordon standing on an eminence
overlooking the field and calmly whipping
his trousers leg with little switch. The
two Chinese asked him not question; but
at once returned to their companions and
All right, all right; switching his
pants; switching his pantsI' No other Cau-
casian has so impressed the Chinese MI nd,
and his advice is likely to be followed. He
said to them when he took leave that in
case China should ever be invaded her true
course would be to hold her armies to-
gether, avoid pitched battles wherein there
might be danger of great defeats, and har-
rass the enemy persisten:ly. The great
danger is that China has been taken too
much by surprise to profit even by this adj
vice.
''In case Pekin should be captured, Corea
OF Formosa taken, and al indemnity i'm
posed, the results may be very far reaching.
the present reig ming house is not popular.
1t is Tarter line which by force and arms
imposed its yoke two hundred years or so
ago. 1t is also weak, the Emperor being a
puppet in the hands of his advisers. The
only reason why it has not been overthrow
years ago is because the Chinese character
is so intensely conservative. They keep it
because it has been SO long, just as they
keep the queue and horseshoe cut of the
sleeves, orig inally signs of their submission
to their tartar masters. But If the nation
is shamefully beaten in this struggle the
overthrow of the dynasty is likely. The
Japanese will not and could not do it direct
~ or Intentionally. But the Chinese people
will lose confidence in it !. 1t is a little
a. . ha 10