New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-09
CHINA.
THE CHINESE AND THEIR AFFAIRS.

THE PEOPLES AND POLITICS OF I'll THE 3,rl Ear
F1enGh SPANISH ana aa Po 5Haa Goon St
BERT, China Japan CQres siam n R Rna M apan
with sixty Illustrations and four maps. Pp.
xiv. COS Charles Scribncr's SorS
BRIGHT CEIEsTIALS The Ghna me-. at Home me
will SOi Imported by c. p. Putnam's sons
FORTY YEARS n s2TTH CHINA, The nT LIE LIE
John Gerardus Fasg. Missionary Of the AS ,,n
PIP. Sol. Arson d. F. Randolph & CO.
In the affairs of III, Far East all problems
still centre about China. But the main question
has ceased to be What Will China do? and has
taken the form. What is her power Of endurance?
For It seems to be practically conceded by all OBJ
servers that her strength Is wholly passive. In
his eulogy Of Prince Kung Mr. Holcombe speaks
Of China's defensive foreign policy as the only
one that she has had. and he praises the
Prince as probably without an equal in the skill
necessary 10 make such policy effective NO
man in the Empire ne adds. better under
stands her future possibilities and present in
herent weakness" But the Prince was not the
victim Of this policy; he was "the master mind
IN determining IT," He has been the head Of the
Government and Ii Hung Chang has been IFS
right arm II will be Il tie credit Of both these
grelt men II il can be shown by future historians
that they opposed national tendencies instead Of
edge Of recent events. one feels something like
satire in = sentence that praises Ii Hung
Chang for the progress made in building
up q navy OF modern ships and organiz-
Ing an army with modern weapons. The
navy is for the most part at the bottom or
the sea; and as for the army. its very
reality is in question. There Is no doubt that Ii
Hung Chang had an immense body of retainers
armed and drilled in Western fashion There is
no doubt that he formally If not really.
held responsible for the result Of the war with
Japan. It was said. indeed, that Lis personal
troops died 10 the last man in resisting a charge
of victorious japanese. Mr.. Holcombe would
possibly view this report With suspicion. Mr..
Norman. whose sympathies. though he is an
English journalist all with Japan casts
grave suspicion upon it. He does not doubt the
existence Of the army on the contrary, MS
opinion seems TO be that without these troops
Ii could never have wthstoOd the continual ef-
forts Of his enemies to drive him from power.
But all his efforts, backed by the formal per-
mission Of the old Viceroy himself, were unavai-
ing to get a glimpse of the boasted regiments.
though he occasionally some of the men in
the streets Of Tien-Tsn. He cognizant of the
reports that these soldiers were used at Taku
and Port Arthur. But the fact that men upon
whom much time and money had been spent
IN the way or framing ana arms ShOulu nave
given no account of themselves staggered him.
and he even went TO declare his sus-
picons that they had been kept "in the reighbor-
hood Of Tien Tsin all the time in view Of eventu-
alities' in which their master might have per
sonal need of their services. II this true il
would be fully in character. To nation salts
fled with painted cannon muzzles in the towers
on the walls OF Picking almost any subterfuge
might avaablN for war Ii Hung Chang
might also have cherished the same affection for
his troops that which led Frederick William l
of Prussia to collect soldiers with the care an
bther man might show in handling brc-a- brac.
Mr. Holcombe is inclined TO cast some or the
blame for the present shyness and backwardness
of China upon the United States. He remarks
that in 1873 the Chinese Government asked per-
mission to place certain students at West Point
and Annapolis. The request was urged for three
years in vain while at the same time japanese
students were accepted at both schools. To the
refusal OF the United States he attributes the
withdrawal OF what was called the Chinese Edu-
cational Mission. the most practical scheme
ever undertaken by China for placing herself in
line with modern ways and ideas" Nobody can
tell, in his opinion. how far the coldness Of the
United States at this point disheartened
and prejudiced shy people who were
only half persuaded of the value OF West
been intensified by the action OK the United
States and all the British colonies in endeavOring
to exclude Chinese immigrants. These countries
incuie practically all the world in which the
cool.e is likely to be treated a human being
Anti-Chlnesc legislation is not sweetened by the
fact that nothing Of the kind has been thought
of with reference to the japanese The reason is
obvious Comparatively few japanese care TO
leave their country They do not crowd
upon each other III way such as to press out the
lowest part Of the population and those who do
leave their own land do not enter foreign regions
the competitors Of the lowest classes there.
The contrary has been true of China. 1t is not
the wish of the Imperial Government that keeps
Chinese at home, but the possibility OF making
q living or Of escaping prison. Only when this
possibility fails does the Chinaman to risk
life and worst Of all, death in a foreign country
The plot of the anonymous novel. Bright Cees.
sials' turns upon an exception which proves this
rule. It's hero is not a crir!: al. bu; he has 20
run all the risk of being treated as ore. and his
departure from China is forcci in such way
that he takes the level OF the most unfortunate
purchased slave. In his own village he a
youth OF some promise, little too much inclined
70 bad company and too easily tempted TO in
duge In the National vice Of gambling. There
came 4 night of disorder in the gambling house
which ended in murder Although the young
man had no hand in the quarrel. yet he knew the
ways Of Chinese justice too we'll 70 for
detention, with the possibility of torture. as a
witness. and 50 he escaped to a seaport and was
shipped as .aborer to one Of the Dutch islands.
lie was scholar but the scholars who have 10
undergo his msfortunes must be few. On the
other hand. those who must content themselves
with condition hardly better than that Of fam
ine must be numerous in China. Mr. Hocombe
unintentionaly illustrates this by his illusions to
prisons. His argument IS exactly parallel to that
used by the apologists for the crue,ties shown 10
Russian prisoners in Siberia. They point to the
life led by the Russian peasant in his own vii
lage. his uncleanliness his indifference to COM
fort his insensibility to pain. and argue plaus-