Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-06-01
CtviliziNo CHINA.


what We May Expect When ~ ~
Ne pirc IL Open.
One consequence of Jnpan's victory
may be to open China to foreign trade
and civilization, says the Chicago
Times-Herald. The present IL hailed
with delight BY Europeans and Ameri.
cans. China IL a thousand-or two
thousand-years behind the times. It,
people have long sustained life and
found contentment In a diet of rice
and water and the simple worship Of
their ancestors. Now they are to b
civilized; that IL, their wants arc to bo
multiplied and they are to be made
happy-as oil civilized people are hap.
py. OF the fraction Of their life. the
denominator is to be multiplied indef.
initely, 80 that they must by constant
struggling increase the numerator. or
be extinguished.
Great Britain began the civilization
Of China some years ago by the intro.
duction Of opium into the empire, thus
giving to the people o new want to b
gratifed, q new motive for living. In
less degree the English have planted
civilization In the port towns Of Hong
Kong, Canton and Shanghai, in the
form Of modern trade gambling and
speculation. Tho natural aptitude Of
the Chinese for civilization IL shown
BY the ease with which they have sur.
passed their English Instructors. They
are already the masters Of the opium
trafIlc land opium habit) In tho world.
In the coast towns they have out
Heroded the British Herod at the civil.
lived arts Of cheating. gambling and
over.reaching. Henry Norman, In his
recent book on the "Politics and Peo.
pies Of the East" informs Us that the
Chinese already own the best real e.
tate In Shanghai and are fast acquir.
Ing control Of the exchanges. Ii Hung
Chang has been called the bismarck
Of the East" He IL also the Cecil
Rhodes, the "Nitrate King" the Jay
Gould and the Baron Hirsch-all In
one.
Japan has had taste Of civilization
and likes II well. Her women have dis.
carded the beautiful costume Of their
grandmothers and are now happy with
corsets and nervous prostration. The
young men going back after education
In the colleges and universities Of
America and Europe have been able to
teach their stay.at.home brethren vices
and extravaganccs of which these sim.
pie souls never dreamed. The soldiery
no longer wear leather armor nor comic
opera arms; the navy IL built on tho
latest models When with these tokens
Of advanced living the Japanese drove
tho uncivilized hordes of China before
them. civilization patted itself on tho
back. But after the massacre ut Port
Arthur civilization held Its peace.
Now we are going to send the ma.
chinery Of civilization into China and
teach the Tartar hordes the use of our
engines Of peace and war. With their
gifts Of mimicry they will not be long
In learning, once the walls Of conserv.
atism are broken down. go many
blades Of grass will grow where one
has grown, and the "I.ight Of Asia"
will glitter upon q million new bayo.
nets, and oil will be peace and plenty,
40 It 10 In civilised Europe. and there
will be no more need Of missionaries
to China. It may even chance before
tho end of the twentieth century that
We shall have Chinese missionaries
landing on our shores EARNED, Of
course), II only to teach 10 how well
their fathers were taught when civil.
sation landed on their shores.