New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-16
THE PASSING THRONG.

John W Bookwalter, OF Ohio. has for many year.
made a close study OF Russian and Chinese affairs
in the pursuit OF which knowledge
JOHN W. he has spent much time IN both
BOOK countries observing the people and
WALTER ON their characteristics. When seen
CHINA. at the Holland House yesterday he
talked interestingly OF the Boxer
riots in China. follows:
In making any prediction as to China's possible
future affected by present conditions you must
always take into account the history OF this mar
vellous nation. For six thousand years now China
as such, and has maintained her national life Dur
maturity and decay OF every civilization in the
world1sChssld dean. Egyptian. Greek Roman and
appointed time as nations, and passed away. while
ton to-day, has inscrutably looked on and pursued
her appointed course. Almost contemporary az
faen lived 81 ana Pulled six Centuries 6e0 Ts
and the wise man Of his time referred admiringly
years China has faced crises that make the pres
Tartars, under Genghis Khan. Kubla Khan and
Tamaran. twice conquered her In war, and China
became a Tartar possession, but China In the
lapse Of time. absorbed her conqTerors and later
SY 20 ber appointed DESTINY The BoKsr I r6g
ind their predecessor in the great Tai Ping REBEL
Gordon paees the loss Of life at eghtesn mon
China had wholly recovered from this tremendous
blow. In these sixty centuries OF national life the
type of humanity known to ethnologists. The
Chinese are more homogeneo9s tna1 'r any Other
Years among an allen people. At the end Of that
acteristics of the people he lives among; he does
not amalgamate with them. All other nations are
new when compared with the Chinese. They con-
stantly undergo change; China never does"
Taking these conditions into consideration I
do not believe China Will lose her national ex-
istence," continued Mr. Book
HIS VIEWS walter. From internal disturb
REGARDING ance such end is not likely TO
PARTITION come to pass. for 1t is impossible
that she will have face
again great domestic upheaval as the Tai
Ping rebellion. do believe that any foreign
conquest of partition of China among the Powers
would end her national life, for she has passed tri
umphantly through periods where she was absolute
~ conquered and wholly under the sway Of the con-
queror. China's growth has been SO even and WEI.
odlanceu Jnat SHeLS a 1SboIe src1tra1
70 meet the demand. ana the WhoI9 a. ~
and commercial scheme Of her existence IS
great misfortune was that the Western world
worked up so many internal interests IN Sucn snort
10 look without their own confines to find markets
for their surplus products. China. with her vast
riches. enormous territory and tremendous poPu1s.
field in which they could most readily rid them
5ap ges tn %5s I an Psp da% for CHINA ~
''Of course. the present difficulty may pass away
without serious complications. but. again. II may
H0t, anu an @ICT,pl ~ ,1jTa by- soT,s so caad
concert or agreement OF the Powers In such case
it would be we'll remember that no matter what
is the everlasting fact stares us in the face that
for six thousand years China has had vital living
government that has afforded protection Tor one
third OF the human race. and has that govern
ment to-day. I believe she could be able 70 pre-
inherent strength (and the strength In me apso
in case Of proposed partition She would nave out
side assistance. in my opinion
chronological afHnities must be counted on. and
an attempted partition OF China would draw to-
gether the Orient and array It
FOUR CARDI- against the Occident and II looks
NAL POINTS to me as though concealed be-
IN THE meath the surface OF the present
SITUATION. difficulty there might be the be-
ginning Of between the civth-
cations OF the East and West The uncertain prob
the Chinese situation Russia and Japan.
and the former Is a tremendously serious factor
Russia is quasi-Oriental, and Tor that reason CaI
better appreciate and understand the motives and
ambitions OF China She and China are friendly
knOwledges that. For hall century anu more
Russia has had college at Picking, where her
ceiving education in Chinese affairs. For nearly
five thousand miles the boundaries. OF the s Two
Caspian and Traas-Siberian railroads have brought
the two nations into actual physical. commercial
necessity for Russia 10 guide China national Ne
and most helpful 20 her commercially From this
state of affairs deduce that when II comes 70 .
STA will call a halt She viii insist on the preserva-
ton OF the Empire. ana Will guarantee inc proJec
nations refuse this then war will follow IN con
sIderiug this situation II seems 10 ma that there
four cardinal points 10 De reIneIn oerel. lEsC
China has the Internal aplHJy 10 preserve IeE
Viii probabiy be occidental in which case any
extraneous combination of the nations IN l1ter&sl
m PIsi and she viii light if necessary 10 pre-
serve il; fourth. that naturally Russia. England
and China should be friends and not enemies, and
put the orient on firm and solid political founda-
ton for centuries 10 come. W bile war may JaAe
an alliance between these three Powers"