The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-29
I

Will the partition he permanent In
other words, IL a lasting conquest, Of Asia
by Europe Practicable? The collective
purpose Of almost all the papers brought
together in this volume is 10 answer tho
question in tho negative Mr. Townsend
submits that Europa as vet entirely fails
To comprehend the amazing magnitude
Of the task He points out that Asia IL no
vast plain ml-u-ed by a few dark trih,-,
whose ~dl-appesrance or whose misery will
matter nothing to the progress of The world
Asia j. IA. largest 81 the continents. forty
one time- tho ~lks Of France, and. VIM 20
it, higher mountains and loftier tahlelandS
and Immense cNpalsf~ Of rivcr-made,
culturable swamp. II Is the most difficult
b travei over. It. plateaus arr countries.
its delta. would hold. a. they have held,
great kingdoms Empires have risen,
hourishei and died In comparatively small
divisions 81 it, mass Thih-i. which 20
most white men IL but a name. is larger
than Frame. ~ Is Afghanistan larger than
Francs. by some forty thousand square
miles. siam. ~ which We hardly think
at all. exceeds la size the whole OF Germany
by more than one hundred thousand square
miles IL would take, indeed. ten armies.
each OF ona hundred Thousand men, merely
TO penetrate Asia and garrison It in a mill
tary sense.
Size. however. is a less important obstacle
90 conquest than is population Asia
We are reminded. has -four times a. many
inhabitants n Europ%. tho most trust
worthy rcccnt estimates hring the total
up To Close on nine hundred millions W.
are accustomed 10 think Of these masses ~
men a. feeble folk. but MIR Townsend points
out that a single section Of them. scarcely
ever seen outside their own peninsula -
the warrior race Of India. who ara a. brave
a. auy men In the world o~utnumber all
who speak English. Another race Of for
midable fighters. capable Of discipline,
the japanese, are more numerous than
the French Four times within the his-
torical period have A-iatic- invaded Eurols
and beaten Europeans ia battle. Whom
the Mongol. or rather a small federation
OF TRIBES from among a division Of Ia. Mon
gols. hrst burst out Of his stepIc-. he reached
France. and on the plains uf halnn nearly
overthrow the Roman Empire when tho
Arabs, never fourteen millions strong,
debouched from their deserts. they de-
featcd both Eastern Rome aud Persia. .S-
tirpated the Nandals Of North Africa. con.
Quered Spain. and. after their first energy
had decayed. drove the picked chivalry
OF Europe out Of Palestine when the
third Aslatic explosion took place. the Mon
gol not only conquered China and India.
but also Russia. which he lost only after
two centuries, and made all Europa tretn.
bic. lest. 10y defeating Austria. he should
acquire dominance through the whole
West, In the meanwhile. "a little A~iatic
tribe. made up 81 the descendants and
followers 81 Gilman. STATED ITSELF In Ana
tolia. warr-d down the Byzantine Empir-,
threatened all central Europe. and. to this
hour. retains the provinces which II OPP
prc~s~. simply b~,au~e, hy the admission
Of all Who hav" CLOSELY observed him. the
OrmAn L. N" i-.-t individual -pldi-r Ia
the world II NAV H. said that A-iA'tc~
oAnno, coI- With the perfected
OF the Wei Mr Townsend answers that
thn- Asia,lr -pldi-r-. the Turk. the sab
and 10" J~aTAn--e have already Adupiri
Euron-an arms and discipline. and no man
can ssv. n -ith-r uf thr 'hrro encountered
Russian mic. whioh ~puli h. Tho virf1f
Again u NAV - -sid. ths-c AsiAtic ma--.
Of human i--iuE~. even y brN,- and capable
Of han,ing o. u- I-rfcri~i w~spon-,
sre - incapable q ths oitr~r Improvement.
which constitute civilization. u.At. .,o-pi
- huy~r - susd., tb.y hardly d--rrv-
r~-T~s fan EuroT~Ahs 4. that quite