New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-05
I.NsDOWNEs DIPLOMACY.
nrrIcHTs UPON THE ANGLO-JAP-
,xEsE TREATY FROM CURRENT LIT
FRATURE AND PHILOSOPHY.
London. February u.

indication Each is forced into adventurous
,-,1ortance through the publication of the
- Jspanese agreement, which is regarded
.bs leader writer's Of England and the Cont
mt as an epoch making event One of these
oI,roes Mr. Archibald Ross Colquhoun's Mas
- If the Pacific CHeinemann). describes how
:. +be order Of human progress the great west
-, ocean has taken the place OF the Medi-
.srrsnean Of the ancient world, with the ri
s-tes Of Rome and Carthage, and of the At
,.r.o Of modern history, with England's naval
yrars with Spain and France and the develop
-osnt OF American nationality and resources. It
e an Fnglishman's book, but It does full jus
,ice 10 American energy, and recommend il to
leaders anxious to keep abreast with the his
,orv of the times IT is made hand over hand
The author born off the Cape of Good Hope.
educated in Scotland and on the Continent and
trained in diplomatic service and in journalism
and. above all. by systematic travel in coun-
tries near and remote Mr. Colquhoun has lived in
India Siam. Burmah. Mashonaland, South Afr-
"a Central America. Tonquin, China, Japan and
the Philippine Islands. and as a trained observer
he has read the signs Of the times. and forecast
the competitive struggle Of maritime Europe
the United States, Canada and Australia for the
control Of the Pacific with its vast hives Of
Oriental population. the impending conflict
If the twentieth century Hardly is the ink dry
firms his conclusions by publishing the text OF
an agreement admitting Japan into the circle Of
European alliances. Mr.. ColquhOun is highly
favored by the fortunes OF diplomacy. and his
book with !ts chapters Australia, the Philip
mines China, Japan. German mercantile energy,
Canada and the American policies, contains
deliberate reflection upon the supreme question
of the moment-the control of the western
ocean.
Mr.. Benjamin Kidd Is a philosopher trained in
the British Civil Service, whose Social Evo-
luton" has been translated into German.
French, Italian, Swedish and Russian, and
piaced by scholars in all countries the same
shelf with Herbert Spencer's works His Con
troll Of the Tropics" published four years ago.
brought him into commanding position. where
he could take a comprehensive view OF the
principles of Western civilization and the new
work appears simultaneously with the an
nouncement OF the alliance between England
and Japan for the purpose OF preventing the
breaking up Of China and any interference with
freedom OF commerce. The Principles of West
ern Civilization (Macmilan) is a learned work.
which carries social evolution TO further reach
than has hitherto been attempted by writer's OF
this school, and it opens the way for the con-
cluson that former ideals OF State making and
diplomatic intrigue have disappeared; that in
the progress of the world the days OF nationaH-
ties n the old numbered; that the
processes Of Western history slowly but
surely converging toward stage where the
struggle will lie between few great systems of
social order and that a sense OF community, diff
ferent IN kind, and also IN intensity, from any
that has ever existed before is expressed in the
work which progressive races are carrying for
ward. The philosophers reasoning seems less
academic and more practical when the diffuse
leader writers discussing morning after
morning the alliance which staid, slowgoing,
conservative England has made with the most
energetic race in the Far East. What a strong
sidelight the following passage throws upon
the remarkable coalition between a European
and Asiatic power, based upon the enight-
ened self-interest Of the collective maritime
world:
advancing ranks Of our civilization at the pres
ent day are those who have won their way to
the development in which these principles have
been born into the world. That development
itself has been the sequel to the earlier struggle
in which the same peoples won In the supreme
stress Of military selection their right Of place
the only type able 10 hold the stage Of the
world during the long epoch in which II became
the destiny OF the present 10 pass under the
control Of the future. The ideal toward which
thew are carrying the world is that OF fair.
omen and free rivalry of all the forces within
the social consciousness-a rivalry IN which the
best organizations. the best methods, the best
the best standards OF action and belief shall
have the right Of universal opportunity.
II IS the ideal which in it's ultimate form must
reach the limits of a Stateless competition or all
the individuals OF every land, in which the
competitive potentially Of all natural powers
shall be completely enfranchised. And II IS ad-
vanc!ng toward realization in modern history,
not through the powers of States or OF govern
rnents 70 enforce II but in virtue OF the sterner
fact that in the stress OF natural selection every
other system Of social order must in the end
go down before the strenuousness and efficiency
De he anr1ia Vph
way toward II.
How different IS the community Of race and
commercial interests implied IN the new diplo-
macy from the old order OF dsingenuous intrigue
and State making! Napoleon III was a master
Of duplicity, and drew England into unin-
telligible campaign in the Crimea. He made
secret bargain by which he was to receive two
provinces for his services to the rising national
fly Of United Italy, and subsequently he ex-
rected TO get a section Of the left bank Of the
Rhine in return for his neutrality during the
Prusslan- Austrian war. When he found himself
huped he proposed the partition OF Holland and
Belgium between Prussia and France. and
finally plunged into the disastrous war with
Germany. Mr.. Kids passage throws no light
upon the maze Of Napoleonic intrigue. nor upon
the finer web Of Bismarck's diplomacy. The
Treaty Of London settled the Danish succession,
and was a charter OF peace in Northern Europe
hut Prussia and Austria, after signing the con-
Tention, made a secret compact. and invaded
Denmark Prince Bismarck and Prince Gort-
schakoff were cheek by jowl during the cam
paigns Of K0niggratz and Sedan, and the map
OF Europe was Tecast through their secret
vaccinations When the German Chancellor
formed an alliance with Austria. in 1879. which
was subsequently expanded into the triple
Alliance he contrived to arrange secret under
nd under