The San Francisco call., 1904-08-14
Russian Might
Built On a Bubble

-HE irresistible pressure Of new
IS ideas beating eagerly every
where in China can have but
one result, and that result will
be a victory to progress and
enlightenment" This sentence. salts
flying to the soul of curiosity about the
obscure Oriental half of our planet
home, stands out specially from a
book Of half a thousand pages, where
in a thorough student of Manchurian
affairs endeavors to assist us to COM
prehend something approaching
complete thought regarding the Far
East and what fate is now dramatic
ally engaged in fixing there. 'Manchu
and Muscovite" is the title of the book
and the author is B. L. Putnam Weale.
The work is made up mainly of let
ters from Manchuria which the au-
thor was commissioned to write for
some Far Eastern publications during
the autumn of 1903. One of the first
things that strikes the attention in
looking over these letters is the cap
ton Of the second one of the series.
He wrote it "Dalny the Doomed"
That BODIES we'll for our authors pro-
hciency in prognostic art and we wake
up bit TO behold what further the
pages Of the book prophesy.
The fates having used his finger in
dicatively, infallibly. might do so again.
The view Of the book in brief is that
the attempted extension of Russian
empire into Manchuria is built mainly
on bluff the japanese, alive
and alert remarkably so, were away
in the lead of the whole world in be-
ing aware Of that bluff and that
they called it." There NAV have
been a time when Russian opportunity
for dominance in the Orient was at
an invitingly open door, but that time
is now dead and past-the opportunity
lost by the Slav's backwardness.
Weale believes that ideas have sped
into Manchuria which make the Rus
sian position an impossible one, that
the once impending doom of the Anglo
Saxon IN the Far East is averted by
the japanese coming to the rescue.
The rightful future of Manchuria is to
be colonized by the Chinese, with
commerce open to all nations. Man
churia is TO be the best source in the
Orient for lumber, wheat and gold.
Japan viii have the casting vote in
the Manchurian settlement and she
viii send into IT the Chinese students
she is now training in Tokio-the cor
nerstone in their education being the
'Anglo-Saxon idea filtered through
japanese brains" The writer smiles
at the idea that it is the question of
Korea which is about to be decided;
II Is the fate Of the Far East"
Ihere is good summarizing Of Man
churian history in a part of the work
called The Prologue to the Crisis" In
regard to the Manchus, Of whom we
nave hearo so much, II is interesting to
note tnat they rose to supreme power
IN the orient because they were nerved
10 conquering courage by a Chinese
treachery done centuries ago. The first
great Manehu was Nurhachu. of the
sixteenth century. His sire and grand
sire were slain By connivance OF the
Chinese authorities. Nurhachu swore
he would sacrifice 100000 Chinese in
honor Of his fathers funeral. He he
queathed the feud to his sons sons. un-
III the race grew strong by warlike re-
Stance. A time came when the Chi
nese imperial troops, unable to cone
with their bandit rebels at home. made
an alliance with their old enemies. the
Manchus, to help down the bandits
Dorgun, the Manchu regent, did il.
When the deed was done the Chinese
politely thanked the Manchus with
Eve need you no more; now you may
go home to Manchuria." Dorgun an
swered something in Manchu which