The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-09-20

al nv the autocratic and semi-barba-
rous M~uscovite-
No group Of individuals Is immuii
bile. and the Chinaman viii. in a snort
time. either become a more
member Of the community OF nations,
or he will be subjugated- The cnange
will be rapid, as time Is measured n
the birth growth and decay OF nations.
From a sleep as pacific as the ocean
dividing the Oldest empire OF the east
from the youngest repuDllc OF IN"
west. they will one day awake, posi-
bly, with a vigor 10 ina
shown by their energetic neighoorl
the japanese.
Examine the future Of such a nation
reyiyifedi Their adaptation to n
conditions, their economy, versatility
and stofcism are today inherent VIZ
tues. These characteristics are demon
strated b the yellow deniZens Of our
own country. Again study their past.
Their historical records go back TO
forgotten times and supply many miss
ing links in the ancient history Of west
ern nations. To them We owe the COM
pass. silks, pottery and
They had, even before We moderns
dreamed Of such things, li~thography
and block printing, canals and vacci-
nation.
This terra incognita is of immense
Importance to the future of the Uni
NcISdl OGIol w oANe
turing industry.
The native grown cotton of hin
has been variously as being
equivalent to from 100000 to 1900
600 bales per annum. An examination
of interior conditions so far as they
are known to exist will throw an IN
teresting light on their cotton culture
and manufacture.
From cotton is made the clothing %
the people. This is more so with them
than with western nations who use
large quantities of woolens fol- outer
most exclusively. The poorer folk
wear garments padded after fashion
of a bed comforter during the winter.
while such of the people as a afford
to do SO, wear several suits Of cotton
apparel. one over the other.
Considering the unimportance of the
inc cotton mills it can be said that
approximately the whole of the raw
material from which the garments of
these 400, 600 600 people are made mus.
be of native growth. In that mystic
rious hinterland there are scattered
little cotton patches. Not measured
as patches are with us, in twenty to
thirty acres, but in units of eighth or
quarter acres, or even less. Milliors
of the people growing enough for their
own requirements, n peddling the
small remainder among the neighbors
III the inevitable WneeIDdrrOW, selling
a handful here and another or twa
there.
Forty years ago two-thirds of the
value of the exports from Tiensin
consisted of raw cotton. 1t has long age
disappeared from the export list.
Consider the possibilities of a com
mercially free China.
In 1900 the United States had rough
ly 76, 600 inhabitants and our mills
used 3,435,0O0 standard bales of cotton
of 500 pounds each. If Their we consider
our exports Of cotton goods as not far
from being Offset by our imports of
similar articles, we used 1916 pounds OF
cotton per capita, and to manufacture
this We operated 10000, 900 spindles.
Whenever the price and quality OF
mill-made goods force out the hand
made clothes Of China, if their peopls
use but T5 per cent of the American
consumption per head they will us;
up no less than 49, 900, 900 bales. TIL.
probabilities are then that today China
| grows somewhere about 10, 200, 900 bales
of cotton which is converted into clo.t
| by her own people.
On the American basis of spindIs
production this means that to the cot
trade of America the "open door
throws down the bars to an increase
in the mills Of the world of some 80.
OOO,O O spindles. even subtracting from
this China's present imports it leave
- dazzling prospect for the future. i
there is any virtue in the mill goin;
to the cotton field, then indeed will thi:
country one day see a south beyonc
the widest day dreams of any of it:
present citizens.