The semi-weekly messenger., 1904-05-17
THE YELLOW PERIL.

We hear a good deal of talk these
DAYS about the yellow Peril from
those who wish to see the Russians
successful in their conflict with the
Japanese. These people see danger to
the western world in the success of the
Japanese. They predict, in this event,
a uniting of the two yellow races of
the east against the white people OF
the west. They declare that, while ia
pan and China are now at enmity,
should the former check the progress
of Russia, she will unite with her old
enemy, the Chinese, in a common cause
against those they consider the COM
mon enemy Of both-the white man
and that Japan with her wonderful adj
vancement in civilization and the art of
war will he able to create a power out
of the present latent forces of the
Chinese empire which will unite with
her in driving out the American and
the European from their territories;
that Japan will dominate China and,
instead of the two nations being
open to the commerce of the western
world, they will become as exclusive in
this respect as they were before Perry
visited the shores of Japan and opened
up that country to America. 1t will be
worse than this, they say. They fear
that these two nations, instead of being
content with again shutting out the
American and the European, will un-
TO Africa
and take a hand in the affairs of the
western world.
While we have no fear OF this sup
posed threatened danger to America and
Europe from this source, we are willing
to give attention to the theories and
arguments of these who do. Below is
an article on this subject by Sir Robert
Hart in a review of the Boxer up-ris-
ing four years ago. He says in part:
THE episode of today is not mean
ingless; it is the prelude to a century
of change and the keynote of the fu-
ture history of the Far East; the China
of the year 20G0 Will be very different
from the China of 1900, National SEN
timent is a constant factor which must
be recognized, and not eliminated,
when dealing with national facts, and
the one feeling that is universal in
China is pride in Chinese institutions
and contempt for foreign. :
The first question now to be settled
by the treaty powers is how TO make
peace-for China is at war with all,
and what conditions to impose to safe
guard the future-for the stipulations
of the past have been set at defiance
and obliterated. There would seem to
be a choice between three courses
partition, change of dynasty, or patch
ing up the Manchoo rule. That the
future will have a yellow question
perhaps a yellow peril'-to deal with is
as certain as that the sun will shine
tomorrow.
But what is this yellow peril?' The
Chinese, an intelligent, cultivated
race, sober. industrious, and on their
old lines civilized, homogeneous in
language, though and feeling, which
numbers some four hundred millions,
lives in it's own ring fence, and covers
a country which-made of fertile land
and teeming waters, with infinite vari-
ETY. of mountain and plain, hill and
dale, and every kind of climate and
cOndition-on its surface produces all
that a people requires, and in its bosom
hides untold virgin wealth that has
never yet been disturbed-thiS race,
after thousands OF years Of naughty
seclusion and exclusiveness, has been
pushed by the force OF circumstances
and by the superior strength of assail-
ants into treaty relations with the
rest OF the world, but regards that
as a hu-7iliation, sees no benefit ac-
cruing from Ii, and is looking forward
to the day when il in turn will be
strong enough 10 revert 70 its old life
again and do away with foreign in
tercourse. interference and intrusion.
1t has slept long, as we count sleep,
but it is awake at last. and its every
member is tingiing with Chinese feel
ingS-tChira fer the Chinese, and ou.
with the foreigners, The
Boxer movement has demonstrates
that the SWORDS and spears 20 wai-h
the prudent Official mind confaed the
initiated VIII no: suffice, but must be