The sun., 1905-12-28
There is a yellow pulpit, too.
THE WEST IN TIE EAST.
The Decline OF EnglAnds Commercial Sue
premacy ana tho Awakening Of China.

To THE EDITOR OF THE Sun Sir: A cor
respondent in one Of the Far Eastern trade
marts who has passed some three years
studying conditions In the East has written
me some Of the results Of his observations
that seem worth placing before the readers
OF The Sun. especially those interested In
Eastern commerce. Being Britisher, his
views have the more value. as he frankly
reoo ognizes the changes to the disadvantag &c
Of Great Britain that are going on. He says
"The two main views / have formed are
that England is rapidly losing her commercial
position in the Far East and that the devel-
opment Of China on Western lines means
the end Of the supremacy Of the West in the
East, China will wake up; China is not de-
cadent. 1t s simply a. case OF arrested de-
velopment 1t does not need much magma:
ton to realize what the effect OF the wave OF
Western expansion being rolled back on itself
by wave Of greater power will be. The
wants m TOD to do i business and and when he once gets
started on modern lines and finds what per-
sonal advantages he stands to gain there
will be no stopping him. Then we shall see
The Chinese capitalist has country un-
der him Of ana o fhs
labor in the world at his command. And
the vitality and energy OF the Chinese 10
alarming and climate makes no odds TO them.
All they want Is organizing and directlnG
and that will come.
AS regards the other matter, l am not
surprised at the decline Of England COM
meroally in face of Germany in the East
All that our young fellows think about when
they get out here Is to snob' II with the best,
and their business plays second TO- sport
Kipling was right about the 'fannelled fools,
1t seems to me that when young man is too
much OF an ass and too much of a 'bounder
to be tolerated at home he Is sent out East ;
where he gets worse instead of better.
| am not surprised at the German beating the
Britishsr. He is always better educated,
and therefore generally far more intelli gent
he Is q good deal more courteous and obli glng
he does not sacrifice anything for sport; he
is seldom a snob. and never a cad if you meet
him with ordinary courtesy. I would rather
deal with reliable German firm than run the
risk of being snuffed' by the young snobs
and bounders one usually finds in big Eng
lish house, and who are sent abroad for the
good Of their families. II not Of their country.
AS for the Americans; we'll. can always
get on with an American, as you know. but
have a good big indictment against both the
type Of men who have British commercial
interests in hand and the, British authorities
set over them and appointed to the diplomatic
shows the way the Wind begins TO blow. An
other year or two and there will be presented
q most interesting study"
The net result Of the observations OF my
correspondent, who proposes remaining some
time longer in the Far East and visiting all
the principal centres of trade is that an en-
tlrely new condition is before the West since
the defeat of Russia by the Japanese, and
that II will turn to the disadvantage of the
West with increasing intensity as time passes.
NEW YORK, Dec. 81. +.