New-York tribune., 1905-12-24

The author of "Ianchu and Muscovite,' hav-
ing proved himself to be no minor prophet in |
his able exposition of conditions in Manchuria |
prior to the Russo-Japanese War and in his fore
casts of coming events, has ventured now on an
inquiry Of much wider scope, leading up to a far /
longer look ahead. How true his prophecies may |
be in this instance time alone tell; but if, We
accept his statements in regard to the present |
state of affairs national, political commercial, |
industrial and diplomatic, in the Far East, we
can hardly take exception to the admirable logic |
of his representations Wmether the outcome is
In accordance with his predictions or not, 1t can
not be denied that he has made in the two bulky |
voluunes before US a remarkably searching, |
ANALYTICAL clear and comprehensive presenta- |
ton OF what is the surface and beneatn IL aS |
well an intricately complicated and pefpieAllls
situation The whole story of the past decade |
iu China Manchuria. Corea and Japan has been
= most curious one" writes Mr.. Weale, and the |
manner in which all these countries have beconne
errangled with one another and with rival
Furopean nations is probably without paraliei |
in the worlds history" 1t is with these couh-
tries and their diplomatic entanglements that
the author deals. concerninS hlmself NANNY !
with what may be termed the Northern far
Fast-that is the territories lying north OF Ihe
Yangtse.'
Tho nresent work accordingly, may be re-
-araa5 as a sequel to his previous book, already
-afarred to and the authors active preparations
for writing it began while the war just enoeo
was still in progress. Steaning SIN
miles up the Yangtse to HankoW, MT "eoie
then travelled along the line of the unconiple'eo
French-Belgian Acknowledging ftalI"aS " O1o
chinese capitaI took the trip from Tslngtao Oh
HE completed German Shantung Railway to the
,r,,4incial capital and visited Japan and Corea'
,ralf,,er extended railway trips in both these
oo,1,+ries but more especially in the latter he
takes the reader with him on all these interest,"
ing excursions, pointing out condiuoLs '0-S
the line and in the principal cities throusH
which he passes and in which he tarrles' win
fra,71ent back trips and side trips into ancient
and modern history whenever it becomes heces
sarv to elucidate some particular point Hls
,-afa+orv rrornise that 'in the pages which fol-
lon everything that needs ample explanation Is
.rr,r,lv expained" is faithfully carried out ana
accounts for the thousand-odd pages INTO WHICH
the volumes extend themselves But II Is Jus
this ample explanation which gives lhe WIN
its value; and seeing what the author SO Nl'luiS
describes and learning what he SO thorousIiS
knows. the reader is enabled Understandings 10
follow him in his reasoning ana 10 arrive W."
him at his conclusions
Not the least important OF Mr.. Weales deduc-
tions from his studies of Oriental conoluohs -
treated specifically in his chapter on Irullh
Railways as Political Weapons, but never Iosl
SIGHT of in his consideration of the influences
reShaplng the deStlIlleS VI IiO
Far East He has, in fact. formulated and enuncl-
a+ed a principle which, adopting the termlnology
of CAPTAIN Mahan may be called the influence
oe railway power in war" and he makes 1t clear
that IN the great Continental East II is TINS
mower rather than that of the sea which is
ultimately destined to exercise the dominating
control AS it was the Trans-Siberlan HaliWay
and its Manchurian extensions which forhleu
the entering wedge by which Russia began her
1isintegratins work in China, so it is by the
cbant11ng line that Germany has strengthened
her hold ON her slice of Chinese territory, ana
nv the -Hankow-Peking lines that France
and Belgium playing into Germanys hands, are
eaakinp to interpose barrier that Will enecl-
,,aIIz- maintain for Continental European powers
the nrenonderance of influence in Chlna as
AGAINST England America, Japan and What, IN
his view. has been too little regarded, emma
itself.
For China he declares, is waking up me
educational value Of her own war with JAPAN
of the affair of 1900 growing out of the Boxer
uprising and of the war between japan ana
Pussia has been enormous. She Is reaLzlhs
that TO preserve her autonomy the esCapllSh-
r,en+ Of a modern army is absolutely esSentlai'
and she has already taken more than the nrst
stems toward that end. In from ten TO twenty
years. If she continues her present army pohcy'