Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-03-08
LEorURE Ar NEw-oENTURY oLUB.

Yesterday afternoon Ramsey Muir, NJ.
A., of Liverpool University, England,
lectured on "lhe Great Powers in Asia
and the Pacific, "and said in part, although
the European powers have been ambitious
for the past 400 years OF expanding their
influence over all the continents of the
world, the movement has been especially
acute in the last 30 years, when Germany
and France, after the settlement OF their
internal troubles, awoke to find the rest
of the world passing under the control
of Russia and England. There was a race
for supremacy in Africa, for nations must
have fields for trade, and when it was
divided there was but one sphere left,
the Ear East Europe had some contact
with China from the Middle Ages, and the
Portuguese and Dutch had kept up a sort
of traffic on sufferance, but the land re-
manned a mystery, it's people regarded as
inferior, as a nation, stagnant and dead.
Now we know that we have brought up
against a people independent and alive,
though fundamentally different from us.
Oour whole morals turn on the sacred
n ess of human life; theirs is based on its
valuelessness. China is the only place
in the world where there is an attempt
at government by the fittest, by ability,
not by class supremacy, but by men se-
lected because they have the best brains.
Aandarins, though from any rank, must
be men of learning, though often It is
formal learning, not far removed from
pedantry
Isolated and stagnant, unquestionably,
! the Eastern nations were in the begin
ming OF the Nineteenth Century; in earlier
days there had been free intercourse
between India, China, Japan and Corea,
which caused development and when it
stopped they ceased to grow, for when
nations or people cease TO rub wits,
lg greatness declines. China and Japan fell
into stagnation because of the great Mon
golian invasion of rude, fierce barbarians;
they shTank into their shells and the great
wall OF China still shows the rigid limits
they drew around themselves. But SO
did Rome build walls across Europe 70
shut out barbarians.
Mr.. Muir sketched the various wars
and treaties by which entry was made
into China and its isolation broken, for
it is impossible for a nation 20 hermeti-
cally seal itself against the influence OF
other countries The knife has been
wedged between the valves of the oyster
but not very far in yet. OF its 100000, COO
perhaps not 40,OO0O00 know II has ever
been opened, and these have rather a
bewildered sense Of being beset by the
foreign dogs As the countries and the
islands in the Pacific become developed
it is likely to have the supremacy in trade
and take precedence of the Atlantic al
the latter did the Mediterranean. IL il
perhaps too early TO say the Pacific vii
outdo. but certainly it will equal the
Atlantic, and the United States is for
tunate in its long Pacific coast line
while, with France and Germany, it di
vides the Pacific islands. The people o
these islands have not much power o
resistance. is il possible 70 be friendly
teachers Of them without being mer'
exploiters? In Hawaii the natives ar,
dying OUT it is impossible 70 protect anC
develop them the fibre is not stronl
enough The filling of the Pacific mean
that western civilization is hemming then
in; can Eastern civilization survive a
all ? Ten years ago we might have sale
no. that Japan was not a toy power an,
China only kept from breaking up by tn
jealousy of the European powers amonl
themselves but the Chinese-Japanese wa
demonstrated that the fastener cOul,
make efficient use OF what he borrowe,
and coniured up the apparition Of tn
yellow Peril in time to deprive Japai
of the fruits of her victory. The Russo
Japanese war has given to China a chanc
to reconstruct herself. She has all tn
capacity that Japan has, in some way
more. but she is in a state of fidgety rest
lessness. The war means also that tn
whole world is not going 70 be dominate,
by western ideals. Why should we b
afraid; why not rather rejoice Out o
difference comes progress. The 'Yelloy
Peril is very unreal, though the easter
masses would be overwhelming if the,
turned their minds TO conquest. But Chin
at least never furnished men who roamed
Never was a nation more peaceful, NOR
anxious TO be left alone in peace within
their own boundaries, content withou
expansion"