Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-24
YELLOW VOLCANO
IS INCUbATIM
FEELING OF UNREST NOTED IN
CHINA
Outbreak Expected Not Later Than
Nine Years Hence in Effort
to Shake Of Foreign
Control

Correspondence of the Associated Press
PEkING, June 20.-China is a vol
cano. Just now one sees a puff of smoke
| here and there: but some day there will
be an explosion, and then again some
day the volcano will be explosive nc
| longer.
| Close observers are not in Peking
because Peking is not the place to get
| the real news concerning China, but
foreigners long resident in the interior
in Shantung and Chi Ii, put the explo-
sion nine years hence. Educated Chi
| nese bring 1t nearer For the present
however the American in China is as
secure as he would be in his own home
in the United States.
Financial interests may or may not
be threatened. If they are they have
themselves and the politicians to blame
but 1t is well understood in official and
other circles that it is useles at least
to kill foreigners. There is a general
running after foreign things and for
eign ways. Men having foreign train
ing are in demand. The same men had
to run for their lives during the Boxer
times.
Object to Foreign Control
At the same time there is anxiety to
shake off foreign control of everything
partly from a new feeling of national
pride and partly from desire to keep
the good things for themselves. Mis-
| givings are based on fear of an anti
| dynastic rising, probably on the part
of the radicals. This would become
partly anti-foreign and would in any
| case mean anarchy.
Also there is the typical coast trader,
who know nothing of and therefore
despises the Chinese and admits no
equality anywhere. These cause local
friction and are Objectionable in them
selves. 1t is consequently in the ports
that foreigners are disliked. and they
bring it on themselves. There are a
great many "armies" in China. but the
only one that counts is Yuan Shi Kai's
northern army" The Chinese are
raising big horses somewhere in Mon
golia for the ultimate use of the army
and hope to remount their cavalry in
about four years. The Chinese soldiers
will blaze away with blank cartridges
in fine style, but they are not trained
to shoot. Target practice is rare. 1t
is also very doubtful If the men would
follow their officers, except to the rear
and 1t is doubtful If the officers would
go anywhere else
At present the army is an immense
advance on the old thing. IF they can
get good officers and make the men be-
lieve them good and teach the infantry
10 SnOOt, the ChlneSe army would go
far. But army reform ultimately rests
on civil reform.
Boycott Not Serious
"The American boycott" never seri-
ousy affected the interior. A few items
of United States imports came into the
interior in small quantities. Tt was a
question for the ports, particularly
those in the south. The Shanghai riots
were purely local and magnified by
Shanghai hysteria. A serious question
is the educational one, which gives rise
to the young China" movement. This
is founded on conceit, the basis of Chi
nese student character. They are about
one-quarter educated and think their
education is complete.
The real trouble is that China wants
to do things much too fast, but should
this tendency subside there need be no
more trouble at all. Certainly there is
none Just now.