New-York tribune., 1908-02-01
Three Commentators on 1fairs IN
{ the East.

Is Doubleday. Page & CO.
TIE TRUE IN TIE EAST AND ITS AFTER
MATH- Belns ~ Sequel 10 The Reshaping
ID thc Far last" By 3. L. Putnam Weale-
Nfth illustrations and maps. svo Up. Ky. 6i7
The Macmillan Company
TIE PASSING OF KOREA BY Homer B. HUI
hcrt- Illustrated sto. PIP. ". 80 Doubleday.
The awakening of China is a great theme
h-,- the reader Who looks 10 Or Martins book
fa- rev light on the present situation or for in
teIlgent forecast Of the future Will feel some
sens Of disappointment The venerable mis-
ssc1a-v has spent a long life in China. and it
would he hard for him out o. his ample ex-
perisnce not 10 contribute some interesting data.
KS work Is divided into three parts. The first
essays Ia give survey OF the geographical
features &C the several divisions and provinces
C China. and IN i serious description alternates
with rambling re-niQiscence Of personal ad-
venture A Similar lack OF scientific precision
psrva6es the second part. which purports TO
give an outline Of Chinese history from the
earliest time 70 the eighteenth century. The
ihrd part treats Of China in transformation,
with sPecclattons OF the future trend OF events
D. Martins long life in China has not I'M
bued him with respect or admiration for the
qualities that have made the Chinese the most
po7ulous and persistent people on earth They
g-e pagan people: they are half civilized;
-rev should be made 10 adopt our religion. Gus
sons and costumes. Referring 10 Tien-Tsin in
zS5S ne says. II remember hearing LORD Eigfn.
whose win was absolute, say that he was not
7fsng TO have i thrown open 20 commerce. be-
cause n that case il would be used TO overawe
7he capital Just as II overawing were not the
,-s-v thing needed TO make bigoted govern
,-=r- enter on The path Of progress" But not
~--v must the people be forced to progress in
- --7z- they must abandon the characteristic
.-.---=4-r and suitable costume Of centuries and
s=0-- 1s- Is say. pants" and swaliow-taiI
-e-- ..T- -rr peacock wishes 70 soar with the
.---a -e ---s- first get nd OF his cImt srsone
-ar- sa-s the venerable missionary. and Of
course. cre soaring process Of eagles being good
<-- -aa-1-zs tEev must be made % scar ire
sne-ttve o. their inclinatiors and instincts.
After al the Chinese are only heather and
haven't any right 70 their own country but
v-a should Ike 10 have the most henighJed
1ss-her o. them all pass upon the morality Of
rh.s wish Of { Christian minister: Let this
-agar empire be pa-titioned among Christian
r,--e-s and may g new order Of things open
OF China with new century, When such
-~--sc-c,-s crimes are advocated in the name Of
Christ is : 70 be wondered al that SO many
people question the utility OF foreign missions?
TIE book seems 70 have been made for its pict-
--es some o1 which are admirable It Is nearly
eleven inches high and weighs four pounds.
This Is z day Of problems Our plays. our
novels press aE1 our daily CClCES are al
concerned with problems. Such questions as
how IA divorce is necessary qualification for
re best society whether railways should be
allowed 70 charge more than Two cents a nile
wren czb-,en get fsty. and whether the authority
~ the mistress extends beyond the kitchen door
enlist o-r interest and divide our sy-mpathies. !
Pu- problems such these s-e chalk TO
Cnedda- cheese compared 70 those which i'll the
az os che East. After all. we take It for /
granted that the fundamental conditions ot So (
-tsr~ 90 settled but the Far East IS a seeth- I
tug boiling caldron of discussion and comment I
as 70 Fundamentals The partItiontng Of en- /
pres the extinction os uationalities. the arbi-
t-sry disposal Of the lives. sentiments and prop
cry ~ hundreds o1 millions Of human beings /
h~ beings oS another race, these are the large, /
rha cos7ic problems that engTOss the attention I
O The newspapers. the exchanges and the sew /
snc circles of the Orient L you would such !
topics treated in q generous way examine The /
Truce IN rhe East and It's Aftermath" by 3. I. 1
P---s~ Weala. The writer has the CoTpre- }
he-sfve view and the cochsUre aim of q sue /
c=ssfui var correspondent Il Is a pleasure 10 /
y.zTE 1rzs sers 70 his guidance and contemplate |
what might have been and what must be, as /
OWNED and portrayed by one who knows Il all 1
Sd z=L- He claims - be the first man in the |
-c-l5 ~ have travelled the entire distance % /
-=o thousand miles from Toxic 70 Peking by /
-z- texrer-i-Z the Tsushiu7a crossing and a few /
---=z H- cart -oad} and enlivens his book by /
personal experiences a. Port Arthur and other /
salient points.
BIZ -aes- 5igrez=ions interesting they /
prove - Pc are mere side lights the study
Ct --e --oHrerr IN hand The peace Of Ports .
mouth Is ONLY q truce. neither side is satisfied.
Russia i= -1-1eateu. her army Was better off ar
TIE end of the var than a. the beginning She .
l1sr --tEa tha- &c really worth having except her .
feet though she ought 10 shoot Stoessel and .
FocE Tor ra4 6-ssracefuI and unnecessary sur-
relde- oS Port arthur which. hy the way. never
ID 1e- any good The author dv-ells OF the i'm
portzrce cf railways In war. and points out that
TIE salvation ~ China viii lie in extending her .
four thousand miles of line 70 al least ten
within rta next few years. The grand lesson
q TIE va-.~ he says that q railway can do .
almost ANYTHING T. Is called upon 10 DO, must
teach a.. sooner or later. that sea power is no +
longe- what Il once was and that rail power
& Sharply c---esring the hitherto Unc0ntested
aae when The waters have possessed Tor 50
EE1y wears The Portsmouth truce was really
rsde tn London when the AnGlo-Japanese
t-e1-y was signed Jwenry-four days before the
Russ5-Jararese treaty. and one of the first
-----e--. important results of the alliance must
- sc-ue Ee1 understanding with Russia
ras orc sa.1..on ls that the tao nations which
v-f.l are rr-. +rr-rir EeII TO hc effective buffer
+-9rHs H.-z- state IS nor u czlsranree of peace
Z. = i----a-H01 fr make ga-- War only oe
Iced E- -=a--a- ao dela-aala lands II front y
LflI- of
r1-1--es -1 The rauas of soldiers ana merchants
01 r=arinG -.e sa:atv "lsa nation raE
---7~-re founders with another iE Asiatlc
elsa stations r.s.r a5sraa~e and i=Ho-ance have