The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-06-19
WI TING FANG
MAKES ADDRESS
CHINESE MINISTER TALKS At.
&@ % 5HH 4.
IOWA UNIVERSITY.
PRAISE FOR AMERICANS

Says That Thousands Of Chinese stud.
ents Are Coming to This Country
Yearly to Study Methods-china
and America Very Friendly.
Iowa City, Ia, June 17.-Minister
WI Ting Fang delivered the com
mencement address at Iowa university
today, speaking upon Chinese Stud
ents in America" At the conclusion
of his address the honorary degree
Of LII. D. was conferred on Minister
WI. He said in part:
In the past decade, hundreds and
thousands OF our youths, the flower
Of the nation, have proceeded in a CON
tinuous stream to foreign countries in
the footsteps Of the men who have
given birth to a new Japan. Eng
land, Germany, France, Russia and
Japan, but above all. this country,
have witnessed a large inpour Of our
students into the colleges and univer-
stiles. .Meikuo,' our euphonious name
for the United States Of America, has
a special fascination for our earnest
and enthusiastic students, who look
to 1t as the Mohammedans look to
Mecca. 4.
America 10 Foremost.
"The foremost nation in many ways,
and especially in educational advan-
tages, America attracts our young
men to her shores, inspiring them
with "a yearning like the yearning Of
wave for the shore stretched before
It,
IF you will ask me who exert the
greatest influence in domestic and
foreign politics of China in the next
few decades, l have no hesitation in
answering our young men who have
been and are being educated in the
colleges and universities Of America
and other Countries Often 1t Is the
case that before such a student grad
yates, this viceroy or that, this min
lister or another, sends him a cable
gram pre-empting his services and
inducing his acceptance OF an engage
ment with the offer Of q handsome
salary. /
with the door to the oficial life
in my country open wide to the grad
yates from your universities. with in
creased confidence IN their character
and ability, with the numerous under.
takings initiated BY my government
the birth Of a new China, IN
dertakings which can be successfully
carried out only with the leadership.
and advice of my countrymen trained.
In the west, am / not right In saying
that these same will exert a very
great influence In the future policy Of
China?
Countries Are United.
'1n the hundreds Of my countrymen
that went and are going through the
college halls Of this country, there
exists a bond Of union between China
and America that Is mightier than
treaties and alliances. As some one
has said, our American educated
young men constitute bridge across
the broad expanse OF the Pacific
ocean on which American learning.
American ideals, American institu.
lions, American inventions, American
products and manufactures r con-
veyed into China. S, a
"They will be able to insure a peace
and trade in the far east that treaties
and military forces cannot insure. In
one word, these students will be the
most effective instruments through
and with which American civilization
or rather American university educa-
ton can exert its wonderful influence
the new China.
F%rlendllness viii Continue.
every Chinese student in this
country constitutes a link in the band
Of peace that exists between the
ancient empire on the western and the
giant republic on the eastern shores
Of the Pacific. ! am glad, therefore.
that your halls Of learning have 30
warmly welcomed our young men. !
am glad that our students are doing
so splendidly IN this country and have
won golden opinions from your distin-
guished educators. Mark my words,
from this day on the most friendly
and intimate relations will always
to exist between the two
countries and in the enecting Of this
desirable contamination a
large part Of this credit will be due
o the Chinese students now studying
II your schools and colleges"