Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-20
MINISTER TO UNITED STATES
PRINCIPAL SPEAKER AT AR.
BlTRATioN CONGRESS.
SAYS HoNoRs OF PEACE
ARE GREATER THAN OF WAR
china's Mission Has Been a Peaceful
One in Dealing With Less Civilized
Tribes-Dr. WI Says Human Weak
ness Is to Aspire to Martial Honor
and Fame.

Lake Mohonk, N. Y, May 20.-At
honk Conference on International Ar
bitration, DR.. Wu Ting Fang, Chinese
minister to the United States, spoke on
"China's Attitude Toward Arbitration"
In opening DR.. Wu reminded the con-
ference that the art of war was one
that had bena much practiced in China,
and that from a time many centuries
before the christian era until after the
fourteenth century Chinese history
dealt in large part with the toll and
trouble of war. "Our history" he con-
tinued, "bears testimony to as many
deeds of desperate valor as that of any
nation while to this day many Of the en-
inent generals of olden times enjoy the
honor and worship due to them as
demigods. It is we'll known that our
people make good soldiers. Some Of
you have, think, read the reports of
military experts commissioned by
western powers to witness the man.
euvers of our modern army in the
past few years, and you will remem-
ber that they, one and ALL bestowed
hattering praise on our officers and
men.
Notwithstanding all this, one may
agree with such eminent sinologues as
Mr.. E. P. Parker, when they state that
our people have none of the character
istics of warlike race, and that our
triumphs over less cultivated peoples
who lived in our neighborhood have
been gained more by peaceful means
than by force of arms. From the earli-
est times our method Of acquiring
property has been of an assimilative
and peaceful nature. Indeed, 1t may be
truly said of our people that the ex-
papsion of the empire has been the
logical consequence of a superior civil
ization. Time and again China has
been overwhelmed by foreign invaders
from the north, but in every case the
conqueror has surrendered to the laws.
customs and institutions of the con-
quered.
Speaking Of the chief causes of war
and their remedies, DR.. Wu said:
Men like martial honor and fame:
to enable them to obtain these there
must be opportunities for them to dis
tinguish themselves. 1t must not be
supposed that l attribute to them -
either military or naval men - such
Observation-Disclosures and cruelty as to
wish for war. No, on the contrary. 1
believe such men, generally speaking.
are kind-hearted and humane and
would not shed a drop of blood need
lessly. But when a general or an ad-
miral who has won battle is show
cred with honors and made great
hero of the country, or when a states
man has carried thru successful war
for his country, is praised and lauded
to the skies by his countrymen, is it
not too much to expect from human
nature that men do not sometimes
yearn for an opportunity justifable
occasion-for war, in order to distin-
guish themselves? Is not this encour-
aging people to fight?
To avert war and encourage arbi-
tration, in my humble opinion, the
public. and, in fact, the whole world.
should be educated to look upon war
as a most disastrous and accursed
event, and those engaged in the strug-
gle, tho successfully, SHOULD not be
worshipped as they have been. A
statesman who has avoided disas-
trous war should be more honorod
than great general"