The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-12-20
AMERICA AND
THE FAR EAST


Presbyterian church last night, Rev
Ernest +. Hall of San Francisco de-
| lNered another one OF his interesting
| addresses on America and the Far
East" In part Mr.. Hall spoke As fol
| lows.
The Far East Is the name usually
/ given TO hose nations about the China
and Japan seas The problem OF the
! Far East Is the problem OF who shall
be mistress-China, Japan or Russia.
| The building OF the Trans-Siberian
railroad lew years ago complicated
matters by bringing Europe into con
| ilict with Asia In that part OF the
world. The transfer OF the Philip
| pines from Spain to the United States
maze America interested in the east
ern question.
The war between Japan and China
over Korea IN 1894 marked a new era
in the eastern world. Japan was
military nation and China had never
, studied war and was not prepared.
; The battlefield In northern Korea al
ter the last encounter was strewn
with Chinese fans. The next time
! they fight Japan the Chinese Will
probably leave such impedimenta at
home.
"A half-ccntury ago America thun-
dered at Japan's hermit door and de
nianded admittGnce- Commodore Per
rvs guns were too powerful an argG-
nIent 10 answer. so Japan capltulated.
Then she sent her scouts all over the
world to see what was doing, the re-
suit being that Japan Is now ranked
among the foremost powers.
"China's treaty ports swung open
half a century ago. but China re-
mained the same nation that she had
been for centuries and centuries, until
the war with Japan made her realize
her danger. Up to that time the west
crn nations had regarded her as
Aloof from our mutation and unrest,
Alien OF our achievement and de-
sire,
Like a great giant awaking from
long sleep the nation Is stirring and
making the yellow peril loom big.
1--WE can realize what that peril Is
when we consider China's size and re-
sources. The population is one-tourth
that of the entire world-four hun
d1ed millions OF them-eight times as
many people as there are in Japan,
and at least four times as many as
the population OF the United States.
Until now the people have been sep
arated by dialects and lack OF means
of communication. But all that is
changing. Four hundred daily papers
bring TO them the Associated Press
news from ali parts OF the world Tele-
graph, telephone. cables and an up-to~
date postal service connect them with
other nations and bring the various
parts of their own land together.
"The first railroad was built In 1876
In 1907 the mileage completed and
projected npproXlmated 5000 miles.
Mr. Stone of the Associated Press.
after a recent visit to China, said that
the nation is rapidly changing from
purchasing TO a producing nation.
The country is rich in mineral re-
sources Coal in large quantities has
been found in every province. and the
other commercial minerals and pre-
cious stones are abundant China In
the past has entirely supplied Its own
wants by scratching the surface of the.
ground
In September, 1905, China abolished
the old system OF education and
adopted the western, and now schools
after the best models are in every
province. An army is being drilled
and equipped. and now an order has
been given to prepare navy
THE awakening Of the Far East
produces world problems OF tremen-
dous proportions and America needs
to study the problem.
Americas part in the solution of 1t
Is not primarily commercial or po-
litical. Some one has we'll said, War
diplomacy. commerce, industrial eX
pension and governmental reforms
never settle anything, while they tend
to unsettle everything There must
be something infused into the ca-t
from the west that has made the west
what it is. That something is moral
and religious After living several
years in the midst OF Buddhism. Shin
toism Confucianism and the worst
forms of heather religion, | can assure
you that there Is nothing in all the
forms of thought OF life of the heather
that will avert great international
catastrophe. The yellow peril Will
become a reality unless we lay I'm the
east a new foundation in righteous
ness on which the new national super
structures shall be built.
Az editorial IN the Portland Ore
gonan recently on The Cholera
Curse said The owner of a well-kept
lawn adjacent TO a thistle field Will
never be free from thistles until they
are eXterminated in the field. 1t will
be similarly impossible for the United
States to escape cholera and plague
as long as they are permitted TO
flourish unchecked in countries with
which we are constantly doing bust
ness.
The same holds true regarding
moral contamination The world is
getting all mixed up in these days,
and we cannot maintain our high ethi-
cal and religious standards unless the
spiritual thlstle5 OF the Orient are
eradiCated. for I'm these days Of COM
munication they border our American
lawn
Some one says, Let the heather
alone Their religion is good enough
for them But heathenism uninflu
enced by Christianity has never built
hospitals and schools. relieved the Op-
pressed and the suffering. and has
never stamped out scouTges from the !
nations Even If their religions were !
good enough for them. they are not |
good enough for them TO practice |,
when they come into contact with |
us