The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-08
Chinese Isolation.


 by lofty mountains, and by vast des- erts. The result was that she became a law unto herself. She had virtually no contact with the outside world. Her Knowledge of that world was confined to the savage tribes on her frontiers. There were advantages in her lsola- ton up to certain limit; but isola- tion eventually means stagnatiOn, de- cay, and death. This is sociological law from which there is no escape. China was ignorant of her defects; she had no nation with which to com- pare herself. She gradually came to believe that China was virtually the comparable to the Chinese. She re- garded all other nations as barbarians. Her exclusiveness kept her ignorant, and her ignorance ended in conserva- tism and conceit. Her civilization had reached celestial perfection. Why should she accept ideas from barbar- ians? She was the chosen people of heaven. It is not surprising, there fore, that writers on China record the fact that Lord Macartney's embassy, in 1792, passed into Chinese history with the statement that 'barbar1ans brought tribute to China
 fThis isolation had it's advantages; 1t preserved China in a state of peace, while other nations were involved in ruinous wars. Let us glance at some of the great nations which were de. veloping their civilization during China's period of peace for nearly 2,000 years. During this period, Assyria on the River Tigris, with Nineveh as it's greatest capital, grew into power and fell into decay. It was at the height of it's glory when Greece and Rome were just beginning. Among the greatest of Assyrian kings were Sennacherib and Asshur-ban pal, called by the Greeks, Sardana- palus. During this same period, Babylonia, with Babylon on the River Euphrates as it's capital, nourished in splendor. Its hanging gardens were among the wonders of the world. But Babylonia finally sank to dust. Dur ing the period of China's isolation, Persia rose to wealth and fame. Its noted kings were Cyrus. Darius and Xerxes. But Persia sank into decay During this period also Greece chal- lenged the attention of the world. She evolved a civilization which amazed all readers and thinkers, even to this day. Her Athens, as Milton has sung. was the mother Of arts and eloquence. But Greece passed away. Rome arose into resistless power and world wide empire. From her seven hills she ruled the world. Rome sank as completely as she had ruled regally. Phoenicia, with it's Tyre and Sidon, peopled the shores of the Mediter- ranean, founded colonies at Carthage, Cadtz. and even in Britain. Hiram, one of her kings, sent workmen to help Solomon build the Temple in Jerusalem Phoenicia gave letters and the alphabet to Greece and to the world. But Phoenicia passed away. All this time, China maintained her isolation. Mohammedanism arose, carrying the Koran and the sword along the shores of the Mediterranean and the Indian ocean. Genghis Khan plain, now the heart of Russia, with various Mongolian hordes All through these stirring scenes, China preserved her unique isolation. The Crusades swept the Christian powers of Europe to the Holy Land to wrest it from the Mohammedans, mingling the civiliza- lions of the Occident and the Orient. Columbus crossed the Atlantic in his tiny caravels, and a new world was born. The Reformation swept over Europe, and recast the creeds of Christendom. But the isolation of China remained unbroken. She still regarded the outside world-so far as she knew anything about sit--as intol- erably barbaric. With I the dawn of the nineteenth century, came Napo- leon,s the mighty son of Mars. He darkened the sun at monday with the smoke of battle, and illuminated the darkness of midnight with the fires of conflict. Then on St. Helena's s lonely isle he went down into darkness and death. But during all these world-moving events China main tained her complete isolation. There is something striking and almost sub lime in the thought of this self-satis- fled empire living out it's life during these ages isolated from the great world of progress.
 China's Awakening.
 There are great disadvantages, as we have already hinted, in national speak of the 'irsular bent of mind" of the British people. There is doubt less ground for this criticism. The people of the United States, until a decade ago. were also marked by con- tinental provincialism. We can well understand, however, how vastly greater were the peculiarities of in- sularity among the Chinese people during these centuries of isolation. We now come to the awakening of this mighty nation. When nation mas taken a nap Of 1000 years, it's awak- ening challenges the attention of all other nations. China is still rubbing her eyes, and is scarcely conscious or what her awakening means. It IS d1I- ficuIt for us to understand to-day tha. in 1s40, all Chinese ports were effec- lively closed. No foreign consuls were recognized, and diplomats who desired to reach the Emperor were forced to kowtow almost like the lowest coolies Foreigners were devils who had no rights which the lordly Chinese were bound to respect. But the day of awakening was dawn ing In 1S42, occurred the Opium War As result of this war, treaty was signed by which British subjects were permitted to enter the city of Shanghai. Tn 1843, the first door was partially opened. The Anglo-French attack upon China, in Peking and the spoilation of the Sum- mer Palace. In 1889, 16 cities on the coast were treaty ports. Since 1895, the number of open ports has rapidly increased. In 1898, an edict was is- sued permitting foreigners with official passports to visit all parts of the En- pire for business or pleasure. Later came edicts, permitting foreign steam. vessels to navigate the rivers. It is possible now for foreign goods to reach the remotest parts of the in terior as we'll as the coast ports It has been we'll said that the Chino Japanese war dealt China blow which cracked her shell of insufferable reach the conclusion that the Jap anese were superior to themselves, or that the western civilization adopted by the Japanese was superior to their own This latter alternative was less humiliating than the former, and China adopted it as the explanation of her defeat by Japan. China is not