Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-04-12

- Ehfkf ~ "a BAGAi5AtE4
by the Chicago Tribune. The
writer attributes China's humiliatlng
position among the nations TO the lack
Of loyalty and active patriotism on the
part of her people.
The review in part is as follows:
To any one considering the situation
In the far east the contrast between
the position Of Japan and that of Chi
ma must appear startling.
japan. a nation OF 100000 people,
occupying territory about the size OF
the state of Montana and possessing
no great resources, is a great power.
to which the other great powers send
ambassadors. Japan is sought as an
ally. and its desires are most carefully
considered.
China Is n nation of over 400, 1000,
occupying a territory a third greater
than that Of the United States and.
rich in resources, is politically a minor
power and as such has ministers ac-
credited to 1t by the great powers. Ii
is not desired as an ally by anybody.
Far from its wishes being considered
it is at present in grave danger of los
ing considerable OF its territory IL not
of being entirely divided.
Japan Adds to Territory.
Japan. far from being threatened
with the alienation Of any of its origi-
nal territory. has added Formosa, the
~Pescadores. Korea. half of Sakhalin
and practically lower M%anehuria, in
Guiding the Taiotung peninsula. In
addition. it is accused. and not without
justice, of having it's eye on inner Mon
golia and Fukien, to say nothing of
American possessions in and around
the Pacific ocean.
China finds itself face to face with
Russia and Japan. which, allied since
Mr.. Knox's disastrous attempt to neu-
tralize the Manchurian railways, have
practically swallowed Manchuria and
are now turning their attention to
Mongolia.
To make matters worse, the news has
just leaked out of a recently signed
treaty between Great Britain and Rus
sin by which they recognize Russian
and British suzerainty in outer Mon
golia and Tibet respectively and by
which they promise each other mutual
assistance should China or any other
power endeavor to prevent them from
developing these two provinces for
their own interests.
Japs Brook No Interference.
No nations attempt to interfere with
the internal affairs OF Japan.
All nations are constantly interior
ing with the internal affairs of China.
Even its attempts to suppress the ma
tional vice of opium smoking are be-
ing seriously hindered by Great Brit
aims desire to prevent financial loss TO
bankers and merchants who are en-
gagged in this trade.
Interference with Japanese subjects
residing abroad brings n threat of war
which is needed by the nation con
cerned. The san Francisco school in
cident is Il good example.
Chinese are excluded from this coun-
try and frequently badly treated
Mexico has murdered numbers of
them. In the Dutch East Indies they
have been badly abused. None of
these conditions has been remedied
from the Chinaman's point of view.
Why must China suffer all this, not
on,y at the hands of the white pow
ers, but also at those of Japan, which
but a short half century ago was itself
hafup humtliatodo
Has Resources and People.
1t has great resources. 1t has 40O,-
100000 of teople. They are intelli,
gent. They have unsurpassed endur-
ance. They are physically larger and
stronger than the Japanese. They
have a long military history and have
in the past shown themselves to be
excellent soldiers.
The answer is to be found in the
fact that in Japan the military spirit,
having been kept alive and the sol
diers remaining on top having been
able TO inculcate the whole nation with
the military virtues OF loyalty, dis.
cipline and sense of duty, when they
realized the necessity for adopting
western methods they had only to get
western arms and learn to use them.
In China the military spirit had
gradually died out. The ruling classes
lost it first. The soldier dropped stead
lily down the scale until finally he was
at the bottom of it. TO such an ex-
tent was this carried that for all prac-
teal purposes the warrior class had
ceased to exist. TO be a soldier was o
thing of %reproach.
Code of Chivalry Unknown.
Such a thing as a code of chivalry,
similar to the bushido of Japan, was
unknown. The dominant idea was not
hat when evils were inflicted on the
nation they were to be resisted and
every effort made to overcome them,
but that they We're to be expected and
must be borne or, at the most, resisted
passively.
Thus it was that humiliation after
humiliation taught the Chinese moth
inc u1hov bafod tho fnvaivpar and