The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-04

Covetousness OF Japan may yet make
IL diplomatic issue, while America
through the Standard Oil Company is
bidding for control of China's vast oil
fields. The centre of the cotton in
dustry at Shanghai maintains a practi-
cally unrestricted exploitation Of labor
which has been described as "a dis
grace to civilization" Mr.. Harding
writes:
This vast reservoir Of economic power.
the greatest shat sas hsca opeTsd ~ to
tho world In modern tunes. constitutes fr~
us Of the Western ws.id a ..:ena-c thh.
tho European war has o.? taught -
Giinly to foresoc. The struggle for the
control OF this power has only been sus-
pended during the war; 1t viii inevitably
be resumed. AMI Is oaa~:enpr:ary staies~
men are looking foi Issues on whicr the
Oft repeated prediction-that II the ALLIES
win this war. they will only fail out
among thcmseivcs-msy he fulfilled, the
danger %portents on the tightening lines Of
competition for power in the Far East
are only too apparent.
The only thing America can do. in so
far rs 1t can stand for a foreign policy
based on conditions outside it's own
country. is t. guard jealousy what
'N'i bBI'l lliNI'H II may lhN' " anu
ing n consolidation of Climatic only
possible and policy which
can minimize the danger Of a world
war with this nations economic power
ut stake. II is our business. in so far
ms we can, to prevent China's future
from becoming merely a japanese
question, by making IL u world ques-
ton.
Mr.. Gardner l.. Harding. a keen OBJ
server and careful r%easoner. has lived
il, various parts Of China. studying II
economically and s~ocioiogically and his
PRESENT book gives us a very different
view of China from that usually held
~ the outside world. II shows "A coun-
Try Of vast industrial possibilities. of
great coal mining interests. of pro-
gressIve thinkers. ~suffragcttes. up to
date soldiers. huge cotton mills and a
people enthusiastic for modern educa-
ton. Such a nation cannot remain
static.
MIR. Harding arrived In China on his
last trip in May. 1918. Constitutions
a!ism was the at the height If It's
power, the one apparently permanent
result, of the revolution of 1911. when
Mr.. Harding left. the principal OPPOSE
ton party to the President. the kno-
Ming-Tank. had been outlawcd' and
destroyed. the Parliament had been
broken up. the leaders OF constitu-
tionalism and the first revolution had
lost the second revolution and left the
country with a price on their heads.
~ the time Of tho finishing Of his
book. Yuan Shih-k'ai had declared
himself Emperor. Al the Of
publication the south is again in
luton and Yuan is fighting "A forini-
dahlc secession movement.
Mr.. Harding says:
have attempted In she Glowing pages
TO interpret the quality 81 mind which
| produced the chinese revolution. IL NOT
intimately AZ Least sympathet!ca'y TO tho
Western world. This book IL an lmpres-
sion ~ people and things rather than a
history Of events and oaus"s. You "oli
china hands who may call my account
superficial. YOU hsv. your authorities AMI
your pr"tutices. keep them; thi. book -
not written for specialists. II IS written
with enthusiasm for young Chira and with
respect for OLD china. and II IL dedicated
to those among the American and Eng
llsh people % whom | know ! oau cont
IDENTITY appeal 90 honor young ihiri's .orE'
AMI h'''or Hsht upward through Tho
dsrknNss-the darkness Though Vhisr
4 Tho chinese revolution Of 1871 W. alwaNs
shine as a beacon lsh' ~ oriental fr.c-
dom.
The chapter on the "Wotnan's Part"
IN tho uphuilding "t modern China is
most Illuminating and Z" n un!nitiate.
surprising. He gives a delightful pic
ture of Or. Mary chang and her