The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-11-04
u.y w. Il. ELLIS,

Ey w. II. BILLS, az,
Ch.la Is ia the war. but the war |
.og Ia Chiaa. The declaration OF wa
was an act or rho sosesnncat. and 40
a purpose Of the pcopic. 50 the work
Ayar has in 40 sense leen spisiiua
Experience for thc cninosc. Spckinl
generally. they are aot interested In IL
AZ q. any WAY tnc 1ar may he madf
Vital 20 China. IL may DC ,hc means oi
snvinz the nation = soul. The mere
knllne cr 4 few thousand, or few
inlnon men win not do this. China Is
hiartlingly unintorestcd In the other
mans death. Afler the battle Of Pok-
inz ! saw corpses uf the slain. some
uf thcra horribly nEunglod lying i1i
hours IN the streets; bat the spectacle
seemed TO yet on noDodys scnsibiiities.
Anybody who goes to China looking
iUr signs OF widespread religious inter
est viii seek la vain. When he brings
ip the rather sensational reports In the
American religious press OF the monster
meetings hcid by this or mat visiting
Anlcricln eva ngelist he Il told'that two
Facts arc not usually stated in such re
ports: lrst. that these meetings were all
carefully worked up in advance. like
,:illy sunday campaign: and second now
.,dsys, meeting upon any Subject
Whatever, provided it has novelty. mat
there were good results from these
meetings, nnbody doubts; hut they were
not sufficient justification for the as
sumption that China Is getting reli-
zion"
A Frank LOO.i al China
Things sre acute In China today. po-
Si;ically and socially. These searching
new times have stripped Off tho cover
Of ancient forms. a generation of tran
s.tion has left. for all the world to see.
Il China that is bare to the soul-ald
:hat soul Is scared and selfish. That is
4 hard judgment II does not apply
universally, since no generalization Is
ever true; but 1t does express the con-
dition OF the people as Il whole The
ancient PHILOSOPHERS OF: China have ri
poaed into fruition. and that fruitiOn
IS timoro,ls self-intercst.
The outstanding tharacteti istic. OF
China IL individuslism. Look out for
Number Oner Is the supreme law Of the
land The recent restoration of the
monarchy at Pel1ing led TO many igno-
Die revelations. which witnessed. Flight
from fear OF personal. hurt was the
dominant characteristic of the time. Pa
triotism became a mere phrase for rhet-
.uricians. while responsible officials Of
all degrees ran TO cover like rabbits
FROM highest to lowest. from the prcsi
for protection, to the smallest secretary
ianging ON the railing OF the platform
OF the train bound for the foreign settle
ment of TioR Tsin, the passion Of the
people was self-Prateeann. Everybody
DefricRdod himself and nobody dared to
stand Up for uie nation Patriotism COL
ftpscd, ~ lar sS bae ctit.d see from the
vantage point OF Peking. American
trained university graduates. Christians.
We'd with heathen mandarins of the
old order in seeking safe holes Not |
slagle fearless patriot appeared on the |
horizon.
| do not wonder that missionaries. |
who have given their lives to the crea-
ZION of new spirit in China, seemed |
discouraged Every man for himself" |
IS the great heresy. the denial of the |
Genius OF Christianity. Where convic |
sion and courage are lacking. there re-
.igion does not exist This Collapse |
"f China in a crisis. 50 that her panic |
nt fear and spinelessness shade her a |
laughing stock of the world. really has a |
spiritual significance: for the creation |
~ character is the business OF religion. |
-As 81 q mans god. as also is he.
No people with Il living faith, and |
ihe self-respect that accompanies il,
would let bandit general with thirty
Ave hundred pig-tailed braves" drive
ihain from their capital. overturn their
vcTnment, awcing thousands Of po-
!'cc and soldiers. and finally Withstand
Tor eleven hours lfty thousand troops
sent agains, them but so careful not
20 get within range that the total cas-.
t.alties wire ices than thirty, and NOT
q single Soldier reeeived tayonet
wound. The battle of Picking revealed
Al Essential lack ia the core Of tho
spirit of the Chinese people. Without
discussing the relative merits of Con.
iucianism and Christianity 1t will have
20 he admitted that the. product OF the
sofinterest that is stuitifying. Nor can
u be denied that among the wellknown
Christian leaders of the New China
there Was not one that stood his ground
when danger threatened: al alike ran
ignominiously Christian and heather.
What China Needs from the War.
what is now being reborn IN other
nations, and shiningly eycmplined. pas
sion for country ana cause. a master
motive that dwarfs the mere mainton.
'ncc of iife into insignificance. Is the
supreme need Of China. If she can by
my means be brought into the fellow
'hip ei the sacriicial conduct Of the
eafriag nations. her joining of the al
les viii be the most beneficial ac; I'm her
listoi1. China. as whole. has neither
atrintism nor devotion 10 any aItraistlc
zeal IL she may acquire something
u me same spirit uf national.srn that
Aafdcictiles Japan. or the other war /