New-York tribune., 1919-10-11
Altruiistic Europe
Gibbons Attacks Allied
Policy in Colonial Asia

THE NEW NAP OF ASIA By Herbert
Adams Gibbons. The Century Company,
New Yori,
The tremendous expansion of Euro
pean power and influence in Asia hos
not been accomplished with any very
scrupulous regard for the nicetics c.
ethics and international law. The
British conquest of India, the Russo
British partition Of Persia the terri
torial acquisitions Of the European
states at the expense of China, may all
be characterized as acts of ruthless
and predatory imperialism.
According to the point of view ey-
pressed in Rudyard Kiplngs famous
phrase, "the white mans burden" the
Aslatic races have derived inestimable
benefits from being governed, civilized
and Christianized by the altruistc Eu-
ropeans. DR.. Gibbons sharply attacks
barrassing statistics to show the utter
poverty OF India as contraseed with the
immense financial profits which England
has drawn out of the country. He con-
tends that most OF the Asatic peoples
are now fully capable of standing on
their own feet, and predicts that
league of aroused Asiatic nations may
drive the French and English out of
their colonial possessions in the near
future.
DR.. Gibbons analyzes the break up
Of the Ottoman Empire and discusses
the probable future of its subject
races. He devotes chapter to Zion
ISM, which he opposes on the ground
that wholesale immigration of Jews
from Europe and America into Pales-
tine would irritate the Arab population
OF the country and stir up endless
racial friction. He describes the Fate
of China and Persia, two nationse>vhich
esQttered the war on the side Of the
Allies only to find their delegations
rebutfed and their grievances ignored
by the peace conference. Japan's am
bilious designs in China and Siberia.
the old clash Of Russian and British
imperialism in central Asia. the effects
of Boishevism in the Far East. all re-
ceive share Of the authors attention.
AS may be seen, DR.. Gibbons covers
cases his narrative is inevitably sug-
gestive rather than fully informative.
At the same time the authors lucid
style and excellent sense Of proportion
preserve his work from obscurity and
onesidedness The fearless, Straight
forward liberalism which characterized
DR.. Gibbons's earlier writings on the
war are manifest in this work also;
he speaks out his convictions without
the slightest attempt to propitiate the
powerful forces which are interested in
keeping the Asiatic races in state
OF subjection. He puts the case
against European imperialism vigor-
ously and succinctiy in the following
paragraph:
When we examine analytically and
weigh spassionately arguments ad-
vanccd for the maintenance of Euro
pean eminent domain, we realize that
they are based upon principles we
have prescribed. They are the prin-
cples of Prussian militorists and of
the German Imperial government. For
European eminent domain is the doc
trine OF the Uebermensh put into
practice. Races, believing in their
superiority, imposed by force ,heil
European eminent domain has no jus
tification, unless one believes eithel
(a) that our particular idea Of civil
cation is SO essential to the world''
happiness and wellbeing that it mus
be built up and spread and maintained
by force; or (b) that superior races
have the right to exploit, or at leas
to direct the destinies of 'inferio
races; or (e) that the bestowal of ma
terial blessings upon people is ade
quate compensation for denying then
the right of governing themselves"
DR.. Gibbons, unlike Mr.. Wilson
seems to take the fourteen points Sc
riously. His book may be described
as a plea for the literal APPLICATION o.
the Presidents dictum that, in con
sidering the colonial problem, the in
terests of the subject races should bt
regarded as of equal weight with those
of the governing power. w. IL. c.