The sun., 1919-10-12
"The Awakening of Asia"

TN the summer number of Books aud
Il the Book World, John Spargo named
ii VI. Hyndman's The threatening Of Asia
lis among the few books that had inter-
ested him most during his past years
reading. "In all his brilliant and versatile
career" Mr.. Spargo wrote, "Mr. Hynd-
ran has produced nothing of greater
value than this Interpretation of Asiatic
Developments" and he added that he
placed the work Sin class by itself"
Since both Spargo and Hyndman are So
Galists it is only natural that the Amer
lean should take an unusually deep in
But its literary and historical qualities
apart, it is doubtful if most readers will
place Mr.. Hyndman's judgments and
opinions on so high a plane as does Mr..
Spargo, for the simple reason that most
of us do not believe in the imminence of
''the japanese peril" that India under
British rule is a gross injustice to the
native population, nor that the Western
world may yet again see one of those
Oriental hordes sweeping across both Eu-
rope and America as was the occasional
custom of Asiatic races in the ancient and
Middle Ages.
That Mr.. Hyndman knows the Far
East intimately and well is apparent on
every page of his book. His historical
summaries Of Asia and Europe in the
past, in which he shows how much more
vital were the effects of Asiatic raids on
Europe. than in the reverse case, of the
Portuguese pioneers in India, China and
Japan; Of China and Christianity In the
Far East are simply fascinating. A char
acteristic social and political viewpoint
: revealed in his treatment of the story
Of Opium in China that is a bald indict-
ment of British government in the re
cent past; and this same train OF crit
icism is carried out in his discussion of
British rule in India, a discussion that
Excludes statistics seldom so forcibly pre-
sented as an argument against the Ra1.
In spite of these awkward facts, awkward
from the viewpoint of those who believe
tbe native Indians should have more voice
II, their government, it is not easy to blink
the fact that 100000 Britons anil
Eurasians control a population that
Mr.. Hyndmar estimates at 3l5,0O0.0OO.
Mere terrorism of power could hardly
carry on year after year with so lnsig
uiicant a proportion of British officials
as this. 1t is to be doubted II British
rnle could survive all these years If there
we're not some great good in it. Or else
xe must be led to believe that the In
dams themselves are a people who are
neither brave nor united enough to redeem
their country from the "hand OF the op-
pressor."
Tn this reporters estimation Mr.. Hynd-
man is Mt his best in his chapters Oh
China. where it is somewhat startling 10
read shat white men we're fatal TO
Asiatics," and that the Chinese faliec
time and again to make Roadway against
their enemies because "they were TOO CIV
,l;zed for their epoch in every sense"
Mr.. Hyndman's presentation of the China
that was and that the China he sees CON-
ing is of particular interest to all students
ne man and of history who realize what
great race is the Chinese. No one who
tpkes, thought for the relations OF
the, United States with China, Japan,
Great, Britain and France should fan 10
read this work for its facts even II he
disagrees with its judgments.
rI,E AWAKENING OF ASIA. BY II. NJ.
HYNDMAN. Boni & Liveright.