Milford chronicle., 1919-08-22
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
Current Events for the Children
and Grown-Ups, Tool
Tine Mystery Of the DARK Countries

The Mystery of the Dark Countries
Uncle Ted had just finished his sup
per and was seated by the front win
dow reading the evening paper when
in rushed Jack, breathless and win
his hair mussed and what looked very
much like a red nose. Now what
have you been up to, you little scamp!
asked Uncle Ted. 1T looks to me like
NV little Jack has been fighting.
WELL" puffed Jack, you'd night
tool"
mo" answered Uncle Ted, Il hope
nv fighting days are over, and you
know I've told you that good little
bows don'e fight Now tell me what
it was all about"
"It was that Chinese laundry boy,
said Jack. Il went down to the laun-
drv TO take Daddy's collars. When
gave the bundle to Ching Loo he
smiled all over and then started to
Iaugh at me. He said, You white peo-
nile won't have a word to say when
President Wilson gets his world club
going l said, What do you mean?
and he said, The Yellow, black and
red people will run the world then
and l guess you won't have anything
to do about it. Then l got mad and
Just punched him one"
Jack" Said Uncle Ted slowly,
"frst Of all, you should never lose
your temper and fight, and second, It
so happens that the little Chinese boy
was right
~You mean" inquired Jack in very
surprised voice, that the white peo-
nile will be told what to do by people
like the Chinese boy if our Senators
agree to the Peace treaty and the
world club plan youstold us about the
other day?"
YES said Uncle Ted. When the
club plan for the countries was first
written the members were to be Eng
land, France, Italy, japan and the
United States, but later on many other
countries were named to belong and
vote and do just as these l have al
ready named. The way the plan is
now there would be fifteen white coun-
tries and seventeen countries Of peo-
ple belonging to the black, brown and
yellow races. Since each country has
one vote you can see that these dark
countries with two more votes IN the
club than the white countries could
make the white countries do just what
they want A very great many OF the
people in these countries can neither
read nor write. Many OF them do not
believe in God but worship idols, and
some of them are so bad that they eat
one another"
"Ugh!" said Ruth, who just came
ifn. what people do that2
e HSome Of the people who live in
Liberia do that. Liberia would be one
of the members of this club. 1t is To-
Gated on the coast of Africa and the
two million people who live there are
all black. Most of them are unable
to read or write Another coutry that
would vote just like the United States
is Haiti. The people are so bad that
the United States has to keep lots of
our Marines there to keep order and
protect Americans from being killed
or robbed. There are nearly as many
people in Haiti as in Liberia and there
are more who cannot read or Write.
Some of them worship idols too. The
people in nearly all these dark coun-
tries are not able to take care Of them
selves and yet our President wants
the United States to join this club and
would let them have the same rights
that we would have. China is one OF
these countries and so is Japan. China
has over four hundred million people
and they are all yellow or mixed
races They are more ignorant than
some of the black races, yet they
would have one vote in the club. That
is why the Chinese boy was right,
Jack"
Il haven't time to tell you about the
rest of the seventeen dark countries
but I will name them and you can
have Daddy look them up on the map
for you sometime. There is a little
country called Hedjaz, most of whose
people live in the desert just as their
people did 10000 years ago. Another
country is Panama, very small with
fewer people than live in one of our
large cities in the United States, yet
they would have one vote in the club.
Honduras, a little country down be-
low Mexico, has we don't know just
how many people because they are so
ignorant that they have no way OF
telling. Nicaragua, a neighbor to
Honduras, is composed of the de-
scendents of native Indians and negro
slaves brought there by the Spaniards
many years ago. There are not as
many people there as there are in the
city of Boston, yet they too would
have one vote. Guatemala, neighbor
of Honduras on the north, is Just as
bad and worse. Nearly all the people
are Indians and most of them cannot
read or write. Ecuador, another of
the countries, down in South America,
has over a million nennle Of raixea
dark races. And so it is with the
others: Bolivia, Peru and Brazil.
South Africa, one of England's col
onies apparently not able to govern
itself, would be allowed a vote in the
club. Siam, a country ruled over by
king whose word is law, would share
the same rights; and India, another
colony of England unfit to govern
itself, would be allowed one vote in
the club"
But" said Jack, Daddy says that
some of the Senators say that these I
little dark countries will have nothing
to say in the club"
YES" answered Uncle Ted, some
Of them say that but Senator Reed Of
Missouri, who has studied this matter
carefully, says that if these countries
have nothing to say, then those who
want it admit that the club is no good, /
that it is a failure and that these
nations cannot be trusted. But the
paper which tells what the club will
do says that things which have to do
with peace and war in the world
under this club plan be decided by
the club and not by few men repre-
senting some Of the countries. So
you see children, if our Senators let
the United States agree to join, we
not only might have to do what Eng
land would want but also what these
dark countries would want / think.
Jack, that before long you can tell the
Chinese boy that his country will