The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-08-17
THEHASKINLETTER
THE ASIATIC OYSTER
pY FREDERICK !. RAsKEN.

the Western nations except tho United
States. have been greatly weakened
by the world war. while Asia TOOK no
considerable part IN that war ana mas
not been weakened. II must also be re-
allied thai Asia has nearly billion
people In India alone there arc al5,-
0UO 600 people. The military forces
which England has there are but
handful and three fourths OF these
troops are themselves Asiatlcs, whose
loyalty would be doubtful in case OF
war on racial lines.
The late war seems to have shown
conclusiyely that In the long run the
side wins which can put the most sol
dierS into the field. when It comes
to numbers. Asia has tremendous
advantage over Europe,
For q thousand years Asiatics over
ran Europe, much As Europe oNerruns
Asia now. Turks, Huns. Mongols
came I'm wave after wave. The Asiatlcs
showed hat they had great fighting
powers. and great powers Of organlsa
tion and leadership. Then the tide
turned For several centuries now
the Western nations have been over
running Asia. May not the pendulum
swing back In word, are we not
in disrcCarding the Asiatic point Of
view. laying the ground work for an
other great war?
What renders the Asiatics compare
tvell helpless is that they lack the
Industrial and military organization Of
the Western nations. But we are do
ing everything in our power to teach
them that In one Asiatic nation, ia
pan. we have supremacy succeeded ia
pan has demonstrated the fact that
an Asiatic nation. when II puts Its
AsiattC mind to II, can learn NIL the
tricks OF our Industrial and military
civilization in one generation Japan
was medieval nation half century
go. Now 1t is n modern one In every
sense Of the word. And japan has
shown not only that an Asiatic nation
can learn the tricks of industrialism in
very short time, but that II can ap-
ply them In the same way we do Al
ready Japan Is developing" China
and Korea IN exactly the same way
that the Western nations have been
developing" Asia In general, And
when the United States and Great Brit.
ain protest against this process, on the
ground that Il is keeping the Western
nations out Of a share in the said de
yelopment, Japan replies in a series
Of diplomatic gestures which all strong
~ resemble the placing OF japanese
thumb to Japanese nose,
Japan, then. may be taken as an
example Of what Asiatics can do when
they have really learned the tricks Of
Industrial and military methods which
the Western nations are diligently
teaching them by example.
Our own most direct share In the
Asiatic region l. Iha philippines and
the strong movement for the Philippine
Independence which has grown up since
the war. Is our direct share OF the
growing unrest.
Those who claim that II is no longer
possible for Western nations TO domin
ate and exploit Asia, also argue that
we really gain nothing by 80 dominat-
nNnInif ~ he
English people. they say, has gained
nothing by the cutting OF India. Meth
er has the bulk OF the French people
gained anything from the French Asia
tic colonies, but on the other hand
they have paid IN blood and money to
hold these posse ssions. A similar in
quiry might be made AS to what the
average American citizen has gained
by the fact that this nation holds the
Philippines .., ..- $3.50.