The New York herald., 1921-12-09
LOOKING IN
on the conference
Daily 'Communiques' From Peace Gathering Are as
Inert Tariff Repor-Deft Vocabulary of Able
Men Is Missing-Some Character Studies

street. The Marines, suddenly aware
o. a form of respect that the past i'm
poses upon the present, snapped 70 at
tentlon, presenting arms. The man in
the car smiled family. lifting his silk
hat an inch or two. The woman n furs
and orchids ut his side waved gloved
hend. Ex-President and Mrs. Wilson
continued their drive.
What this man thinks of the aims
and indicated achievements Of the con-
ference no one knows, or is at liberty to
say From the seclusion of his invalid 8
residence in S street escapes no hint of
his thoughts. Only two years ago half
Europe. set in old notions Of ruler s
will being the peoples will, was ac-
claiming him as little less than godlilSe.
In this country the chill had already set
in. There is an obvious rekinding of
sentiment for Mr.. Wilson nowadays. 1t
is perceptible whenever he appears in
the public streets. But it seems appar-
ent that the warmth of greeting given
to him springs from the benevolence that
lice in the hearts of Indifferent creatures,
even. toward the broken and disap-
pointed.
You find yourself wishing that the
painfully modern. It's a modernity
which extends not only to top hats and
morning coats. spats and walking sticks
and Western ways in general, but even
to singular Discrimination to talk
about the old China. the China that ex-
lists back of the coast pretty much as
Il has done for several thousand years.
1t is as If they yearned to project them
selves into the present by denying the
past. Now and again one Is found who
will talk entertainingly about ancient
customs. such as the most engaging
law which compels a doctor to hang in
front of his habltation lantern for
every patient he has sent to join Con-
fucius. Ordinarily they are much more
inquisitive about American ways than
ready to talk about their own.
Admiral Tsai Ting-Kan, one of the
most interesting Chinese of the official
group, offers advice to American wives.
based on Chinese experience presum-
ably. If a woman wants to keep her
husband, says the sage of the sea. never
let him learn to cook or to sew on his
own buttons. Otherwise he would be-
come independent. Never leave such
tasks to the maid. He would be apt
to fall in love with the maid. Keep him
amused but helpless.
Gen. Lee asks why il is that custom
in America permits married women to
work in vocations apart from home
duties, and why respectable women are
allowed to enter certain professions and
voca tions. 1t shudders his soul to con-
template women of the right sort acting
upon the stage. In China nice young fe-
male persons do not take up the drama
as career. The General argues that
one of the economic troubles of the day
is the broad liberty-probably opportu-
nifty is more deferential word-af-
forded to women to take up mans
work. It makes jobs scarcer for men
(the General Is still talking, ladies) and
therefore produces a result which acts
unfavorably upon the whole population.
II there is any one Japanese argu-
ment that makes A Chinamans black
eyes glittering points Of jade. it Is the
suggestion that the Japanese are SO
crowded upon their own islands that
they must overflow into big China. Tia
Chen, n clever writer among the Chinese
publicists here, points out that Shantung,
not quite as big as Illinois. supports
about six times as rany persons, nearly
| 30,000.000. He says:
"One square mile of soil Is supporting
and 512 pigs. Is the province not a
human beehive? Has it any room for
Japanese immigrants?"