Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-07-02
EAST is EAST
Article No. iii
BY Frank II. Hedges

Sun Yat-sen, Extraordinary Presi-
dent of China, would have sold the
city park at Canton to raise funds
did not put the park up at auction
month or so ago because a foreign
friend showed how he might obtain
the necessary cash by other methods.
DR.. Sun stands alone among the
| many leaders and wouid-be leaders
of sorely distressed China. He has
shown that his strength lies not jim
his armies, but in his personality.
Ten months ago, an exile and a ref
ugee. DR.. Sun welded as great power
as he does today. once more back in
his capital of the south.
Sun Yat-sen is probably the most
widely known Chinese, both at home
and abroad. His has been a pic
turesque and colorful life. From his
earliest bow before the public he has
| stood for an idealistic democracy. for
stage that is, alas. more advanced
, than the nation of China itself. He
was the soul of the revolution that
overthrow the Manchu dynasty and
established the republic, despite the
rather minor part that he played in
the initial stages of the movement.
No more dramatic moment has come
in all the centuries of China's history
than when Sun Yat-sen stood with
barred head before the tomb of the
first of the Ming emperors and in
formed the spirit of that great mon
arch Of the change that had taken
obeyed the will Of heaven, he
solemnly stated. and had misgoverned
the nation. Therefore, the people
had once more taken the power into
their own hands for the welfare of
China.
Sun Yat-sen has called the one
great mistake of his life his release
of control following the republican
victory. Because he believed it to be
for the good of the people and for the
from the office OF provisional presi-
dent to make way for Yuan Shih-kai
But Yuan did not believe as does
Sun. To him, power meant personal
gain. and he governed wisely only
because it paid. Once more Sun Yat
sen resumed his long struggle for
the rights of the people, struggle
still in progress.
Never once has DR.. Sun wavered
from his ultimate goal and he has
been called the only Chinese in pub
lie life willing to take a full step.
Visionary he has been, unquestion-
ably. When DR.. Sun announced that
he was going to put s10.000.000 into
circulation, he was asked: But where
are you going to get the money!"
Coin it, was his prompt rely. 1t
would have been practical to print 1t:
to coin it required silver bullion
which Sun did not possess.
Like men the world over. Sun has
lived and learned. He still visions
the China Of his dreams, pathetically
unlike the China of reality, but the
failures and setbacks he has en-
countered have brought wisdom. He
is no longer merely a dreamer. Sun
side of life-and of Chinese politics.
He has forsaken his idea Of reunit-
ing China by force. Such reunion,
he now realizes. would be worthless.
on foreign aid and friendship. Dur
ing his last visit to the British crown
colony of Hongkong he fearlessly
praised the government there. BY so
doing he won a friend where once
was a formidable enemy. He has.
cation that democratic China does
| not necessarily mean a government
| modelled in detail on that of this
| nation. Rather, IT means the appli-
cation of democratic principles to the
customs and institutions that China
has evolved through the ages-the
use Of a new mortar. perhaps, but
the use of the same old stones and
bricks with which the now vanished
empire was builded.
Suns strength lies in his vision, his
tdisinterested service for his homeland.
The followers of other Chinese lead
ers are loyal because through such
loyalty they benefit personally; the
, followers of Sun Yat-sen are loyal to
the ideal that is working through
the personality of this particular man.
1t may not be that Suns place is as
the President of strong and re-
united China, but there can be no
doubt of the vital place he holds as
a banner bearer, as rallying point.
| for those Chinese who put country
before self.