Evening star., 1925-07-14
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

II ever there was a topic which had
q BACKGROUND" IL is China. That an
cient land has nothing else but"
background, according TO the concep-
ton of the most Occidental bar
barians, Americans included.
Today, however, China has stepped
out of the background directly into
the spotlight, in the center or the
world stage. One may we'll wonder
what is to develop out of the renais-
sance of the Orient which is looming
so ominously against the sunset. Half
the worlds population is in Asia, and
half of Asia is in China, while, inspir-
ing China to attack all foreign in
yaders and defy their governments,
stands Soviet Russia, with its no.
600 900 ignorant communists eager
for the coming of the revolution
which shall overturn all "capitallsuc
nations" and make Soyietism the mas
ter of power and wealth.
The menace Is not merely a rebel
lion of one Chinese faction against an
other; it is voiced in the cry: XIII all
foreigners, killr' That cry is not the
fanaticism of the Boxer rebellion of
Young China, the educated product of
the protocol resulting from the set
tlement of the Boxer rebellion.
Young China is not in control of
the government; 1t has not yet won
the confidence of the masses, whose
traditions of the centuries-of the mil
lenniums-have inbred in them un-
limited respect for their rulers who
have gained power through classic
tests, in knowledge of the precepts of
Confucius rather than knowledge of
Occidental science and history. The
officials in power may be likened TO
our fundamentaliSts, but the progress
sive Young China is the man of to-
day-alert, vociferous, inststent and
radical in his nationalism.
~ y
When the civilized nations negoti-
ated the settlement of the Boxer re-
bellion, one Of the conditions of the
protocol was that the old system of
education for the civil service exam
nations was to be suspended for five
years Under that system there had
never been any public schools nor any
general education. The ambitious
young man had a private tutor, who
drilled him only in the teachings of
Confucius and the classic poetry. In
due time the student so prepared
went into an official stall and took an
examination. II he could pass the
tests he was qualified TO become
public official
BY the terms of the protocol that
system was suspended Q90D and IT
has never been revived. In Its stead,
the country undertook to build up
public school system, based upon the
state-controlled systems of Sweden or
Prussia Students were put in uni
forms indicating their particular
school, and they assembled in contact
with hundreds of their class; the class
student instinct quickly developed,
which now, after 20 or rs years of
growth, has become important. The
chief element of the student instinct
is its intense nationalism-"China for
the Chinese"
The attitude of the United States
has always been to encourage ma
tionalism in China and protect Chi
nese autonomy. But for American
protection, Chinese territory would
long ago have been partitioned
among imperialistic encroachers, coun-
tries of Europe which upon various
pretexts have assumed rights over
certain areas.
The demand of Secretary of State
John Hay and Secretary Philander
Knox that the "open door" be recog-
nized, so that all nations should have
equal rights to trade there, saved the
Celestial Empire-now the Chinese
Republic-when other nations were
willing to further selfish advantages,
or even the ultimate dissolution of
the nation.
The American gift Of our entire in
demnity arising out Of the Boxer re-
bellion, for furthering her new edu-
cation, demonstrated not mere Hber-
ality on the part Of America, but
far-hung statesmanship which pro-
tected great people destined to be-
come even greater In the future than
ever in the past.
Today's-attitude of President Cool
idge and tSecretary Of State kellogg