The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-02-18
CHINESE BACKGROUNDS
From Friends Peace Com.

much trouble in waking up in the
morning. Finally we hit on the
scheme of going into his room "a
the appropriate time and pouring
cold water on him. AS long as we
used only enough water to wake
him up, it was all right. But when
we kept on pouring water on him
after he was awake, he got angry
AS he was large man, we had tc
leave his room hastily"
Thus Grover Clark describes the
present, situation in China. Grover
Clark is editor and publisher of tn
Peking Daily leader. He represents
the fourth generation of his famil.
TO live in China. He thinks that the
western nations have now poured
enough cold water of western civil
ization on China to wake her W
thoroughly. The next six month
will show whether they are going to
stop pouring cold water before tbs
awakening giant becomes angry.
China is not at present anti
| foreign, but strongly pro-Chinese
The revolution of 1911, which over
threw the Manchu dynasty and set
up the Chinese republic, was carrie
on by two groups. One group in
cluded Sun Yat-Sen and his fol-
lowers, idealistic, ardently patriotic
but without political experience OF
ability. The other group included
Yuan Shi Kai and his lieutenants
INSCRIPTIONS, selfish, able, exper-
fenced. Selfish ability defeated
idealistic incompetence; and since
Yuan Shi Kai's death China has beer
torn by the purely selfish wars OF
his followers, and of others like
them. Meanwhile, Sun Yat-Sen's
followers have kept alive their
idealism and increased their ability.
Their example has reused the
patriotism OF Chinese in all parts
of the vast nation. Now the Kuo
manting, or Peoples Party, of Can
ton, has under it's control practically
all of China south of the Yangtse
River, an area equal to that of thu
United States, with twice our
population. Apparently the people
of much of the rest of China are
not hostile to the Cantonese.
While the Kuomanting have been
increasing their experience and
ability, Yuan Shi Kais lieutenants
have been dying or retiring, and
the present independent militarists
are not only selfish, but OF probably
less ability than their opponents
They are recently reported to have
formed an alliance under WI Pc
Flu to try to retain what contro
they now have; and are still capable
of offering a formidable resistance
to the Nationalist.
In spite of internal dissensions
amounting to civil war, the Chimes
are united by a sense of the injustice
of many of the special privilege
enjoyed by foreigners in China
They do not contend that these
privileges were secured unjustly, o.
were essentially unjust when they
were established. The foreign con
troll of Chinese customs, at the time
it was established, was the fairies
solution of the problem of regulating
foreign trade with China. 1t is fai
no longer Extraordinarily when
it was first arranged was the
simplest and most satisfactory way
of arranging for the protection ant
supervision of foreigners in China
But with the spread of modern
education and the development o.
Chinese industry, extra-territorlali'
has become a serious inconvenienc'
and the source of much irritation.
What interests the Chinese is not
what was written eighty years ago
but what is best for everybody con
cerned now. Their sense OF fair
ness makes them understand per
fectly the difficulties of foreigner
under Chinese law. Grover Clarf
has found it good business to adop'
the policy of renouncing any specia'
privileges which his paper MIGHT
enjoy as Delaware corporation
relying entirely on the Chinese. His
experience has convinced him that
if the foreign nations will volun-
tarily give up extra-territeriality
China will voluntarily offer adequate
arrangements for securing justice to
foreigners, even including the right
of appeal through the Legations.
Attempts to protect foreigners in
China by military force are futile
and. dangerous. Grover Clark's ex
perience is that of most missionaries
that the simplest and most adequate
protection is afforded by a friendly
reliance on the friendliness and
courtesy of the Chinese.
These things seem very strange
to westerner, but that is the way