Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-25

Day by day the news regarding
China grows more and more serious.
China, with 100000 men under
arms-fghting under two or more
flags today, but sure to combine in
one patriotic force when. foreigners
invade to protect foreign devils, -
whom all China is determined to ex-
pel-or kills not an inspiring spec
tacle. Nor is the open activity in
China of bolsheviki from Russia in
citing antipathy toward foreigners
encouraging to civilization. China 8
population is 445, 100000.
1t has been a fortnight since the
Chinese drove the British into sur
rendering Hankow, and ever since
then the news has come that the ven
geance of the attackers is directed
especially against the English. Little
actual violence has yet been shown
toward Americans, but an Infatuated
mob Is not likely to be overnice in
differentiating between Anglo-Saxons
who speak the same language.
The animosity toward the English is
particularly strange, in the light of
the announcement of one of Eng
lands foremost writer's on China
Mr.. Stephan King Hall, whose book.
Western Civilization and the Far
East" was published less than two
years ago. He explains:
"Unofficially, the Americans have
much the same ideas as other people
that is to say, they are out in the
East to trade and make money.
The unofficial Americans in the Far
East are rather fond of abusing their
own Government, which, they declare,
gives them no assistance and spends
energy in behalf of the Chinese which
would be better expended in backing
American business. But, on the other
hand, unofficial Americans usually
support the missionary and educa-
tional work, because they see in it
the equivalent of much expensive adj
vertisement. (SicD
This is idealism as business and
we'll worth the prime cost, when it is
calculated that of the future rulers
of China, perhaps so per cent will
have been Observation-Disclosures"
1t is noteworthy that unofficial
Americans are credited with ideals"
even though 'practical"-but we
must not count on being appreciated
by the heather Chinee," for Mr..
King Hall continues:
Now it might be supposed that
even if one grants that unofficial
Americans are looked upon by the
Chinese as on par @ with other for
eigners, then the fact that the be-
havior of official America toward
China has been more idealistic than
that of the other powers would be
fact emitting America to a premier
position of respect and esteem in the
minds of the Chinese. 1t is doubtful
if she does hold this position. She
has erred in promising so much and
performing so little. The
American Government has so fire.
quently publicly expressed solicitude
for China lin accordance with the ma
tional American tradition of idealism)
that any departure from this standard
becomes most obvious, and of all the
obvious departures and the most
shocking to the Chinese was Presi-
dent Wilson's double-dealing with
Japan at China's expense over Shan
tung Province. The details of this
episode, though scandalous from the
point of view of American standards,
were commonplace to ordinary Euro
pean diplomatic behavior, and need not
be repeated here, but the whole bust
ness dealt a blow at American pres.
tige in China, from which, notwith-
standing the Washington conference,
it has yet to recover. Many Chinese
were confirmed in Their opinion that
the Americans were good takers, but
poor doors, and that lot of fine SEN
timent which has come from Wash
ington during the last 80 years was
hypocrisy"
4 X X
OF course, our good English cousin
did all in his power to disabuse the
minds of the benighted Chinese when
they so misjudged us. For he con-
tinues:
(which nation, then, does enjoy to
the greatest degree the confidence and
respect of the Chinese? The answer,
in my opinion. is that British prestige
is predominant in China. The Ameri-
cans have many monuments to the
generosity of it's citizens toward
China, such as the Rockefeller Insti
tute at Picking. 1t is typical of the
British that perhaps their greatest
achievements toward the general bene-
fit of China are strictly commercial
and equally beneficial to themselves.
(SicD'
These fool American idealists, with
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