Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-29
Our Envoy to the East

| hal and Ii Yuan-hung become first
President of the Chinese republic.
Through all the fighting and burning
| he remained on duty in the consulate
in Hankow. Foreigners, in those days,
were usually left alone; but johnson
had already been busy enough getting
Americans from Hankow to Shanghai,
and. after the shooting had quieted, he
went there himself to work in the con-
! Sulate and to sit Gas have mentioned)
in the Mixed Court at the age of 80.
The proud province of Human knew
him as ChangSha (Which is Chinese
for Long SandS"D. There johnson re-
manned for about three years, finding a
great interest in the high quality of
| its citizenship. For Human had for
long furnished more men to the civil
Changsha was filled with retired schol-
ars and representatives of the best of
the life of old China.
After six months in Shanghai he was
back in Washington. in the Far East
division. to contribute his share an
expert" now, to the necessary work
OF the Versailles Conference and after
ward of the Disarmament Conference.
Then, under our system of alternating
service, he was promoted to be consul
general at large, and started off to in
spect our consulates in China, Japan,
Australia and the Straits Settlements.
He saw the first three. Then came the
Japan earthquake.
That news reached him in Shanghai.
and within week he was in Yokohama
doing his bit. His bit" included start
ing the first hotel-a tent colony made
possible through supplies he got from
Admiral Badger (wRo happened to be
childhood friend at school in Wash
ington), a hostelry afterward taken
over with commercial success by
Frenchman and we'll known thereafter
as the Tent Hotel" His bit" also
included setting up a lot of portable
houses.
Named Assistant Secretary.
When the earthquake service was
over johnson went back to his knitting
and visited all the score of consulates
in China. He was going on with his
work of inspection in Australia when
he was ordered to return to the depart
ment in 1925 to head the Far East
division. And two years later he was
made Assistant Secretary of State-the
youngest man on record, believe, to
hold that post.
have spoken of the two major re-
quirements In the man who shall we'll
represent us abroad as being that of
knowledge of the country and knowledge
of our policy.
JohnSon's knowledge of the country
is that of the man who has been Of
China. His major hobby when he is
IN China (aSide from riding and golf,
which he practices when he is short
OF t1me) is to take long walking trips
through the back country. There in tea
house and in temple he mingles with
the people themselves and through that
humanity OF his, which offers barriers
TO no class or race, he gains his init
mate feeling for the people.
can quite imagine him under those
circumstances. He is SO utterly with
out side" so pleasantly always himself,
he makes SO few demands, he willingly
gives SO much in human intercourse
that can fancy the man who has been
Assistant Secretary of State-no mean
position as Washington Office goes, and
who now Is further promoted to be our
Mln1Ster-continuing to swap stories
with coolie and mandarin In the bond
OF common humanity, continuing to re-
fresh his knowledge of the country
from the real sources at the roots of
the people themselves.
And, on the side Of policy, he has so
long been at the core of it, SO long been
an element in the carrying on of it,
that there is no question that through
him American ideas will always find
their outlet in action.
That policy is difficult to sum I'D in
Few sentences. Most of us feel that
we are aware of 1t in a general way.
Many Of us think that when we send
as we do send-gunboats a thousand
miles up the Yangtze River we are max
ing a curious gesture for professed
friends of China" That sending is
described as assistance in policing" by
a government which insists upon being
almost obstinately friendly.
Policy Called "SeIf- Denial"
Our policy in China has been called
by DR.. Stanley K. Hornbeck, expert on
Chinese questions and chief of the Far
Eastern division of the State Depart