Evening star., 1938-09-04
By NC. r.

deals with the war In China
Il on the basis Of what may be
expected to come out Of that con-
flict, now that 1t has gone on for .
year. Such articles are common when
hostilities began IN Spain there have
been mountains Of pieces given over
to predictions Most Of these have
prophesied q Communist victory. The
war, however, Is still undecided. As
prophets 60. Mr.. Nathaniel PETER, the
author Of Harper's article, would seem
to stand the best chance Of being in
the right, for he predicts that for a
long time In the Far East practically
nothing will happen.
Japan has lost Her chance to win. If
she ever had one. says Mr.. PETER,
therein agreeing with Hubert Liang,
whose collected articles the reviewer
mentioned here a short time ago; they
are published In pamphlet form under
the title China Fights" According
to Mr.. PETER. Japan's victory needed
to be quick one for the practical
reason that she was unequipped for
long war. She did not bring such
consummation about, however, and
now. no matter how much territory
she "conquers," she is bound to lose.
She cannot pacify her territorial gains,
because she cannot afford the ex-
pense Of pacification. And, without
pacification. territory is worth less
than nothing to her The mere hold
ing of 1t costs her a frightful sum
and brings her in exactly nothing.
Thus, according to Mr.. PETER, she is
in the undignifled position of the
man who got the bear by the tail.
She has to hold on because she dare
not let go. and holding on Is anything
but comfortable.
RUT why can she not let go? Is
this new extreme in the Orien-
tai process Of avoiding the loss OF
face?' Is Japan committing economic
suicide simply because race pride for
bids her to admit military defeat?
Not at all, says Mr.. PETER. She is
committing economic suicide at the
express behest of her political leaders
because they would commit political
suicide if she did any other thing.
In other words. according to
Harper's. If Japan admits defeat. or
withdraws from China admitting even
as much as that the conflict has be-
come impracticable, there will be
revolution within her own borders.
This is not because the people of the
empire are so resolutely fixed on the
Chinese conquest that they will rise
against regime which repudiates
that expansion 1t is because these
same people have suffered such priva-
tlons and exactions to support the war.
under the promise Of its sure end in
a japanese victory, that they will not
tolerate their government once they
learn that it has led them into such
extravaganza with no Justification.
The bear by the tail, indeed.
Well. you may say. If the outcome
OF the war is the fall of a dictator
ship, at least one good thing will have
come out of it, and nobody certainly
will quarrel with that. On the other
hand, there is the current idealistic
conception that, If China rids herself
OF her invader. she will have found
her soul" and will enter upon a period
OF triumphant nationalism herself.
This is a favorite belief-or hope
among champions OF the Chinese,
some OF whom go 80 far as to see in
the war a long-range benefit to the
Celestials, in that it has provided them
with a great binding cause. Under
the threat of foreign conquest, say
these interpreters, the Chinese people
have put aside all their petty political
differences and are now becoming
unified nation. But-have we not
UNIFIED nations enough?
F WE are to take the term as mean
ing a self-consciously united people,
the answer is yes. 1t would seem that
we have plenty Of such. We have
four at present, and they are all
threats Of trouble to the entire world
Is there anything to be gained from
the prospect Of adding China to the
list? Is there not, indeed, a great deal
to be lost?
For China. with her absolute re-
lection of the unholy doctrine of
Capitalization. China. still placidly
dlsorganized after decades of being
sWarmed over by earnest little or
ganizers. presents the world with its
only modern example of truly
paciflst nation. China has never made
war, China has never threatened her
nelghbors, much less the world, China
has never asked for help in her own
civil conflicts. Her conduct as
power, indeed, has been marked by
those Christian virtues-patience and
long suffering more notice.
ably than has that of her Christian
neighbors.
And now are We to welcome the
idea of a great, ghastly goose
stepping, self worshiping, saluting,
race-conscious nation emerging out
of her age-old elf-suff1ciency? Are
not those idealists who rejoice in the
prospect Of China finding her soul
being little beforehand with their
satisfaction? Is 1t not better to have
in the world one nation which in
actuality practices those virtues of
forbesrance and non-aggression which
the rest Of us profess so to admire?
Well-if only that We may feel su-
perior.
Mr.. PETERS article will raise such
questions as these in curious minds
He says plainly that postwar die
tatorship is to be feared in China.
The temptations to dictatorship have
been waxing in the Orient too," he
observes. They will be fostered by
the war and postwar conditions"
And elsewhere, Even if Chang Kali
shek, who wields preponderant power
now should die, there will be other
candidates for the saddle"
This may connote a finding Of
AsrA