Evening star., 1938-07-31


"Submarine: The Autobioqrd-
ply OF Simon Lake." as told
to Herbert Corey. ID. Apple
On-Century.)
for publication before the outbreak
of the "undeclared war" now raging
between Japan and China, and SO
was not written in any light reflected
from that conflict. 1t is a sober
slow-moving, almost hour -by-hour ac-
count of Chiang's life and of the i'm
mensely complicated maze of politics
through which he moved to his present
eminence in his country's government.
While 1t is written in a spirit of pro-
found admiration for its subject, it
still has convincing sincerity. If
readers are to accept it's presentation
they will also accept the belief that
Chang Kai-shek is one of the great
men of our day, or even, among states
men, the greatest.
The author takes for his theme the
idea that Chang. from infancy, was
trained to think of his country and
her needs, and that, to this subject,
he brought a natural genius of the
kind which is only to be found in truly
dedicated men. as in the saints of
our own religion-which, incidentally,
is also Chiang's Chang, by this
biographer. is a self1ess man whose
eyes are fixed on vision of his
country saved from foreign invaders
and purged Of native exploiters He
Is also by this account. an immensely
practical man. endowed with fore
sight which makes him deal patiently
with the inferior associates who sur
round him. accepting them as the
only available instruments for China S
service at hand and using them with
understanding and forbearance.
He is, in short, in Mr.. Tong's
opinion. the Washington and the Lin
coin of China, brilliant and intrepid
soldier, a strong administrator and
a wise and forgiving leader. If the
picture seems inhumanly good it is
still the picture which this book pre-
sents and, as said, there is an un-
mistakable quality of sincerity in the
work. Certainly Chang has convinced
his biographer. And the biogra pher,
in turn, is able TO pass some of his
conviction along to his readers.
The work, as said. is soberly written.
1t does not have a vestige of that
facile quality which marks the "popu-
lar" biography. 1t shows great knowl-
edge of the fantastic politics of China
and of the personalities involved in
Chinese affairs, but at the same time
it is occasionally naive and childlike.
1t is probably this very combination
of knowledge and simplicity which
gives 1t its power to convince the
reader. While it is impossible not to
suppose that it has been written in
part to influence Western opinion. it
mas nothing of the propaganda style
about it.
The author holds that Chiang's ef-
forts toward unifying China have been
successful. He says that the country
was well on its way to achieving COM
plete unif1cation before the undeclared
war broke out; at that time, he tells
us, all troublesome elements had been
brought under control except the Com
and they had been greatly
reduced in strength. With the out
break Of the war, he adds, in a sec
ond preface, these rebels put aside
their party Affiliations and came VOL
unfairly into Chiang's camp to fight
for their native land. Therefore, in Mr..
Tong's opinion, the Japanese inva-
sion has strengthened the nation and
hastened the realization Of Chiangs
dream.
Actually, AS he points out, the great
difference between Chiangs program
and that Of the Communists was in
Chiang's method of dealing with ia
pan. The Communists wanted war.
Chang, however, with superior vis-
ion, insisted that China should get
her own house in order before under
taking hostilities with any other power.
She should build up a strong. orderly
government which would command the
respect of the world. And then she
might deal with invaders as she saw
At. But to rush into a foreign war
while torn by internal conflicts was,
in Chiang's eyes. bad policy. Since
Japan has made the war herself. how
ever, this point of difference no
longer exists.
The account given here of Chiang's
detectives for China is impressive. He
had undertaken to fight the drug evil,
prison sentence the pun
lshment for addiction. with, in some
cases, the possibility of death. He had
set himself against the old habit of
dishonest tax collection. He had made
severe penalties for officials who were
lazy or open to bribes. He had under
taken great plans for alton, pub
lie health, forestation, flood control,
of the breed of domestic
animals. road building. modernization
of towns and sanitation of rural dis
tricts. He was opposing child labor.
He was setting an example of hard
work. ascetic living, religious piety,
<ASN~Sooy
personal wealth or aggrandizement!
He refused to have his personality ex-
plotted. He refused to answer ISLANDERS
save where he considered the public
welfare was endangered by them. And,
says this work, he was making good
progress along all these lines. The
people were alive to his efforts and
we're supporting them and emulating
MS example.
All this is in the past tense here
because it represents what was writ
ten of the situation before war broke
out. And, says Mr. Tong, hostilities
were unquestionably hastened because
Japan feared the results of Chiang's
leadership. Her plans for conquest
were based on a disorganized China.
She struck because she saw disor-
giving way to order and
control. It has an his
reasonable sound-in its very
Viciousness.