Evening star., 1942-04-12

Should blacker days befall than the
American people have yet dreamed of,
good omens could still be drawn from
the example of two of their associates
in the world conflict.
Despite betrayal by the democracies
and calamity heaped on calamity, China
has shown the achievements possible to
superb morale. under the guidance of
military genius. Russia has demon
strated what national mobilization for
war can signify when it is genuinely
eficient
Neither pattern should lie beyond the
energies of the United States, granted
equal stamina and competent leadership.
If this country stood today in plight
equivalent to that besetting China after
nearly five years of bitter warfare
against overwhelming odds, not only
would the entire Pacific Coast be in
enemy hands, including the harbors
Of Seattle, Portland San Francisco and
Los Angeles, but also most of the ter
ritory west of the Rocky Mountains.
Lives to the number of 500O,0 900 would
have been lost through battle and mas
sacre, 2150O,OOO Americans would be
enslaved under enemy occupation, and
l4,500,000 would have fled hundreds of
miles on foot to new homes
The men, women and children of San
Francisco would have been delivered
over to the bayonets and rapine of
brutal soldiery.
Defeated Japs in Six Major Battles.
To resist foe with complete modern
equipment, the remnant of the United
States, virtually bare of planes, tanks
and artillery, would have to depend on
rifles. mortars and machine guns. fab
ricated in hundreds of pocket" arsenals.
On its own soil the country would face
aR enemy with 40 divisions of troops,
or seven more than the American
Arnys present total. Initiation, cutting
the purchase power of the dollar to 16
cents, would have been added.
Against such handicaps, it is reaSsur-
ing to chronicle the Chinese during the
last 40 months have kept the door shut
on further important progress by the
invader, and moreover have defeated
modern Japanese armies in no less than
six major battles. The tide turned in
May 1899, when an attack against
Tsaoyang was outmaneuvered and thrown
back at Hangkow.
Changsha is a name of ill-omen for
Japan, which was twice defeated there,
once recently and once in September,
1885, On the former occasion, three
columns of 100000 men pushed south
ward so miles from Hankow, but were
routed in an engagement lasting two
weeks and compelled to fly, leaving So
900 dead on the field.
French military attache who visited
the battlefield expressed surprise that
the Chinese did not even try to use what
scant artillery they possessed. An answer
was given by Gen Pal Tung-shi, chief
tactician on the staff of Generalissimo
Chang Kai-shek.
Unconquerable Spirit.
THAT was exactly how we won,' said
Gen Pal. For every gun We could bring
up, the enemy could bring up ten. So
we cut the roads. preventing both sides
from using artillery, and were able to
fight on an equal footing"
Other Chinese victories were at Kaoan
in October, 1899; Sf:aokwan. in Decem-
ber of the same year; and Manning, in
November, 1910. The japanese had sac
rificed 10000 lives to take Manning, cap
ital of Kwangsi in 1889, only to be
driven back to the South China Sea
a year later.
Since the Marco Polo Bridge incident,
near Peiping, on July 7, 1887, Toxic has
been compelled to double its initial force
of 20 divisions in China.
How did such miracles" come to pass?
The prime factor, admittedly, has been
the unconquerable spirit of the Chinese
people. They entered the war not re-
luctantly but eagerly. In fact, they had
been clamoring for it since the occupa-
ton of Manchuria in 1881.
Hatred of murderous robber breaking
into a peaceful household was intensified
to loathing by the slaughter of helpless
civilians in air bombardments, by out
RACES of massacre and rape at Nanking