EDITORIAL 



The Lesson Taught by China 



IN THIS issue we are able, fortu- 

 nately, to present, in connection with 

 the opening section of his very strong 

 article, a number of photographs taken 

 by Mr. Bailey Willis, of the Geological 

 Survey, showing effects of deforesta- 

 tion in China. All of these photographs 

 were used by the President in his mes- 

 sage to the Sixtieth Congress at its sec- 

 ond session, and the story told by them 

 would seem to be complete in itself. 

 The effect, however, produced upon the 

 extremely dense population of China 

 naturally arouses inquiry. Mr. Willis 

 passed through one or more famine- 

 stricken districts ; and his account, in 

 conversation with the writer, though 

 couched in the carefully chosen words 

 and uttered with the restraint of a man 

 of science, was harrowing. Still 

 further light is thrown upon the situa- 

 tion by the following letter, sent Mr. 

 Willis on February 12, 1908, by a 

 friend, from the China Inland Mission. 

 In it the writer says : "On reaching 

 Shanghai, news of the great floods and 

 famine occurring in the near Province 

 of Kiang Su was just reaching the outer 

 world. Public funds were opened at 

 once, and money poured in from Eng- 

 land, America, Canada, Australia, New 

 Zealand, the ports of China and other 

 lands. * * * I proceeded at once 

 to the affected district for distribution 

 work. In one city on the Grand Canal, 

 half a million refugees were congre- 

 gated with no food and only a mat or 

 two to cover their bodies. In other 

 cities 100,000 and 60,000, 30,000 and 

 20,000 assembled. Most of their land 

 was under water, the summer crop 

 spoiled, and houses washed down." 

 Here the writer describes the relief 

 measures instituted by himself and 

 says : "In this way we supported about 



100,000 mouths until the spring crop 

 came in ; about five months in all. 



"The city was under water, but by 

 digging a new canal and miles of drains 

 we rescued it. I had 8,000 men on canal 

 work and 3,500 carrying earth into the 

 city, and gangs of police, soldiers, car- 

 penters, bricklayers, stone-masons, bar- 

 rowmen, boatmen, millmen, etc. Allies 

 of road, canals and drains were dug; 

 bridges (twelve) built, 2,000 trees 

 planted, streets paved. In fact, it was a 

 new city when we finished. * * * 

 The official estimate is that 20,000 peo- 

 ple of the district died of starvation. 

 The dead and dying lay everywhere. 

 We could not case all. The sight and 

 stench was often trying. The famished 

 dogs just fed upon the dead bodies. 

 Missionaries to the number of forty 

 visited, worked, and distributed in large 

 districts all around. Three or four be- 

 came sick and two lost their lives in the 

 work." Returning to his starting point, 

 the writer found, as he says, that "riot, 

 rebellion, and bloodshed occurred here 

 and in the cities around, during our 

 absence." 



About a year ago we were informed 

 of the death by drowning of 2,000 per- 

 sons at Hankow, China, when a sudden 

 freshet swept down on the city and 

 flowed over the great dikes which pro- 

 tect it. The inhabitants were asleep in 

 their homes and had but little chance of 

 escape. Hankow is a city of 800,000 

 inhabitants, situated at the junction of 

 the Han with the Yang-tse-Kiang, 

 about 450 miles west of Shanghai. 



These are a few leaves from the ex- 

 perience of one of the oldest nations in 

 the world. We are one of the newest. 

 There is a proverb, rather too severe, 

 perhaps, to quote, regarding the dear- 

 ness of experience, but the necessity 

 that a certain class of people shall learn 



291 



