CONCLUSION 203 



citizen realizes fully the enormous responsibility resting upon 

 him, and acts accordingly, the theory will become accomplished 

 fact. The peoples of the most advanced Western nations 

 are scarcely yet equal to this ; how then can such a form of 

 government succeed in the Far East ? A strong, just man is 

 appreciated the world over. In the East he ranks as a demi- 

 god, and his authority quickly becomes undisputed. China's 

 salvation will not yet be found in any advanced Western system 

 of government, but in a wise, liberal despotism. Granted 

 this, peace would speedily spread throughout the length and 

 breadth of the empire, bringing with it prosperity and content 

 to the industrious, patient, peace-loving millions. 



But lest the noise of the revolution, the effeteness of the 

 late Dynasty, and the question of the stability of the present 

 system of government obscure the real China, it may be well 

 to pause for a moment to consider the country itself and the 

 people inhabiting it. The eighteen provinces which make up 

 China proper have a total area of, roughly, 1,500,000 square 

 miles, and form a nearly square tract of country some 23° long, 

 by 20° lat. The size is about fifteen times that of the United 

 Kingdom, or seven times the size of France, or nearly half as 

 large as the continent of Europe. Compared with the United 

 States of America, it is equal in area to all the region east of 

 the Mississippi River with Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa 

 added. It is broken up into mountain, valley, and vast alluvial 

 plains, and is drained by a magnificent network of navigable 

 streams. The climate is continental in character and temperate 

 over the greater part of the country. The south is within 

 the tropics, but in the north the winters are almost arctic 

 in severity. Three-fourths of the entire area is well adapted 

 to agriculture, for which purpose it compares advantageously 

 with any similar region in the world. The potential wealth 

 represented in its mineral and metalliferous deposits is beyond 

 computation. Such is the country of China proper without 

 reference to the wealth of Manchuria or the vast area of the 

 Outer Dominions, 



The Chinese are a homogeneous race, estimated at not 

 less than 400,000,000 of people, and are without caste pre- 

 judices. They have unquestionably great brain-power, and 



