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REVIEW OF REVIEWS. 



always boon, the Admiralty distribute the 

 fleot which is the Empire's shield so that it 

 maj' most readily defeat the Empire's prob- 

 able enemy, without consulting the interested 

 views of this or that community. During 

 the whole of the nineteenth century the main 

 guard of everT Imperial interest cruised 

 2()00 or 3000 miles from the British Isles, and 

 their inhabitants acquiesced ; it may be that 

 events will be so shaped that strategy will 

 require gi-eab British squadrons to be sent 

 into the Pacific to the depletion of European 

 waters. If such an eventuality occurs, the 

 inhabitants of the United Kingdom' will 

 readily agree to such a movement unless, 

 under the tuition of Colonial statesmen like 

 Sir Wilfrid Laurier they have come to hold 

 the selfish and anti-Imperial doctrine that 

 " defence, like charity, begins at home." 



Mr. Hurd deplores the fact that 

 Dominion statesmen are showing an in- 

 creasing disincHnation to assist the 

 mother country to maintain the effective 

 defence of Imperial interest where they 

 are imperilled, and are intent on de- 



veloping local navies, which are intended 

 to defend their territories. Against the 

 navy of Japan, no combined force, such 

 as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand 

 could equip and j/ian, could have an}' 

 chance of success in war. 



Coming fresh to defence problems, they do 

 not realise that armies defend land and 

 navies seas, and that the seas are one, as 

 the land is not, and can never be. Hence the 

 policy of military dispersion and naval con- 

 centration, practised by all the Great Powers, 

 and to none more essential than to us, who 

 are essentially maritime. 



The Anglo-Japanese Alliance will pre- 

 ser\'e the peace in the Pacific far more 

 securely than any local navies. Before 

 the ally of to-day should become the 

 enemy of to-morrow, the present disposi- 

 tions of the British fleet will, of course, 

 be altered. 



WHITE ^ AND COLOURED. 



THE WHITE PERIL. 



We have received the anniversary 

 number of the Japan Magazine, and find 

 it a most excellent production, equalling 

 in interest many of its older rivals. The 

 outstanding feature is an article under 

 the above title by Professor Ryutaro 

 Nagai, of Waseda University. There 

 is no beating about the bush, and the 

 Professor turns the tables with a ven- 

 geance : — ■ 



The extent, of territory taken by the white 

 races in this way during the nineteenth cen- 

 tury totals nearly 10,000,000 square miles, 

 embracing a population of about 135,000,000. 

 And it will be seen that even Avithin the com- 

 paratively short space of time since 1860 the 

 white races have taken nearly 10,000.000 

 square miles of land and enforced their rule 

 over many millions of the darker .skinned 

 races ! 



In the face of all tliis we have been treated 

 by the Avhite races in recent years to tracts, 

 treatises and newspaper articles galore on 

 what they are pleased to call "The Yellow 

 Peril." Surely, in comiDarison with the white 

 races, there is no indication of any peril of 

 yellow aggression, at least. 



The WTiter proceeds to give a list of 

 the crimes of civilised Europeans against 

 native races in all parts of the world, 

 and draws attention to the restrictions 

 against Chinese and Japanese immigra- 

 tion at present operating in British 



Dominions, and says, with some show of 

 reason : — 



Now from the point of view of the yellow 

 races all this seems most arrogant and unfair. 

 To seize the greater part of the earth, and 

 refuse to share it with the races who are 

 Jiardly pressed for territorial space at home, 

 even when the privilege is highly paid for by 

 hard labour, is so manifestly unjust that it 

 cannot continue. 



As nations the yellow people have never 

 waged war of any kind on the white races, 

 nor in any manner provoked them to jealousy 

 or resentment. When Ave fight it is always iii 

 self-defence. The wliite races preach to us, 

 " Peace, peace," and the futility and waste 

 of armamental expansion; while all the time 

 they are expending vast sums on armies and 

 navies, and enforcing discrimination against 

 us. Now, if the white races truly love peace, 

 and wish to deserve the name of Christian 

 nations, they will practise Avhat they i^reach, 

 and will soon restore to us the rights so long 

 withheld. They will rise to the generosity of 

 welcoming our citizens among them as hear- 

 tily as we do theire amongst lis. To cry 

 " Peace, peace," without rendering us jus- 

 tice, is surely the hollowest of hypocrisy. Any 

 suggestion that we must forever be content 

 to remain inferior races will not abide. Such 

 an attitude is absolutely inconsistent with 

 our honour as a nation and our sovereign 

 rights as independent States. We therefore 

 appeal to the Avhite races to put aside their 

 race-prejudice and meet us on equal terms in 

 brotherly co-operation. This will convince \is 

 of their sincerity more quickly than a thovi- 

 sand proclamations of peace and goodwill, 

 while denyiug us sympathy and fair play. 

 Words and attitudes without charity are " as 

 a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal." 



