Trade and the Flag 1 1 



innovations. At one time, two Baldwin locomotives and a dozen 

 freight cars were brought out from Philadelphia. They worked 

 very well so long as the American manager remained in charge, 

 but when he returned to America everything began to go wrong 

 for the English workmen took especial satisfaction in discovering 

 difficulties for the new engines. The result has been that these 

 prejudices have won, and all the colonial railways of British 

 South Africa are a duplicate of the system in England. 31 



The services of missionaries in promoting trade have been con- 

 siderable and further illustrate the fact that trade follows the 

 citizen. " You have heard it said that trade follows the flag. 

 On the contrary trade follows the missionary and the flag fol- 

 lows trade. A missionary goes into the Himalaya Mountains; 

 soon he is not satisfied to see the women drudging at their poor 

 sewing, accomplishing so little with such great pains, and he 

 sends for a Singer sewing machine. The missionary to China 

 does not like to see children die for want of proper nourishment, 

 and he sends for Nestle's food. The missionary to Burmah has 

 compassion for his poor people, subject to rheumatism and to the 

 bites of venomous reptiles and insects, and he sends to Rhode 

 Island for a famous pain-killer. So trade begins." 32 



A knozvlcdge of the peoples and the conditions existing in the 

 countries to zvJiich one wishes to sell is essential to success. And 

 this knowledge must extend even to the psychology of the de- 

 sired customers. Brown, writing regarding trade in the Canary 

 Islands, says : " In fact, the exporters must bear in mind that 

 their customers are passing through the stage when artificial 

 flowers are considered superior to the natural article." 33 That 

 Japanese manufacturers know the desires of their customers in 

 the Far East gives them a distinct trade advantage there, of 

 which fact Japan is cognizant. 34 And the Japanese are not con- 

 tent with this natural advantage but they are putting forth great 



Bigelow. White Man's Africa, 154-155. 

 Grant, Observations in Asia, 1 19-120. 

 Brown, Madeira and the Canary Islands, 268. 

 Stead, Japan To-day, 231; Stead, Great Japan, 204. 



187 



