China: Her History and Development 271 



our manufactured cotton goods sold in 

 China. The demand for flour, oil, man- 

 ufactured iron and steel bids fair to in- 

 crease in like proportion if the door of 

 trade is not closed against us. 



If, now, I should summarize public 

 opinion in regard to China and our 

 policy, as it has been my privilege to 

 test it in addressing commercial and 

 missionary organizations in all parts of 

 the United States from San Francisco to 

 New York and Chicago to New Orleans, 

 I should state, first, that public senti- 

 ment, regardless of party , is undoubtedly 

 heartily in sympathy with our Govern- 

 ment's policy, and, second, that if this 

 opinion were crystallized into specific 

 expectations it would name the follow- 

 ing provisions : 



1. Every legitimate effort should be 

 made to preserve the integrity of the 

 Chinese Empire and the freedom of trade 

 throughout its extent as originally out- 

 lined in the old treaties, while needed 

 reforms in administration of government 

 and foreign intercourse are duly advo- 

 cated and pressed. 



2. Indemnities should not be de- 

 manded by government, missionaries, or 

 merchants except within the lowest rea- 

 sonable limits, and the entire question of 

 indemnities and kindred issues should 

 be referred to an International Tribunal 

 of Arbitration as provided by the Hague 

 Peace Treaty. 



3. New treaties of commerce and 

 amity should be negotiated as soon as 

 is practicable by the ministers at Pekin 

 which will give every nation equal rights 

 of trade throughout all China, provide 

 for the abolition of the Eekin and other 

 offensive taxes, and insure the "open 

 door ' ' for commerce and Christianity 

 alike. 



4. Charity and not revenge, with pun- 

 ishment only for those responsibly guilty 

 and within the Chinese Government's 

 power to punish, should characterize the 

 demands of merchants and missionaries, 

 as well as of our Government, for in 



that way we will eventually win the 

 lasting gratitude and favor of China's 

 government and people, strengthen our 

 own position, and develop the best 

 guarantees within and without China 

 for an ' ' open door ' ' for both God and 

 Mammon. 



Finally, we note that a study of Chi- 

 nese history and character enables us to 

 understand better the mighty influences 

 now at work in China. It forces us to 

 draw certain remarkable conclusions 

 that throw light Upon the present crisis 

 at Pekin, but which are not generally 

 remembered in popular discussion of the 

 problem before us. 



CONCI.USION 



There is danger of misunderstanding 

 and underrating the people and the pos- 

 sibilities of China in war and in peace, 

 because the wonderful past of the em- 

 pire is not commonly known. 



First. It may seem surprising, but it 

 is a truthful statement in the light of 

 history, that the Chinese, if necessary, 

 are a warlike people. They are born 

 warriors. They inherit a capacity and 

 tendency to fight from a longer line of 

 fighting ancestors than is the heritage 

 of any or all of the Powers now arrayed 

 against them at Pekin. The soldier may 

 be unpopular in the social and political 

 life of the empire from the teachings of 

 the classics, but the salient fact remains 

 that wars and soldiers have engaged the 

 attention of the empire and people more 

 than peace and scholars during her fifty 

 centuries of sway. The lack of an or- 

 ganized army is a mere passing incident 

 of the times. 



Second. The recent Boxer uprising 

 and seizure of the legations, while they 

 rightly appear in the judgment of the 

 hour to be fraught with great possible 

 results both to China and the foreign 

 world, are secondary events when com- 

 pared to scores of uprisings and diffi- 

 culties in China's seventy cycles and 



