China 



477 



more rapidly than that of any other 

 nation. 



Should they become the predominat- 

 ing influence in political and govern- 

 mental circles as well, students in the 

 questions of the Far East have seen a 

 threatening danger for the nations of 

 Christendom. The "Yellow peril," 

 in their view, looms large above the 

 horizon of the Pacific. It may have 

 some interest in this connection to state 

 that this subject was more than once 

 discussed during the peace negotiations 

 between China and Japan by their two 

 greatest statesmen, Li Hung Chang and 

 Marquis Ito. I make the following ex- 

 tract from the report of the verbal con- 

 ferences : . 



' ' Viceroy Li : On the Asiatic conti- 

 nent China and Japan are close neigh- 

 bors, and the written language is the 

 same. Is it well that we should live at 

 enmity ? . . . We should follow the 

 example of Europe — increase our arma- 

 ments, and confederate. If Your Excel- 

 lency and n^self thoroughly appreciate 

 this, we can not but conclude that the 

 policy which should rule the Asiatic 

 continent is that we should establish an 

 enduring peace in order to prevent the 

 yellow race from succumbing to the white 

 race of .Europe. 



' ' Marquis Ito : I indorse Your Ex- 

 cellency' s views with all my heart. 

 While I was in Tientsin ten years ago, 

 I discussed with Your Excellency upon 

 the reforms in China, but I regret to see 

 that nothing whatever has been done. 



" Li : I remember. . . . Yet, 

 shame to say, ten years have wrought 

 no changes — a proof of our incapacity ; 

 while Japan has organized an efficient 

 army after Western models, and is con- 

 stantly perfecting her government. 



' ' Ito : Heaven is impartial and speeds 

 the right. If China will but make an 

 effort help will come from on high. Let 

 there be the will, and Heaven, who cares 

 alike for us all, will not forsake you ; 

 thus a nation may control its own 

 destiny 



"Li: Suppose China was to invite 

 you to be her prime minister ? 



' ' Ito : I would accept with my Em- 

 peror's permission." 



Sir Robert Hart, who for half a cen- 

 tury has made a study of Chinese char- 

 acter and capacity, writing just after 

 passing through the siege of the lega- 

 tions in 1900, expressed the belief that 

 the Chinese hatred of foreigners was a 

 real menace to the world. He suggested 

 two remedies for this impending danger : 

 the first was partition of the vast Empire 

 among the great powers, which he re- 

 garded as full of difficulties ; the second, 

 a miraculous spread of Christianity, " a 

 not impossible, but scarcely to be hoped 

 for, religious triumph . . . which 

 would convert China into the friendliest 

 of friendly powers." Certainly such a 

 possibility in the estimate of so high an 

 authority should stimulate the friends 

 of Christian missions to redouble their 

 efforts among that great people. 



I have never regarded the ' '■ Yellow 

 peril" with serious concern. Japan is 

 too greatly leavened with the spirit of 

 modern ideas to make race hatred a con- 

 trolling motive of its foreign policy. If 

 the present movement in China contin- 

 ues, the anti-foreign feeling there must 

 be greatly modified. The wonderful 

 development of Japan's military power 

 certainly adds a new factor to the inter- 

 national problems of the world, but its 

 policy will be along economic rather 

 than racial lines. 



Happily the ruling power today in the 

 Far East is Great Britain. Her govern- 

 ment has most heartily supported the 

 efforts of Secretary Hay to maintain the 

 autonomy of China and an ' ' open door ' ' 

 there. "A nation of shopkeepers ' ' was 

 the term derisively applied by Napoleon 

 to the British, and it has adhered to them 

 for a century ; but in that period they 

 have gone on extending their trade, 

 sometimes by force of arms, and, as op- 

 portunity offered, by diplomacy or enter- 

 prise, until today they control a domain 

 grander than ever before held under the 



