June 17, 1905.]
to the
utterinost
smother, whom two years ago she affected to dispins. This is hardly consonant with Bussia's usual insensibility: at all events it ́is bardly omsistent with her recent course of waking complaints to the world at large on every occasion when she would fin have it believed that Japan had committed some petty breach against the neutrality of China. In any case it is one in which Russia will find few sympathisers. More becoming, as indicating" a "better regulated frame of mind, would it be for her to accept the fate of war with dignity. As the case stands it rather indicates a sulky disposition, but as such it is doubtless con- ducive to a belief in difficulties in the way.
On the other hand Japan, by the exercise of quite the contrary virtues, ba's found her. self woeful beyond her most sanguine hopes. She has been fortunate along the entire line, not only on land but by sea, and at last, has succeeded in striking an irre parable blow at Russia as a naval Power. That Japan in the very moment of victory should be disposed to press her claims would be acting us any ordinary nation would do under similar circumstances is uncontestible, and we are not prepared to say that Japan is other in this respect than an ordinary nation. She has moreover from the beginning stated that in ease of success she would claim a in- demnity in proportion to the cost of the war. Now Bussia is shifty in principle as she is shiftless in action, and the payment of an indemnity is a bitter pill to swallow. She is, moreover, indifferent to the low mur- muriage of approaching revolution, perfectly sudible to all the world except herself, and has closed her ears to the cries of disapproval which rise on all sides. Buch a frame of mind is hardly conducive to a calm con- mduration of the dangers closing in around har, and almost block the way to any hope of her being found willing to listen to the voice of reason. On the whole, while we are as anxious as our neighbours to see, the present destructive and exhausting contest brought to a close, we can hardly agree with President Rooszynur that the present is a favourable moment for bringing forward negotiations. Russia at least is bound to misinterpret his motives. - Perhaps another defeat' such as that before Mukden may convince Rumin that she has lost the con- fidence of her own people; and that, as in the battle of Tsushima, her troops brought unwillingly into the field would prefer to trust to the tender mercies of the enemy rather than meet an ignominious death by the slower but surer process of disease and starvation.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
371
OPEN DOORS AND SPHERUS OF INFLUENCE.
indeed, unabated" It was them six years | Medicine. The only thing remaining to do since he attended a similar function to is to continue and extend the good work. establish that School. It was the duty of It is not too much to hope that, as a result, all Britous of whatever party to encourage there will come a time when white men, this effort to ameliorate the painful lot of instead of being mere migrants, may be able those pioneers who were working for the to be veritable settlers" in many British Empire on the frontiers of Empire. In possessions at present undersloped. cidentally, there could be no shirking the White Man's burden. We must, willy-nilly, continue to advance, extending the bounds # Hence, of freedom and civilisation. many little wars, much to be regretted, but after all to be taken into consideration in connection with their result. The balance was a balance of good, and for one wrong that might have been committed, enormous benefit had been conferred upon the people." His one little joke was that "a sphere of influence generally meant a sphere of no influence,” a remark which our China coast readers may be inclined to endorse with some bitterness. It was perhaps inevitable that some of our
"should young men suffer in the interests of the stay-at-homes. KIPLING said :
"On the sand-drift, on the veldt side.
in the fern scrub we lay, That our sons might follow after by the
bones by the way."
"
**
But it would be pitiable and shameful to allow such sacrifices to increase if they could be decreased. The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, thanks to the gener osity of its citizens, had done great things. He was there to encourage Londoners to like efforts, for notwithstanding such cases as that of "Mr. BOMANJI PETIT, & Parsee gentleman, who, with a munificence char- acteristic of his community, had contributed £7.000," the London School was still in debt, and needed at least £150,000.
41
to
themselves sometimes
-
die.
Mr. CHAMBERLAIN in his remarks soomed to be bearing in mind mainly the Govern ment officials and servants who visit the ends of the earth on the business of the nation; but he would probably be the last man to deny that the nation owes much to its sons and daughters who come out to help in the task of making its outposts habitable. Pesce hath its victories no less renowned than war," and the services of the few for whose physical well-being Mr. CHAMBER- LAIN seemed solicitous might not be needed were it not for that other young man laden with his pack of British manufactures, and the crowd that follows in his steps. Those who venture, as the Times puts it, "in pursuit of gain into regions providentially races and reserved for men of other colours" have secured gain not only for themselves but for the nation; and unfortunately, while the nation lives profit by their enterprise, they The time, bappily, is now past for regarding some of their handicaps as inevitable. Hongkong, (Daily Press, 15th June.)
once a real death-trap, has lost its terrors; No matter what men may think of Mr. and if the hands of these medical pioneers CHAKRERLAIF's politics, and in this are but held up, the perils of other places Colony, even in the united circle of the may be also minimised. This is one, per- Chamber of Commerce, there is almost as haps selfish, way of looking at the work of visible a variety of opinion as in Great such institutions. It must not be forgotten, Britain, they must, whether fervent ad- however, that the bulk of the benefit falls mirers or devout haters, join in approving to the large populations wallowing helplessly his efforts to foster the British Schools of in disease, whose salvation is a task that Tropical Medicine. Out here, on the hin- also lies to British hands. Tropical diseases, terlands as it were of Great Britain, men now being rapidly understood and mastered, am positioned peculiarly. favourably for not only cripple millions of aborigines, but malising the importance of the work to they have seriously hindered the work of which the busy politician and enthusiastic those who come to their aid. It also stands ire welder has found time to put his to reason that by accomplishing this obvious Latest-mail advices inform us duty, the British people will profit materially, Chamberlaik attended a dinner for a colony crippled by disease can never the London School of Tropical | be as productive as one in which disease is icine on May 10th, and there assured a mastered. Positive results of ascertained distinguished andienon that.". his interest in | value are already recorded to the credit of that great question was unexhausted, and, the London and Liverpool Schools of Tropical
THE STUDY JE TROPICAL DISEASES.
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(Daily Press, 16th June.) THERE are indications that we are to be treated to a repetition of open wrangling over Chinese territory. The open door policy is said to be in a critical state of collapse; and the dismemberment of China is the real "yellow peril" of to-day, The most striking evidence of the approaching turmoil is to be found in the Anglo-American distrust of Germany in China. A recent number of the American Asiatic had a leading article so vigorously worded that it was quite unsuitable for republication here. The Timae is also taking up the theme of the iniquity of our Teutonic neighbours of Shan- tung; and while its Shanghai correspondent does not let himself go quite in the Ameri. can manner, we notice there was sufficient feeling back of his two-column communica. tion to obscure the calm, judicial tone we used to find in the conservative pages of our London contemporary. It begins by suggesting, by means of quotation marks, that Germany's tenure of Kiaochau is on something other than lease; and goes on to allege that the further "so-called 'conces- sion (of railway and mining rights set out in the additional articles to the Convention) were gracefully made by China with the mailed fist in close proximity to her defence- loss head." We do not for a moment, deny that it was so; but may we not suggest that most of the concessions yielded by China were granted in anything but a spasm of affection for the Foreign recipients ? It seems to us scarcely fair to harp tuo
** mailed_fist," much on the
Then swe well know that before all other conces nons there was a poorly concealed clenched hand or waving sword. The Times thi
"German absolutisma Över the entire. of province of Shantung," which seems to as no greater matter for Gornair shanse than is British-American shilly-shallying in other difections where relations with China are concerned. It is quite possibie that all this strong feeling and stronger talk is a result of a growing conviction that the
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14
1
open door" policy is open nonsense. It is heretical to say so, to-day, perhaps; but we claim no gift of prophecy while recording our opinion that the time is coming when that policy will be regrested. How- ever, there is a danger in prematurity, and we had better confine immediate attention to the consideration of German policy as viewed by the Teutophobes, envious or otherwise. We read, for instance, that "in the light of history" since the treaty of Shimonoseki (1895), there can be but little doubt that the subsequent seizure of strategic bases on the coast of China was agreed upon by Russia, Germany, and France," when those Powers, sent their joint notice to quit to Japan, "though eighteen
months elapsed bafure the murder of two German missionaries afforded the pretext for the, seizure of
to be. Kinochan." Here again there dangerous use of dangerous
“pretaxi,” more than “maton
"? It seem just sa fair to suggest thas waited and watched thy sovan, yo “pretext,” after Great Britain's mizus Hongkong. Mr. CHAMBERLAIN'S TOogni