74 BRITONS V. GERMANS IN CHINA
illustrate the case in point. A certain American manufacturer of shaving soap suddenly came across the fact that there was a population of 400,000,000 souls in China. Probably he acquired the informa- tion from his morning paper. At all events he promptly wrote to his agent in China asking why orders had not been sent for about 200,000,000 shaving sticks, and at the same time terminating his agency agreement, little realising that not one Chinaman in a thousand has the means or inclination to treat himself to a perfumed shaving stick.
CHAPTER III
358
THE GERMAN MERCHANT IN CHINA: HIS PERSONALITY AND INFLUENCE.
GENERAL von Bernhardi tells us “the
German merchant is generally con- sidered to be more reliable and industrious than the English." Well, he is entitled to his opinion, and no one can blame him for thus sticking up for his own countrymen. A little more of this self-same spirit on our On the other part would not do any harm. hand, he is hopelessly at sea in regard to the commercial matters dealt with and re- ferred to in his books, and in the main his utterances are at complete variance with fact. They would deserve little or no at- tention but for the wide publicity his books have attained on account of their military