Part 1 (1/2)
Peking Dust.
by Ellen N. La Motte.
INTRODUCTION
Two cla.s.ses of books are written about China by two cla.s.ses of people.
There are books written by people who have spent the night in China, as it were, superficial and amusing, full of the tinkling of temple bells; and there are other books written by people who have spent years in China and who know it well,--ponderous books, full of absolute information, heavy and unreadable. Books of the first cla.s.s get one nowhere. They are delightful and entertaining, but one feels their irresponsible authors.h.i.+p. Books of the second cla.s.s get one nowhere, for one cannot read them; they are too didactic and dull. The only people who might read them do not read them, for they also are possessed of deep, fundamental knowledge of China, and their views agree in no slightest particular with the views set forth by the learned scholars and theorists.
This book falls into neither of these two cla.s.ses, except perhaps in the irresponsibility of its author. It is compounded of gossip,--the flying gossip or dust of Peking. Take it lightly; blow off such dust as may happen to stick to you. For authentic information turn to the heavy volumes written by the acknowledged students of international politics.
ELLEN N. LA MOTTE.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The writer wishes to thank the following friends who have been kind enough to lend the photographs used in the ill.u.s.trations: Warren R.
Austin, F. C. Hitchc.o.c.k, Margaret Frieder, T. Severin and Rachel Snow.
PART I
PEKING DUST
I
POOR OLD CHINA
When I came away last August, you said you wanted me to tell you about our travels, particularly about China. Like most Americans, you have a lurking sentimental feeling about China, a latent sympathy and interest based on colossal ignorance. Very well, I will write you as fully as I can. Two months ago my ignorance was fully as overwhelming as yours, but it is being rapidly dispelled. So I'll try to do the same for you, as you said I might. Rash of you, I call it.
I'll take it that you have just about heard that China is on the map, and occupies a big portion of it. You know that she has a ruler of some kind in place of the old empress dowager who died a few years ago. Come to think of it, the ruler is a president, and China is a republic.
Vaguely you may remember that she became a republic about five years ago, after a revolution. Also, in the same vague way, you may have heard that the country is old and rich and peaceful, with about four hundred million inhabitants; and beyond that you do not go. Sufficient. I'll go no further, either.
After six weeks in j.a.pan, we set out for Peking, going by way of Korea.
On the boat from Kobe to s.h.i.+monoseki, pa.s.sing through the famous Inland Sea of j.a.pan,--which, by the way, reminds one of the eastern sh.o.r.e of Maryland,--we met a young Englishman returning to Shanghai. We three, being the only first-cla.s.s pa.s.sengers on the boat, naturally fell into conversation. He said he had been in the East for ten years, engaged in business in Shanghai, so we at once dashed into the subject of Oriental politics. Being quite ignorant of Eastern affairs, but having heard vaguely of certain phases of them, we asked if he could tell us the meaning of ”sphere of influence.” The Orient seems full of spheres of influence, particularly China.
”How do the European nations acquire these 'spheres of influence' in China?” I asked. ”Do they ask the Chinese Government to give them to them?--to set apart certain territory, certain provinces, and give them commercial and trading rights to these areas?”
”Ask the Chinese Government?” repeated the young man, scornfully. ”Ask the Chinese? I should say not! The European powers just arrange it among themselves, each decides what provinces it wants, agrees not to trespa.s.s upon the spheres of influence of one another, and then they just notify China.”
”Just notify China?” I exclaimed. ”You mean they don't consult China at all and find out whether she's willing or not? You mean they just decide the matter among themselves, part.i.tion out the country as they like, select such territory as they happen to fancy, and then just notify China?”
”That's the idea,” he returned; ”virtually that's all there is to it.
Choose what they want and then just notify China.”