DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13724, 14 April 1908, Page 6

DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA.

THE YELLOW PERIL. HELPLESS AUSTRALASIA. A MISSIONARY'S VIEWS. [BY telegraph.—own correspondent.] Wellington', Monday. A vivid forecast of the "Yellow Peril," in which apparently he has full belief, was given last evening by the Rev. G. H. McNeur, of the Canton Village Mission, in the course of an address at the Kent Terrace Presbyterian Church. Mr. McNeur was sent to China six years ago as the first missionary of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church in the Canton district, and is now on furlough. China, said Mr. McNeur, was now forming a huge army, which in time would be proportionate to its vast population. Against it the army of no single European Power would be able to stand. On all colour questions Japan would be allied with China, and the speaker doubted whether India would be found outside the compact, for India, too, belonged to the East. That China had already awakened Mr. McNeur declared. There could be no possible doubt to one who had lived in China. He knew that an immense garrison—one of several — been gathered at Canton during the last four years, and numbers of young Chinese officers were being trained by Japanese and German instructors. Lord Charles Beresford had said that the Chinese soldier, properly disciplined and led, was as good as the world could show. That was also the opinion of General Gordon. Past wars were absolutely no criterion. Eormerly the Chinese had been without patriotism; now they were intensely patriotic. Formerly one part of the country was in absolute ignorance of what was happening on the seaboard, and wars might be waged for months with a foreign Power, and millions of Chinese not know of its existence. Now the- Empire had been welded together by means of the telegraph. It was being | welded yet more closely by the . railways I and newspapers. It was impossible to touch Chinese interests in any part of the world without China being at once aware of it. There were from 15 to 20 daily newspapers in Canton alone. All this had introduced an entirely new spirit- of patriotism into China, which was going to make that country, in the future, a tremendous power, A great educational revival was now in progress, and the only difficulty was to find teachers for the schools which, formed upon European lines, were springing up in every town and village. Ten thousand Chinese students were now in Tokio, and thousands now receiving a European education in America and elsewhere were coming ■ back to mould the destinies of China, which must inevitably creep up into the front rank of the world's Powers. At the present time China had hardly touched her immense mineral resources, and when she did there would be an industrial revolution such as could hardly be conceived. The Chinese were not going to let foreigners interfere with the development of their mineral wealth. They were crying out against concessions to the foreigner in this particular, and the whole Empire was rallying to the cry of " China for the Chinese!" We demanded the open door in China, and said "No," to the colonising instinct of the Asiatic. Our legislation, as regards Eastern emigrants, would very soon be worth just the force we put behind it, and absolutely nothing more, and when we remembered that the whole Chinese Empire was developing a counter-force, what would our force be worth? No legislation of ours would keep Australasia white, for if the Chinese or Japanese wished to come in they would. Where could we find an army that would defend the great coasts of Australia,- for example, against the hosts which China 01* Japan could bring to bear? Just at present the danger seemed greatest from Japar because she had no room for expansion. The population of China was chiefly about the sea coast, and when railways were built and the development of the country began, the railways would take more of the people inland. He would not wonder if we saw an exodus of Chinese from all parts of the world to develop the resources of their own country, for the Chinamen • never willingly lived away frcw their native land. The. first fear of the yellow peril was in regard to Japan, but China, it must be remembered, had many old scores to settle. When we had it in our power we had held might to be right, and we had done what we wished with the face of God's globe. What could we say against China and Japan if they went seeking colonies? Also, with regard to the opium traffic and many other things, we had cruelly ill-treated the Chinese. We held the Gospel as a trust and if we did not give it to the Chinese and others, we should lose it, with its blessings. If Ave did not Christianise these great Eastern nations, they would paganise the world. Mote ''money and more missionaries were needed ; f the work was to be done properly.