he Yellow Peril

NZ Truth, Issue 854, 1 April 1922, Page 1

he Yellow Peril

The cartoon which adorned the front ge of "Truth" a fortnight ago dealt th the yellow peril. This particular ild of our artist's brain was given :th to consequent upon the' deputain of out-of-a'-job and unable-to-ake-a-living returned soldiers, who nrplained that they were having a. irticularly frosty time m a hopeless ideavor to compete .with Ah Pong and j. In the foreground, of the cartoon as depicted' a motor-car, driven by 1 Pong, and on the back seat sat other expansive Celestial ogling a lite woman. The morning after this .rticular number ;of the People's iper was published, as we were puring our frugal way, on foot, to the Ice, there whirled down Lukes-lane motor-car m which two Chows reined at ease. A white "man was drivg the car. Verily, the struggle 'besreen the white race and the yellow is isuming sinister proportions m New ealand. It won't be long before the undry John, who;- by immemorial sage has heretofore meekly swallowed ie "language" lavished on him when c lose our laundry ticket, or our shirt n't done, will begin to forcibly demlstrate his despisery- of the white .cc by swinging a flat-iron at: irate istomers and ironing a few kinks into eir spines. But the strongest wea>n of the heathen Chinee is no belligency, but peaceful penetration. There a graphic . story . by the" late Jack jndori which deals- with the future n e when the Chinese* enlightened id educated up to Western standards \ hygiene, sanitation, etc.,. increase m

population to such an aJarming extent that they spill over the boundaries of China and commence to swamp the world by sheer weight of numbers. Tho rest of the world is rapidly getting; crowded off the map, according to the story, until the Celestial empire is iwiped out (by aeroplane attacks with disease and germ-laden bombs. A fanciful picture/ no doubt, but perhaps prophetic. • Mister Dooley says a prophet is a man who foresees trouble. If this Is so, you can count "Truth" unto the prophets, if or. it plainly sees rocks ahead. The Chinese who come to New Zealand m increasingly large numbers become -disgustingly prosperous. Since the Boxer rebellion the powers have' been 'carving up China and obtaining concessions and spheres of influence and a few international capitalists lhave made I money out of it, but China Is substantially the same. As againßt this, the yellow men 'have quietly started to percolate into the outside world until now m New Zealand they are making their presence smelt. For a" euibject race to turn the tables like this is not playing the game- We treat the übiquitous ..Chow with easy tolerance to-day. We laugh at his peculiarities with gracious condescension. But it won't be long before -the^ Joke begins to pall. / Tou'ye got to feel superior to laugh, and; the yellow man is demonstrating 1 m certain ways that it is we blondes (who* are inferior. In a few years nve may be taking m the laundry with John Chinaman as a customer. Personally, we shall start a Pak-a-Pau bank, as there seems to be more moneyTn 1 - that, arid at '■the same, time : she opium iipipe may help us to forget the time that the Caucasian ra.ee was once promin-ent-^and-predommant In New Zealand.