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Show Our soil is naturally rich. Her soil is naturally poor. Three-fourths of our acreage can be cultivated. Only one-seventh of Japan's acreage can be cultivated. We have three millions of people. Japan has fifty-seven millions. For Japan, it is expand or perish. Manchuria and Mongolia are her hope,-but they belong to China. If the European policy of force is employed against her at this time, there will be war. If the American policy of patience and Christian statesmanship is employed, there will probably not be war; but rather the solutions of good-will. We have been Japan's steadfast and trusted friend in the past. We must be her friend in the future; for her sake, for China, and for the peace of the world. T H E U N I T E D S T A T ES On the 30th of August, 1784, the American ship, "The Empress of China" from New York, bore our flag into the port of Canton. The treaties of 1844 and 1858 secured for us the liberties of trade equal to the "most favored nation". The latter treaty secured religious toleration also. The three greatest names of our diplomatic service in China are Caleb Cushing, our first minister, Anson Burlingame, and John Hay. Mr. Burlingame won the heart of the Chinese for the United States. Their confidence in him was so great that they made him plenipotentiary to represent China in all of the principal courts Of the world. He died at St. Petersburg in Russia while in Chinese service. After the Boxer uprising in 1900 the four European nations cut out for themselves '"Spheres of Influence"-a step toward the dismemberment of China. Mr. Hay halted them with the proposition of the "open door" of equal privileges for trade for all nations with China. The Boxer movement was the last death agony of Old China. New China was then born, and America protected the birth. The four European nations, in their greed, assessed China $333,000,000 of indemnity. $24,000,000 was assigned to the United States. Later we found that our actual losses amounted to less than $11,000,000. It is the glory of our government that it returned over $13,000,000 to China to be devoted to the education of her young men. There are three names from the missionary ranks, of men who were great in the cause of Christ and great in the affairs of state; Peter Parker, S. Wells Williams, and Dr. W. A. P. Martin. Let us add a tribute to the splendid work which the entire misisonary corps has done in that great Empire. Because of our statesmen and because of our missionaries, China trusts America. Individual Americans have sometimes robbed bleeding China, but the American Government and the American Church have been true to her, every step .of the way. |