Orient presents one of the
darkest pages in our history. In many Oriental cities, notably in Hong
Kong, Shanghai and Yokohama, there exists a quarter made up of houses of
ill-repute. The most showy and stylishly dressed of their occupants are
Americans. Some of them are often conspicuous in expensive equipages on
the leading thoroughfares. It is so well known a fact in the Orient that
these women are Americans that I was told in three cities that the term
"American girl" was synonymous of a prostitute. Such a condition would
be deplorable in itself, but in addition it must be understood that just
as we Americans derive our chief impression of the Chinese nation from
the Chinese quarters in Boston, New York, Chicago and San Francisco, so
the Chinese in their home form their impression of Americans from the
American communities in the Orient, in which the daughters of shame are
most in evidence.

Until recently Shanghai held first place among Oriental cities of such
shameful repute. That this status has been somewhat modified is due
chiefly to the courage and persistence of Judge Wilfley, American
Circuit Court Judge at Shanghai. He was severely criticised, I believe,
before a Congressional investigating committee last winter, for lack of
tact, and for using rough-shod methods. A careful investigation by Mr.
Root, the Secretary of State, resulted, however, in Judge Wilfley's
complete vindication and in the highest praise for the service he had
rendered in cleansing out the Augean stables of American vice in
Shanghai. But in spite of his admirable efforts, the reform has not been
permanent, and will only become so when we manifest that our moral
house-cleaning is a permanent duty to be kept up at all times.

Of course there are clean and happy American homes in these cities, just
as there are happy Chinese homes in our Chinese quarters, though few of
us are aware of the latter fact, as neither our reporters nor our
slumming parties discover them. But the American dens of vice in the
coast cities are the most conspicuous exponents of Americanism in China
and Japan, as the Chinese opium and gambling dens in our American cities
are supposed to be typical of life in China. We hasten to assert that in
our case the imputation is deplorably incorrect. We might with equal
truth recognize the injustice of judging the average Chinaman by
impressions formed in a Chinatown slumming party.

The Chinese colonies of this country and t