in civilized parts
of China--and impossible for the great preponderance of the European
peoples at home--to grasp the fact that in huge tracts of Interior China
the populace have never seen a foreigner, save for the ubiquitous
missionary, who takes on more often than not the dress of the native.

Although the Chinese Government recognizes the dangerous situation of
the nation _vis-a-vis_ with nations of Europe, and has ratified one
treaty after another with us, the nation itself does not, so far as the
traveler can see, appreciate the fact that she cannot possibly resist
the white man, and hold herself in seclusion as formerly from the
Western world. China is discovering--has discovered officially, although
that does not necessarily mean nationally--as Japan did so admirably
when her progress was most marked, that steam and machinery have made
the world too small for any part thereof to separate itself entirely
from the broadening current of the world's life.

Whilst not for a moment failing to admire the aggressive character of
Occidentals, and the resultant necessity of thwarting them--we see[1]
this especially in official circles in Yuen-nan--Chinese leaders of
thought and activity are recognizing that in international relations the
final appeal can be only to a superior power, and that power, to be
superior, must be thorough, and thorough throughout. So different to
what has held good in China for countless ages. That is why China is
making sure of her army, and why she will have ready in 1912--ten years
before the period originally intended--no less than thirty-six
divisions, each division formed of ten thousand units.[A] China is now
endeavoring to walk the ground which led Japan to greatness among the
nations--she takes Japan as her pattern, and thinks that what Japan has
done she can do--and, officially abandoning her long course of
self-sufficient isolation, is plunging into the flood of international
progress, determined to acquire all the knowledge she can, and thus win
for herself a place among the Powers.

But I am in Yuen-nan, and things move slowly here.

All this does not mean that my presence is desired, or that fear of me,
the foreigner, has ceased. On the contrary, it signifies that I am more
greatly to be feared. The European is _not_ wanted in China, no matter
how absurd it may seem to the student of international politics, who
sits and devours all the newspaper copy--good, bad and
indifferent--