this there's a good story at present going the rounds of
Peking. The head of a certain great corporation, out here seeking a
concession from the Chinese Government, appeared before the Chinese
officials one day and made his request. The officials, in their gorgeous
robes, were all seated round a large table on which was spread a map of
China. It was a wonderful large map, but all colored in different
colors, some parts red, some blue, others yellow, and so on. Behind the
chairs of the Chinese officials stood the representatives of the various
European powers--British, French, Russian, all of them. Our American
laid his finger on that part of the map colored red.

"I'll do the work here," he said to the Chinese.

"Excuse me," interrupted a representative of a foreign government, "you
can't go there. That red part of China belongs to Great Britain."

"Very well. I'll go here," said the American, indicating the blue part
of the map.

"Excuse me," said another European gentleman, "you can't do it there.
That part of China belongs to Russia."

"Here, then," continued the American, laying his finger on a green spot.
"This will do."

Another suave alert diplomatic gentleman stepped forth.

"That," he said regretfully, "is French."

So it went on all over the map. The Chinese officials sat silent, while
one European representative after another stepped forward with his
objections. Finally, in exasperation, the American turned to the silent
Chinese and asked:

"Where the hell is China?"

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: America has neither a concession nor a sphere of influence
in all China.]

VI

ON THE SACREDNESS OF FOREIGNERS

You know, I can't believe that it is good for us,--Americans, Europeans,
foreigners of all sorts,--to feel ourselves so sacred as we feel in
China. Whatever we do, we are always right, no matter how wrong we may
be. We always have the right of way, the privilege of walking over the
Chinese, and to this privilege they must submit. Our sacredness is not
due to admiration for or belief in us. Quite the contrary. It is due
to a deep sense of fear of the consequences should they attempt to
check or curb our activities or inclinations. The relations between a
subject people and their conquerors is fundamentally immoral, and
demoralizing to both. A few years ago motors made their appearance in
Peking; there are not many even to-day. But there are no speed
regulations, and they dash through t