t contained reiterated by him. He gave me
a parting banquet, attended by many of his mandarins, and on that
occasion the subject came up again and the same request was renewed
and pressed on me from all sides. While I promised to exert myself
on their behalf, let me give you a specimen of the kind of oil
which I poured on their wounded feelings.

"Said I, 'Under the exasperating effect of these petty grievances
your people forget what they owe to the United States. They lose
sight of the danger of alienating their best friend. In the Boxer
War, when Peking was captured by a combined force of eight foreign
powers, who but America was the first to introduce a self-denying
ordinance forbidding any power to take any portion of the Chinese
territory? In this she was backed up by Great Britain; the other
powers fell into line and the integrity of the Empire was assured.
Again, when China was in danger of being drawn into the vortex
of the Russo-Japanese war, who but America secured for her the
privileges of neutrality--thus a second time protecting her national
life? And now you turn
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against us! Is not such conduct condemned by your ancient poet who
says:

"_'Ki wo siao yuen, wang wo ta teh', etc._

(How many acts of kindness done
One small offence wipes out,
As motes obscure the shining sun
And shut his lustre out.')

"If the cause of offence be taken away there is reason to hope
that the beneficent action of our country, on those two occasions
so big with destiny, will be remembered, and will lead China to
look to our flag as an aegis under which she may find protection
in time of need. Not till then will our influence, now reduced
to the vanishing-point, be integrated to its full value.

PROVOCATIONS TO A BOYCOTT

"The injuries inflicted, though trifling in comparison with the
benefits conferred, are such as no self-respecting people should
either perpetrate or endure. Take one example, where I could give
you twenty. Two young men, both Christians, one rich, the other
poor, came to the United States for education. They were detained
in a prison-shed for three months, One of them, falling sick, was
removed to a hospital; the other obtaining permission to visit
him, they made their escape to Canada and thence back to China.

"What wonder no more students come to us and that over 8,000 are
now pursuing their studies in Japan![*]

[Footnote *: The conciliatory policy of President Roo