hern Society, New York City,
February 22, 1899. William M. Polk, the President of the Society,
occupied the chair. Minister Wu responded to the sentiment, "To our
newest and nearest neighbor on our Western border, the most ancient
of Empires, which until now has always been in the Far East, and to
her distinguished diplomatic representative--_persona grata_ to our
Government and to this Society."]

MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN:--It is never too late to learn, and
since I have been here I have learned that my ancient country, which has
always been known as an Eastern country, has now turned to be a Western
country. I do not regret to hear this, because Western countries have
always been looked on as very powerful nations. [Applause.] In that
sense I would not be sorry to see my own country assume the position
that your Western countries have always taken. I do not know whether you
would wish to have your great Nation become an Eastern country in the
sense in which Eastern countries are popularly known.

When the invitation to dine with you on this occasion was conveyed to me
I gladly accepted it because the occasion occurred on the anniversary of
the birth of George Washington, who is widely and popularly known as the
Father of your country. Long before I came to the United States as the
representative of my country, even when I was a boy, I had heard of
George Washington, and from what I could learn about him I formed a
profound respect for his name and memory. At this banquet you
appropriately recall to mind the noble character of your Washington,
his great deeds, and his unselfish devotion to his country.

It is interesting to know that time changes not only the opinions of
individuals and parties, but also the traditional policy of a nation. I
understood when I was a boy that the policy of George Washington was to
confine his attention and his ambition to the country in which he
governed. That policy has been followed by all of his successors up to
very recently. [Laughter and applause.] But the recent momentous events
have necessitated a new departure. You have been driven to a position
that you never dreamed of before. You have entered the path of
Expansion, or, as some call it, Imperialism.

If I understand your chairman correctly, Imperialism practically means
the power and wisdom to govern. This is not the first time that I have
heard such a definition of imperialism. I once hear