in China, more crazy and
disastrous protests against foreign domination and exploitation. When
these troubles come, it will be well to recall that Shanghai,--not the
individual inhabitants, but the government of that little "settlement" of
foreigners which lies upon the west bank of the Woosung River,--officially
and for profit maintained its traffic in the drug that is China's curse
after the Chinese had stopped their own opium traffic. It will be well to
recall it, because it is quite certain that the Chinese themselves will
not have forgotten it.

I have gone thus at length into the deplorable example which Shanghai, the
most important foreign settlement in China, exhibits to the struggling,
opium-ridden yellow men, because it is typical of the whole course of the
foreigner in China. In the next chapter we shall consider further evidence
in looking into the conditions of life and of the opium problem at
Hongkong and Tientsin. It is of course peculiarly unfortunate that
Shanghai, when the great opportunity came to extend a helping hand to
China in the opium fight, should have failed, utterly, ignominiously. But
the slightest acquaintance with the place is enough to make it plain that
Shanghai, as it has been and still is, is not likely to extend a helping
hand to anybody. The helping hand is not exactly what Shanghai stands for.
It really stands for the domination of the great Yangtse Valley, for the
exploitation of China, and, incidentally, for a sort of snug harbour for
criminals and degenerates. There can be no doubt that the fifty to
seventy-five millions of Chinese who come directly within the radiating
influence of Shanghai know this perfectly well. It is also quite likely
that these and the few hundred other millions who make up "the Middle
Kingdom" know perfectly well, that the complicated commercial
establishments of all the various foreign nations in China stand for
similar principles. And they doubtless know further that the very
important and very cynical gentlemen who represent the great and
prosperous foreign powers at Peking, are there for no other purpose than
diplomatically to put on the pressure whenever China chances to block a
move or gain a piece in this sordid and unholy game of chess. So perhaps
we had better give up, once and for all, any serious consideration of the
charges made by certain foreign powers that China is insincere in her
warfare on opium. Such charges and insinuations, coming fro