The great commercial nations of the world are now all trying to get
shares of the trade of this VAST AND POPULOUS COUNTRY. For not only is
China (Proper) large and populous, but it is also wealthy, for its
inhabitants are both industrious and frugal, and, besides, as compared
with the people of European countries they have been greatly spared
the disastrous commerce-destroying effects of war, both foreign and
internecine. Centuries ago the Chinese had made great progress toward
civilisation. Their skill in the manufacturing arts, and in
agriculture and horticulture, was for ages superior to that of Western
nations. But, unfortunately for their advancement, they are
conservative, self-conceited, and averse to improvement, especially if
they have to learn improvement of others. As yet they have almost
wholly ignored the ideas and methods of modern Western civilisation.
They have scarcely any railways, but few steamships, almost no
steam-power manufactories, and no telephones. The only modern
improvement which they have made much use of is the telegraph. Some
years ago (in 1876) a European company secured the privilege of
building a short railway from Shanghai, but it was scarcely built
before the government got fearful of its influence and bought it up
and stopped its running. But the Chinese people are not averse to
foreign trade; on the contrary, they are rather fond of it. If only
the thing could happen in China that happened in Japan--that is to
say, if only the government could fall into the hands of rulers who
were open-minded to improvement and inclined to be progressive--the
rush that China would make toward civilisation and the adoption of
modern trade methods and modern processes of manufacture would be
startling.