We should not allow our Western conceptions of what constitutes-
a stable and authoritative Government to prevent our meeting, as far as possible, the new spirit in China. Governments count less and waves of popular feeling count more in the East than here. We must beware lest we neglect the substance of Chinese unity and in a certain sense strength and only see the form of Chinese chaos and impotence. As the Times wisely remarked, "there is nothing in international affairs so immediately important as this menace in China." It would be useless for us to prove that conditions in the English factories are superior to those in native-owned factories, for the present agitation is primarily nationalist and,not social. On the other hand, most of the students, who form the bulk of the agitators, consider themselves Socialists in outlook and make great play with such child labour as exists in the, foreign-owned factories.
For a starting point for new negotiations (if we can find a Government to negotiate with) we ought to hark back to the Washington Conference, even if the long delays make it impossible to proceed exactly as was then intended. President Coolidge is credited with the intention of summoning another Conference to take up this point without delay.
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