were equal to the Chinese in civilization and learning, while in
territory and population, they were relatively insignificant.
Even Japan, by far the most powerful of them, has only a tenth
of China's population, while her remarkable progress in intelligence
and power is a matter of less than a couple generations.
Until recently, indeed, Japan was as backward as China and
was not ashamed to receive many of her ideas from her larger
neighbour, as the number of Chinese characters in the Japanese
language plainly show. As for China's other neighbours, who
were they? Weak nations which abjectly sent tribute by
commissioners who grovelled before the august Emperor of the
Middle Kingdom, or barbarous tribes which the Chinese
regarded about as Americans regard the aboriginal Indians.
Gibson translates the following passage from a Chinese historian
as illustrative at once of China's haughty contempt of
outsiders and of her reasons for it:


``The former kings in measuring out the land put the Imperial territory
in the centre. Inside was the Chinese Empire, and outside were the
barbarous nations. The barbarians are covetous and greedy of gain. Their
hair hangs down over their bodies, and their coats are buttoned on the
left side. They have human faces, but the hearts of beasts. They are
distinguished from the natives of the Empire both by their manners and
their dress. They differ both in their customs and their food, and in
language they are utterly unintelligible. . . . On this account the ancient
sage kings treated them like birds and beasts. They did not contract
treaties, nor did they attack them. To form a treaty is simply to spend
treasure and to be deceived; to attack them is simply to wear out the
troops and provoke raids. . . . Thus the outer are not to be brought