[Editor: An article published in The Barrier Miner, 24 October 1910.]
End of Australia.
A London paper’s view.
Triumph of the yellow races.
An article in the “Referee” (London) of August 28, tells us definitely what is the destiny of this continent. It can be gathered from the following extracts:—
“Neighborless, opinionated, romantic, wealthy, musical, and new, the Australian nation is about to make history. The touchiness of neighborless nations, isolated communities, and lonely men is the result of natural law, not of inborn contumacy. A lonely man of ability abides with a good conceit of himself; often a man whose self-confidence is sublime. . . The fact that Britain won Australia and presented it gratis to a handful of Australians in no way detracts from their pride of ownership in a vast quantity of land. . . .
“Australian immigration policy has reversed the practice of Canada, with the result that a land capable of supporting two hundred million people holds a practically stationary population of about four millions, many of whom favor artificial restriction, not only of immigration, but of their own families. The Government of the country is conducted in the interests of manual laborers, who welcome newcomers into their trade-unions as little as Tibetans welcome foreigners. A considerable section of untravelled Australians, conscious of the advantages of non-competition in their favored land, regard the British with a half-pity bordering on contempt, and the Japanese with a dislike that finds valorous expression in insult. . . . Rudeness to the Japanese by the Australians has been the rule for 20 years. By rudeness I mean the practical and continuous exhibition of distaste, dislike, repulsion, and disgust. Japan is gifted with a long memory. She can smile and smile and smile for a decade or a century — then she strikes, and strikes home. The stupidity of British brain-leakage which permitted the first Australian settlers to own a continent won by five French wars paid for by the British and not repaid after opening a capital account with Australia, is a policy that begins to bear fruit. It is no use crying over spilt milk. The time has come to face unalterable logic. Necessity compels the yellow races to obliterate Australian civilisation. The yellow races possess the power to destroy Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane; to occupy the Northern Territory, and to compel future Australians to groom the horses of their Japanese masters; to tend Mongolian infants, and to drag Tartar gentry in the shafts of jinrickshas.
“The Australians will die gallantly; they are great gentlemen. They will fight and die, but they will be beaten easily and in detail without British aid — so easily that a few years hence the world will wonder at the interesting reminiscence of the dream of a White Australia. The Japanese may prefer first to occupy the California and Oregonian coast of North America, but they could not expect to hold San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Victoria, and Vancouver City for more than three years. The elemental capacity of ninety million North American whites would, in that time assert itself, and would concentrate its brain and physique on ejecting the yellow man. Australia, however, is in the lion’s mouth. For many years Australia has been pin-pricking the Japanese, a people that does not forget because its foe is small, ignorant, and impotent, or because the views of manual laborers prevail over the views of the students of life. I once saw a rat in a cobra’s cage. He sat on his hind legs like a kangaroo, cheerful and placid, preening himself with his fore paws. As the snake drew near, erect for striking, the rat (like a kangaroo in his posture) was unconscious of danger. He did not recognise the striking attitude of the cobra, appreciate its power, or understand that in a few seconds he would be a dead rat. The snake drew nearer, and the rat, plucky as a bulldog, tried to play with the snake. The cobra seemed to kiss the rat. All was over.”
As this is to be the end of Australia, what a waste of energy it is to discuss all the questions of the day in the way we are doing. Why, we have not as yet even attempted to make ourselves conversant with the elements of the ricksha!
Source:
The Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), Monday 24 October 1910, page 7
[Editor: A slightly shorter version of the same article was printed in The Advertiser, on 7 October 1910.]
The Institute of Australian Culture
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