December 4: I called on Doctor Morrison to take a look at his library. This unusual collection contains about twenty thousand books in European languages, dealing with China. The rare editions of early works are almost completely represented. Doctor Morrison, who lives in a Chinese-style house, has built a fireproof building for his books. He has devoted the last fifteen years to getting them together, and I believe has spent the larger part of his income on them. Recently he married a lady who had been for a while his secretary. They now have a little boy. I am told that his marriage and fatherhood have greatly augmented Doctor Morrison's standing and influence among the Chinese. A bachelor does not fit into their scheme of life. We repaired to his study, and for a long time were discussing affairs. We spoke particularly about the railway situation and the fact that construction on all the lines contracted for has practically been stopped. This is an enormous disadvantage to the Chinese. They have to pay heavy interest charges on the initial loans, for which there is as yet no income-paying property to show, but only surveys and partial construction. We agreed that the Four-Power bankers, for instance, have a very weak case if China should decide to cancel their contract for non-performance, as money to continue the building is not forthcoming. On the British concession of the Pukow-Singyang Railway, on which virtually no work has yet been done, the Government nevertheless has to pay interest on a million dollars of capital that has been advanced.
December 7: I visited Prince Koudacheff, the Russian minister. I jokingly asked him whether he found that the Chinese thought of the Russians as half-Asiatic, therefore as brothers. "No," he replied; "they count us with you and with the other Europeans, as a scourge and pestilence." In this conversation the Prince uttered a prophecy. "As a result of this war," he said, "the empire will be abolished in Germany."
(Neither of us at this time dreamed of the enormous subversions and convulsions which were soon to take place in Russia.)
December 8: I called on President Li in order to present a personal letter from President Wilson, in which the latter sends his good wishes. We discussed the American loan policy. The President, like other Chinese, finds it difficult to understand why America, with her great capital strength and industrial development, is so slow in taking advantage of opportunities for investment and development in China. The President said: "Americans love pioneering. In China there is pioneering to do, with the added advantage of having a ready labour supply and local capital, which may be enlisted. Why are they so slow to come in?" I agree with him that it is difficult to understand.
December 16: Mr. Victor Murdock is in Peking, bringing a breeze of American good-fellowship, and a vision unobstructed by theories. He finds China interesting, but, I fear, he will suffer the usual disability of the passing visitor, that is, he will see the unfavourable aspects of Chinese life and will not stay long enough to appreciate the deeper virtues.
This diary account of some of the happenings during the fall of 1916 contains nothing of the daily work of conferences, discussions, interviews, dictations dealing with the innumerable problems that come up from the consulates, or that arise in the capital directly, or referring to general policies which are hammered out and formed for action.
A great part of the work of a legation is concerned with foreseeing trouble and trying to avoid it. Such work usually does not appear at all in the record. In a country where conditions are complicated as they are in China, where there is such a crisscrossing of influences, it is easy to make a mistake if constant care be not exercised to keep informed of every detail and to head off trouble.