The Rising Alarm: Fears of 'Asiatic' Military Might
A 1885 editorial reflects the era's xenophobic anxiety regarding the modernization of Asian military forces and the perceived threat to European colonial dominance.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The newspaper warns of the rapid modernization of military forces in China and across Asia, arguing that the traditional European sense of superiority is evaporating. The editorial highlights that Chinese soldiers are being trained by German officers and that Japanese troops are adopting Western systems and weaponry. The author expresses deep concern that European nations are inadvertently teaching 'Asiatic' populations the art of war, which may eventually lead to a monumental invasion of Europe. The piece draws a parallel to the fall of Rome, suggesting that historical patterns repeat and that European powers are foolishly arming those they view as subordinates.
“How much further will it go before the arms of Asia are turned against Europe? The pupils are apt enough. It is easy to teach them the art of war; it will be infinitely more difficult to take them from them.”
This editorial captures the intense 'Yellow Peril' rhetoric prevalent in 19th-century Pacific Northwest media. Today, we recognize such writing as a primary example of how historical anxiety and fear-mongering were used to justify exclusionary policies and systemic racism against Asian communities in Washington State.
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