Finally the nations have worked around to the point of saying something in pained surprise at Japan's pre-empting of another large slice of China. England delicately hints she is afraid that Japan might be misunderstood in the world if the North China steal continues. Our own Secretary of State Hull murmurs with a deprecatory shake of his head that he fears no good will come of the so-called autonomy movement among the Chinese. Which is about far enough to go, if you ask us, lest we again look as silly as when we grew red-faced in protesting when Japan stole Manchuria. We are not going to do anything about it, so why be ridiculous?

Back then, as you remember, the United States and other status quo nations wrote notes and expressed righteous indignation, all to the result that Japan impishly thumbed a yellow nose at us and went undeterred about its depredations.

As a matter of fact, it is quite tenable, the belief that the more of China Japan takes the sooner the Nipponese will go the way of over-extended empires. Already the rocky little island, in imitating England, is like a hen sitting on the ostrich eggs. In attempting to become a great nation overnight it seeks to absorb several times its own weight in hostile colonists. The chances are that it can hold its new possessions in subjection if it has no interference, but the first time some hefty nation takes a poke at it, the Japanese Empire will break at its strained joints and the wreckage will fall all over the Orient.

Wherefore, if the Japanese insist on eating more Chinese poison, and since the United States has a very small investment in that section of China, one point of wisdom is to let them go to it. We're busy at the moment being indignant at Mussolini, anyway.