40 2 



The Review of Reviews. 



jpri/ iO, 190':. 



THE AWAKENING OF CHINA. 



"' Shanghai s ' article in the Xat/oiial Rei'ieic on 

 this subject is chiefly interesting because it seems 

 written by one really " in the know, ' and also be- 

 cause of the confirmation given to another recent 

 writer, an American, as to the bad effects of the 

 American treatment <>1 the Chinese. 



COXSTITl^TIO.NAI, GOVERNMENT DECIDED ON. 

 .A.i)parently the leaders of the mo\ement for intro- 

 ducing Con.stitutional Government into China have 

 prevaded ; it only remains to decide what power the 

 Sovereign shall wield, and, in order not to curtail 

 his prerogatives too much, the Jai>anese rather than 

 the English form of goveniment is favoured. This 

 step is less bold than the outsider might think, for. 

 though nominally an autocracy, the government of 

 China has nian\ democratic features. Vet. says the 

 writer : 



Cnriously euougli. tlioiigli tlie must prouiiueat meu in 

 Gbioa appear to have (lecided that the one hope of the 

 country lies in constitutional government, they have no 

 decided idea as to the model on wliicli it should be framed. 



Five Commissioners liave Ijeen appointed to visit foreign 

 coimtries. and, after a careful study of their several sys- 

 tems of government, to draft a Constitution suitable for 

 adoption in China. But as uo one of these officials undei- 

 stands auv foreign language, or has made any previous 

 study of tile subject of their inquiry, and as the length of 

 their absence abroad is limited to a few months, their 

 mission appears to show a lamentable ignorance on the 

 part of tlie Government of the magnitude of the task en- 

 trusted to them. 



, OHINESE I'KOVINCIAl.IiSiM. 



The Chinese, though nowise inferior in mental 

 capacity to Western nations, yet unfortunately ini 

 agine that they can attain to Western knowledge of 

 any subject without the sjijecial study recognised as 

 essential by Westerners. The result of this over- 

 estimation of their cajtabilities was. in military mat 

 ters, disaster; and, considering in how haphazard .i 

 manner it is proposed to decide the form of the future 

 government of one-fourth of the human race, 

 " Shanghai " thinks disaster w-ill again result. He 

 insists on the many difficulties to be overcome before 

 a Constitution can W framed for China, and never, 

 surely, has anyone else brought the extraordinary 

 provincialism of China so forcibly before the reader. 

 The various provinces have hitherto been practically 

 so many semi-independent States. To give one in- 

 stance — 



even so receutl.v as the war with Japan, tlie southern 

 provinces insisted they were at peace with that country, 

 and that war was being waged by the naval and militar.v 

 forces of the Pei-yang. or northern provinces, alone. 



To [irevent local and temporarv interests domi- 

 nating, and i">enmanent and national interests being 

 lost sight of, the writer suggests that: — 



Railroads should be nationalised, members of colleges 

 wherever situated should he granted degrees only after 

 examination by national inspectors, and tbough it may be 

 necessary to maintain territorial divisions in the army, 

 and such division may promote healthy emulation, the 

 naval and military academies should carefully eschew all 

 provincial discriminations. 



OTHER DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY. 



Experience shows that even business men can be 



so carrietl away by an eicKjuent speaker as to assent 

 to proposals which, on reflection, they find will pre- 

 judice their interests more seriously than they can 

 afford. The conduct of the many students return- 

 ing from Japan, where they study Western learning, 

 also caused " Shanghai " uneasiness, chiefly, it seems, 

 on the old ground of a little knowledge being a dan- 

 gerous thing. These students issue Chauvinist ad- 

 dresses, insisting on this or that course of action ; .i 

 Chauvinist press prints the addresses, and the Go- 

 vernment, thinking they indicate strong popular 

 movements, adopts the suggested course. 



THE .VMiiKICAN BOYCOTT. 



As to American treatment of Chinese entering the 

 States, " Shanghai " quotes the words of a secretary 

 of the American Legation at Pekin, that it is 

 " equally an insult to China and a disgrace to us as a 

 nation." .A permanent boycott fund has even been 

 suggested in China to support those who lost their 

 employment through helping to boycott American 

 goods. This boycott, however, has been largely 

 quenched by the Governor of the province doing 

 most American trade. But if Americans permanently 

 refuse justice to China, ".Shanghai's'' view is that 

 China is asking nothing but justice: — 



There can be little doubt that the boycott will i>e it- 

 iiewed generally and striiiircntl> enforced, to the serious 

 detriment not only of .Xiiiericaii trade, but of that of ali 

 nations, and to the certain in,iur,^- of friendly relations. 



OHINESE I'ATKIOTISM. 



The Chinese are now showing themselves capable 

 of self-denying patriotism .^ucii as the Japanese have 

 shown : — 



tt is no uncommon thing lor members of a Reform 

 League whose salary may be 25 dols. i£2 ICs.) a month, t< 

 live on one-fourth of that sum and to contribute the other 

 three-fourths to the fund for the promotion of the object 

 of the league. A country whose people act thus may 

 :H-<-ompli8h much, 



During the transition period, the writer concludes, 

 much patience and self-restraint will be called for 

 from the foreign representatives in China, if a Go- 

 vernment on Western lines is to be attained without 

 bloodshed. 



The Grand Magasine is a good and varied luim- 

 ber. It begins by trying to be very serious in an ''■ 

 article on '" The Natural and the Supernatural,"' by 

 Mr. Frank Podmore, and among its articles not 

 separatelv referred to is a paper on marriage in 

 England and America, by Mrs. Alec Tweedie ; on a 

 talk with Mr. Henry Tabouchere. and a paper by 

 Miss Elizabeth Banks on an interesting systejn of 

 interchanging school letters between English and 

 American children, which has now apparently great 

 vogue, and is a source of constant delight to the 

 children. Curiously enough the London Board 

 School children (I gather that it is wath London 

 children that the letters are exchanged) write much 

 better letters than the .American children. Ameri- 

 cans, savs Miss Banks, are bad letter writers. 



