i 



Leading Articles in the Reviews. 



329 



CHINA IN LEADING STRINGS. 



The Editor of the Oriental Rmirio devotes many 

 pages to a symposium on '" The Future of China, " 

 which enal)les one to appreciate the many-sided 

 problems awaiting solution, whether by internal 

 adjustment or external action. The statement of case 

 is thus presented : — 



Recent developments in Chinese affairs seem to show that — 

 (I) If money bo not forthcoming at once the Chine=« soldiers 

 may mutiny at any moment ; (2) The Six Powers will not leml 

 money unUs^ iliey obtain the right of financial supervision ; 

 <3) The ChiiRso provinces .are against such supervision, ami 

 President Yuan Shih Kai does not dare ignore this opposition ; 

 <4) The Chinese are either not able or not willing to advance 

 their own nionuy for the operation of the government ; (5) It is 

 therefore necessary for the world to be prepared for a serious 

 situation in China. 



This being true — (i) Arc the Chinese able to govern them- 

 selves ? (2) Can the Chinese Republic be successful ? (3) In 

 ca^e the Republic fails, what will become of China? (4) What 

 is the best solution of the Chinese situation (a) from the Chinese 

 standpoint, and (b) from the world's standpoint ? 



The most interesting papers are by Dr. Berlhold 

 Laufer, who states empirically that '" China can take 

 rare of herself," and Professor Chester Lloyd Jones, 

 who is equally emphatic in viewing the crisis as " a 

 situation full of danger." 



While occupying different camps, both writers are 

 1 oncerned that the integrity of China shall be main- 

 tained. Professor Jones admits the necessity of 

 foreign loans, but Dr. Laufer strongly inveighs against 

 interference of any kind, and uses strong language : — 



The best solution of the Chinese situation will come from 

 China herself, as long as the Powers keep their greedy hands 

 off. Japan should not be hostile to the new republic, but 

 welcome it heartily and enter with it into a close alliance and 

 a'nily. The ni4,;ressive anti-Chinese policy followed by Japan 

 in Manchuria for the last years was a gross blunder. Japan 

 thus forgot her own historical r^/c and incurred the animosity' 

 of all Asiatic p roples. Japan must stand up for the integrity of 

 <"nina, and juin hands with her .against the white man's depre- 

 datory aggressiveness. Learn from the I'anislamic Movement 

 and the Arair, '. The Powers rule the worlil not by means of 

 the intclieciiial and moial superiority which they by no means 

 possess, but Iwuause of the discord among the nations of Asia 

 and Africa. Tile storm-centre, for the peace of the world isniot 

 China but Kurope. The best means for the preservation of 



A'/;.#;ii.l 



lVi,.i,iu 



Ch'na, a modern State, also practises the policy of 

 the open hand. 



universal peace must be sought in a counle-pjise against the 

 white peril, in a common understanding and federation of all 

 native races of Asia ami .M'rica against the insane encroach- 

 ments of the infidels. Peoples of .Vsia anrl .-M'rica, guard your 

 most sacred ideals ! 



THE WORK OF THE THIRD DUMA. 



The Russian Revieio contains several interesting 

 surveys of the work of the third Duma. It opens with 

 a summary statement by M. Rodzyanko, President of 

 the Imperial Duma. He says : — 



The chief meiit of the young National Assembly of Russia is, 

 I think, that it has successfully accomplished these tasks, and, 

 after tranquillising the country, has [ roved that without revolu- 

 tion and the excesses accompanying it, there is possible a for- 

 ward movement, slow, it is true, but always advancing, with ai\ 

 evolution of the life of the country and practical reforms. We 

 must not forget that after a ruinous war, after all the internal 

 disorders, in five years the finances have all the same been 

 regulated and brought into a brilliant condition, the strength of 

 the army has been re-established, a beginning has been made 

 with the renovation of the lleet, a land reform of the most 

 enormous importance has been carried into execution, the local 

 law-courts have been remodelled, a wide development of public 

 instruction has been made possible, considerable improvements 

 have been introduced in the mutual relations of employers and 

 workmen, and order h.as been brought into the work of all the 

 ministries and of the organs of local self-government. 



The President concludes by hoping that the 

 impending elections to the fourth Duma will return 

 most of the members of the third. 



EDUCATION UNIVERSAL AND FREE. 



M. Evgrav Ko\alevsky, Vice-Chairman of the 

 Education Committee, reviews the educational work 

 of the Duma. He says that the financial proposal 

 of May i6th, 1908, to assign 6,900,000 roubles for 

 educational needs settled the question of universal 

 education in Russia. He reports that the third Duma 

 always heartily supported the equality of women in 

 education, and in all the Bills which it passed women 

 obtained the place in this province which ought to 

 belong to them. He further reports : — 



The Imperial IJuma was always disposed to support the wish 

 of non-Russi.an nationalities to preserve their culture ami 

 languages, within limits which do not openly infringe the 

 interest of the State. 



An important factor in the legislative work of the Duma was 

 its aim of decentralising the administration of schools, and asso- 

 ciating unofficial bodies and private persons with the work of 

 public education. 



It is a great thing to have brought system into the extension 

 of school work, and to have established the principles of 

 universal and free education. 



\'eiy typical have been the efforts made to destroy in the 

 .school system all class barriers, and to democratise schools of 

 all types. 



FIVE YEARS AGAINST A CENTURY ! 



The writer adds : — 



In five years ihc Builgrt nf Public K lucalion h.as reached 

 170 million roubles, while in 1007 it w.is only 85 million 

 roubles. In other words, the liudgft has doubled, and in five 

 yi-ars of the representative regime we have assigned to education 

 , sum as large as that which was spent on it in the preceding 

 105 years under the old regime (1802- 1907), 



