476 The National Geographic Magazine 



suffering insult from the immigration 

 officials there." 



I am pleased to say that under the new 

 administration of Chinese immigration 

 by the Department of Commerce and 

 Labor some amelioration of the harsh 

 rules has been experienced, and it is an- 

 ticipated that the new treaty being nego- 

 tiated between the two governments will 

 sweep away the regulations which have 

 brought shame to our country. We 

 have published to the world that our 

 people can not compete with the Chinese 

 in industrial pursuits, and the imperial 

 government itself recognizes that the 

 exclusion of Chinese labor is the set- 

 tled policy of this country ; but it is 

 highly desirable that the United States, 

 which has been foremost among the na- 

 tions in conceding the equality of that 

 Empire in its international relations and 

 in encouraging it to enter upon a liberal 

 policy, should welcome to our shores its 

 merchants and students. 



Another evidence of the spirit of en- 

 lightenment now prevailing in China is 

 the establishment and multiplication of 

 newspapers. That Empire boasts of 

 the oldest newspaper in the world, the 

 Pekin Gazette, the official organ of the 

 government, dating back 3,000 years; 

 but it is merely the publication of the 

 official edicts and orders. Until recent 

 years no other newspaper was pub- 

 lished in the vernacular. Since the new 

 regime at Pekin newspapers and peri- 

 odicals in China have greatly increased, 

 until now scarcely any important town 

 is without one or more of them. 



Other evidence of the new spirit are 

 found in the proclamations of some of 

 the viceroys against the female practice 

 of foot-binding and against the national 

 vice of gambling and other demoraliz- 

 ing practices. Anti-foreign, and espe- 

 cially anti-missionary, riots have almost 

 entirely ceased ; when they occur they 

 are due to local and exceptional causes, 

 and the offenders are promptly pun- 

 ished. 



The material improvement in the 

 country is especially noted in the rapid 

 development of railroad construction. 

 At the conclusion of the Japanese war 

 there were less than 200 miles of rail- 

 road in operation. Now there are about 

 2,000 miles completed and 1,200 in 

 process of construction. Of the com- 

 pleted portion, 1,050 miles have been 

 built by the Russians in Manchuria and 

 on the Liaotung peninsula. It may rea- 

 sonably be expected that within a few 

 years trunk lines and branches will 

 traverse the thickly settled portions of 

 the provinces, which should have the 

 effect to consolidate the power of the 

 central government, tend to exterminate 

 the anti-foreign spirit, and greatly de- 

 velop the resources of the Empire. 



It is not the province of the lecturer 

 before a geographic society to enter the 

 field of prophecy, and it is even unsafe 

 for a student of international politics ; 

 but I may venture some suppositions at 

 least respecting the future of China. 

 We can not anticipate the same rapid 

 development in Western methods which 

 has attended the history of Japan dur- 

 ing the last half century. If for no 

 other cause, the different temperament 

 of the race will prevent it. But it is 

 quite certain that China has entered 

 upon the task of internal reform and 

 transformation, and that the move- 

 ment, though it may be retarded, 

 will not go backward. Its future de- 

 pends much upon the final result of the 

 present Russo-Japanese war. If it shall 

 terminate with the permanent with- 

 drawal of Russia from Liaotung and 

 Manchuria, Japanese influence will be in 

 the ascendancy in China, and the re- 

 form movement will go forward more 

 rapidly. Already they are exercising a 

 greater influence on the people than 

 any other nationality. It is said that 

 70 per cent of the foreign teachers are 

 Japanese, and they are largely repre- 

 sented in the Chinese army. Their 

 commerce with the country is growing 



