Evening journal., 1897-06-03
CHINA AWAKENING.
War with Japan Has Moved Leading
Men to STUDY EnRlfsh.

Meh 10 Study English.
Despite the pessimistic views of sew
eral foreign writers en- China, their
Judgment that Marquis Tseng's faith
in the awakening Of China was only an
enthusiasts vision, the results of the
war with Japan have brought changes
which would be remarkable in anv Eu-
ropean country, and are little short
of miraculous in so conservative an
empire as the Middle Kingdom. At
first it was difficult to convince even in
telligent Chinese that China had suf-
fered at the hands of Japan one of the
most crushing defeats of modern times
"A defeat more shameful and humilf
ating than France endured at Sedan, be-
cause Japan is not much larger or
strongr than any one of n half dozen
provinces of the nation that she con-
quered.
But after Vceroy Ii returned and the
facts became generally known among
the educated classes there was a revul-
sion of feeling, which, in the slow way
in which all things move in China, has
now brought about results that would
have been regarded as visionary two
years ago. The most important re-
suit is the edict making English COM
pulsory in the higher schools of the
leading provinces. Even Marquis
Tseng would not have had the hardi-
hood to predict such a reform as this
ten years after he wrote his famous re-
view article. And this edict included
command for the teaching of western
sciences. This radical change of sys-
tenn has been produced by the war, but
it may not be amiss to ask how much of
it is due to the slow influence of the
English, American and other foreign
missionaries who have been laboring for
years to open the minds of the Chi
nese literati to the defects of their ma
tional intellectual training.
Many travellers and few publicists
have spoken fippantly of the meager
results of missionary work in China.
On the surface much of this aerid com
ment seems too true. When an es-
innate of the converts is made it pre-
sents a pitiful figure beside the ex-
penditurc of life, enthusiasm and
money which has been lavished by so
many Christian societies. Yet any old
missionary in China will tell you of
scores of instances of the humanizing
quality os religious instruction as seen
in characters that appeared beyond the
reach Of all the better impulses. Es-
pecially upon the young this religious
teaching has had a deep influence, and
not a single one of the periodical out
RACES against missionaries has been
without some noble example of the de-
votion of converts to their teachers and
guides to the new Christian life.
The new movement in Christian edu-
cation in China is sure to increase the
Importance of the English and Ameri-
can missionaries. The religious mis-
sions will be centers of education in
English, in science and in foreign lit
erature. and an opening will be made in
influential families for tutors and gov
ernesses. The prominentmen of China
have long felt the necessity OF a lSnowl-
edge of English, and most of them un-
derstand the language fairly well,
though they may make no effort to
speak it. This is the case with old Ii
Hung Chang, who picked up many
things not intended for his ears by his
pretense that he could not understand
English. There are many foreign posts
open to Chinese who know English and
French, and even in official posts in
Chinese cities which have a foreign
quarter the ability to speak English is
a great advantage to viceroy or taotai.-