The evening times., 1899-12-28
ONE OF cH1NA's BIG MEN.
Chang Chih Tung Held in Higher
Repute Than LII Hung Chang.


The outside world regards Ii Hung
Chang as the foremost representative Of
China, but many of the educated class in
that country have given a higher place to
Chang Chih Tuns, long a foremost states
Inan and author. and viceroy of tne two
great central provinces of Human and
Hupeh. Perhaps Chang is not so astute
and able as Lii but his ideas, though ad-
vsnced and progressive. find grea:e- favor
among the Intellectual classes of the Chi
nese. Ii represents the comparatively
small class that favors Western nations
and the introduction of their ideas into
China. Chang is more cautious and con-
servative, though he is far in advance Of
the ultra Chinese party who believe that
their empire is the greatest country on
earth. and that China has nothing TO learn
from the rest OF the world Chang believes
that Chinese civilization is the best and ne
is dsvout disciple OF the doctrines OF Con-
fucius. but he also believes that China may
learn from others and fayors the adoption
OF many foreign ideas on commerce and
ecience. To this extent he has use for tie
teachings of the Western rations. but no
further. He wishes to educate the Chiness
to develop the immense resources Of their
country themselves. He wants foreign
ideas. but not foreign superintendent.
Chang lis practically carrying out his
ideas as far as he is able to do So 1t was he
who inaugurated western methods of iron
working and established blast furnaces.
steel works and the arsenal at Hanyan on
the lower Yangtse. 1t was he who built
the large Gotten mills at his capital city.
Wuchang. which with Fanyan and Hankoy
are the greatest Yangtse cities. and form
the largest centre Of population in China.
In these works that have cost an enormous
amount OF money Chang Chih Tung is de-
veloping his notion that the natives them
selves should have control though few
foreigners are employed as heads OF de-
partments.
According to Lord Charles Be- esford the
result has been very unsatisfactory Tue
iron works cost originally S3.I50,000 and
have been in operation eight years, bu,
last year the output was only seventy-fve
tons Of pig iron and eighty tons of steel a
day and the rails turned out for the Chir
ese railroads were Of poor quality. The
gun output at the arsenal is also very small
In all these works the management is
extravagant expensive ma chinery is mis-
used or not used at all and the enterprises
have been a constant financial drain,
though they might be made very success
full. Chang stoutly opposes the placing of
commercial or industrial enterprises un-
der the management Of foreigners, but his
idea OF using western meunOuS ana ma
chinery under native control has not yet
been success.
Though Chang has his limitations as a
reformer and publicist his books and Off
cial acts show that his tendencies are very
and it may be that China will
advance more rapidly under the more con-
servative regime he advocates than by
a policy of radical innovation.
He opposes, for example, the ancient Gus
tom OF binding the feet Of women. He
wishes to do away with competitive ex-
sminations on the old Chinese classics
and desires to introduce modern ideas and
modern science into the Chi
nese course Of study. He says each prov |
ince should have a university, each pre- |
lecture a college, and each county day |
school. II funds cannot be raised ether |
wise for this purpose he would seize the |
Buddhist and Tacist monasteries and de- |
vote all their wealth tc educational uses; |
but he wishes the Chinese and not for |
eigners to have charge Of all educational |
interests.
Ee has no faith in Buddhism or Taoism |