Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-11
A Hopeful View o, China.

a very hopeful view of the future of
China is that which Rev. Judson
Smith, the foreign secretary of the
American Board of Foreign Missions.
has brought back with him from re-
cent visit to the Celestial empire. Tn
der the head THE Awakening Of
China" he has very interesting ar
ticle in the North American Review
for February.
He found the edicts of the depOsed
Emperor surprisingly well calculated
to remedy the existing evils Of that
country. and to strengthen those points
where the nation has been shown to
ments for examination of those dcsir-
ing government positions demands a
knowledge Of western science and his
tory, and necessitates the establish
ment of schools in which those
branches are taught. In short by
those DEGREES the Emperor showed
himself. in the opinion of DR.. Smith,
capable of undertaking the work Of
undermining China. Moreover it i is
not believed the Empress dare abolish
all those reforms and DR.. Smith re-
CARDS her return to power as but a re-
action which will prove short lived.
Among the elements which are con-
tributing to the regeneration of the
country Notwithstanding the consc-va
tive rule of the Empress he mentions
the following:
Many things conspire to show that
the old order is changing. that a new
life is rising in this land of seeming
stagnation and death. Some Of them
are due to outside forces acting upon
the government or the people, some
spring from within, from new thoughts
and hopes that agitate the foremost
minds Of the race. First among these
we note the opening Of railways in
different parts of the empire. The
time is not long past when the effort
t. lay a railway in China WAS met by
popular uprising and the complete
demolition Of everything connected
with the enterprise. But that time Is
forever past. and the hand of the
Imperial government would steriily
crush any popular attack upon me
railways now building. or in actual
operation. A road 800 miles In length,
from Peking to Tientsin and thence to
the sea, and northeast to the coal
mines oe Tang Ku. has been built for
some years, runs many times a day
and carries thousands of. passengers,
native and foreign. A line connecting
with this, from Picking to Paoting-fu.
ITO miles, has just been completed and
put into operation. Shanghai is now
connected with it's seaport, Woosung,
by rail. Many other lines are pro-
jccted. and some Of them are sure to
be built. s. 1t is foreign cap
ital that is building these extensive
lines; burt the Chinese government.
favors the enterprises and forbids
popular mOlcstation. Nothing indi-
Gates more sensibly the awakening of
the people. nothing aids and intensfies
1t more directly. The straight lines Of
the iron road will pay small respect to
the scnsibilities Of the Dragon god out
stretched beneath the ground: the
shrek Of the whistle, the roar of the
traffic. will break effectually the sleep
of ages, and will set the pulses OF the
people beating to new feelings AMI
purposes: travel will widen the
thoughts Of men and correct Ignorance
and cement a real unity of life aud In
terest between all parts Of the land.
The navigation by steam craft, of the
great. interior waterways of China,
which is already revolutionizing pas
senger traffic and the transportation o:
freight, still further serves the same
purpose, and belongs to the same order
Of things.
Closely related to this Gu:ckeDing Of
communication is the Introduction OF
manufactures and mining operations
half-dozen cotton mills. in dfmen-
siOns like those Of Lowell ami Man
chester. running with ,ull power night
and day. are already in operation at
Shanghai. An Anglo-I:aiian syndicate
has obtained a concession for exploit
mines of Shansi; and the railway pro-
jected thence to PaOting-fu will carry
their products to the markets Of the
world. Foreign capital and ent .rpr.se
are chiefly occupied with thesa under
takings; but they create a great de-
mand for native labor. they will null
tiply the rewards of labor and the
comforts Of life on wide scale, they