The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-30

! pulling in two different directions. The
authorities at Pekln, uninfluenced by
| the opinions of the outer world, and SUI
premely ignorant Of everything beyond
their immediate ken, pursue their tradi-
| tiOnal course, and attempt to force on a
now inquiring and expanding nation a
| ProCrustean system of government
which duly suited the people in days
gone by, but which is rapidly becoming
| impossible now that light is beginning
| to shine in the provinces and knowl-
| edge to spread.
One potent agency in bringing about
this change in the popular mind has
been the Society for the Diffusion of
Christian and General knowledge
Among the Chinese" which, by circula-
ting TRANSACTIONS of European works ON
religion, science and general subjects,
has during the twelve or thirteen years
of its existence done Il great and in
creasingly great work.
The primary object with which the So
ciety was established was to gain by
some means or other the ear Of the in
tellectual classes. The founders felt
that in a country such as China the mo-
tive power for the effectual working Of
a change should come from above and
not from below, and that so long as the
mandarins and literati were banded to-
gcther in a league of Ignorance, reforms
would be impossible except by the dras
tic method of revolution. Their first eff
forts were directed, therefore, to supply
ing the educated classes with a litera-
ture which should enlighten their UNI
derstandfngs, and show them a more
perfect way of knowledge than their ma
tive books were able to point out. This
was a wise step.
1t will be remembered that the Jesuit
missionaries Of the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries established them selves
in the good graces of the government
and gained wide influence at Peldn
by publishing TRANSACTIONS of religious
and scientific works in the pure literary
style which Chinese scholars affect,
which is the only guise under which
they are willing to acquaint themselves
with new facts. Following this exam
pie the society set to work, and accord
ing to the eleventh report it has already
issued rather more than one hundred
and twenty works on religious, scienti-
fic and historical subjects. The result
has been a triumphant success. The
books have circulated far and wide
through the provinces and have met
with a ready sale.
AS an example Of the way in which
those of their books which met the pub
lie requirements were caught up, it
may be mentioned that when a popular
edition of Mackenzie's Nineteenth Cen
fury was brought out, four thousand
copies out of an edition. of five thousand
were sold within fortnight SO I'M
precedented was such a rapid sale, and
so continuous was the demand for this
and other works, that the printing
trade at Shanghai was completely non
plussed. The older houses could not
meet the demand on their resources,
and new printing establishments
sprang up on all sides. The price of
paper went up by leaps and bounds,
and the binders were quite unable to
cope with the work thus suddenly de-
manded of them In China the law Of
copyright Is practically unknown, and
the unwonted success of the society's
publications instantly marked them
down as fitting and profitable spoil. A
number of these books have been re-
printed in the province of Ssu-ch' uan,
and in most provinces the process is in
full swing Not content with the ordi-
nary system of publication. the society
seeks to circulate books and pamphlets
among the students at each of the two
hundred centers of examination. Sue
cess has crowned their efforts in this
direction also.
But above and beyond the efforts Of
this society the people are trying to
work out their own salvation. and are
seeking for light with an ardor which
would have been deemed impossible be-
fore the Japanese war. Not only are
they publishing on their own account
translations Of foreign works which |
they deem likely to be useful, but they |
are multiplying native newspapers at
such rate that If there existed a Chi
nese imperial library that establish
ment would before long be reduced to
the present overcroWded condition of |
the British Museum. liz 1895 only nine
teen native newspapers enlightened the |
dark minds of the people. In 1898 this |
was quadrupled. and the |
stream had since been pouring out with
increased volume and without q check /
until the dowager empress threw cold |
water in a strongly worded edict on all |
such enterprises. The same chilling |
influence has lately been used for the
Of the schools and colleges
which were springing into life, and the
promoters of these establishments have
in many cases had to yield But
though for the time being some of the
symptoms Of the agitation may
be checked. the movement is going
steadily on.
The greed with which western litera-
ture is being devoured is all the more
since only ten per cent. of
The entire population are able to read,
and it is by this small proportion OF the
people that the numerous editions of
he imported books are devoured. On
Eli sides evidences of the spread of
knowledge are observable, and travel
srs have Of late been amazed to find Of
icials in distant provinces who can talk
slibly on new scientific discoveries. and
Who are intimately acquainted with the
histories of western ma
ions Matters must have gone far
when even SO stanch an upholder of the
doctrine of China for the Chinese as
he Viceroy Chang Chih-t'ung himself
ldvOcates the cause of western learn
ng. In a recent state paper he recon-
nendS the addition Of sr1athama tics |