New-York tribune., 1905-01-19
WHAT HER EDICT WILL DO.
Chinese Empress's Courage VIII Turn Her
Country Toward Progress.

When St Francis Xavier, sailing past the rocky
coast of Southern China and IL despair OF ever
touching stony Of this ancient empire said
'Oh, rock. rock when wilt thou open. he httie
thought. probably tnat the rock would yield to the
touch of d Yet that Is precisely "haI mas
happened according to the Rev. }. & Garrltt OF
Hang-Chow. China who yesterday addressed the
Woman's Union Missionary Society at It's forty
fourth anniversary meeting. in the managers room
tunes regarded as the frcn enemy of Christianity
ana civilization has wrought this miracle, II seems
Dy single edict. in which she rlskeu liiT ,sS
existence Of her dynasty and now four hunoled
nnlioHs Of people have their faces turned 20 Il ne"
',China has always been a field OF peculiar diff f
Guilty Ior the missionary, Mr.. Garritt sdlq- II
the Gospel OF Christ, bus in CHINA feels that
one one y up against a rock 1t is easy 70 see b bs
times greater than that Of the United states has
past in comparison with which that of ali Western
nations peles into insisnihcance. We Americans
asks us how old our country is. and we nave TO
sorts Of saGes and heroes. to whom the hearts OF
ton. 1t has occupied the position Of teacher among
a group Of smaller nations. 1t mas never been the
learner. Now, when person has taught school
for twenty-five or thirty years he is not likely TO
has been in the teaching business for thrty-eight
centuries, and It is not 70 be expected that she
like-we will not say America-but like England.
which is only thousand years old, give her point
ut is not strange, therefore, that Christian mis-
class Of people IN China. IN the cities it Is only
that perhaps they can make penny out of Us; In
the country reach the farmers. who, there
as here, more simple minded than any other
class, and more inclined to believe what is told
them.
''Eut a great revolution is taking place which
viii carry respect for foreigners far down among
the masses Of the people-as far as the dislike and
suspicion instiled by the official class have pre-
vioUsly been carried.
Hitherto the only path to official preferment in
China has been through a civil examination on
passages from the ancient classics and an essay
on the same subject. Now the Empress has said
pairing for official life. You must learn English.
mathematics astronomy banking, commerce, en-
gineering and much as is possible Of Western
learning In q year these changes will go into
effect, and the ancient essay has already been abol
lshed. This was a very courageous thing Tor the
Empress TO do. It might have involved her in a
revolution and caused the overthrow of her dynasty.
and IL VIII assuredly work peaceful revolution IN
the Celestial Empire. China has at last turned her
face from the past.
The edict is already beginning to effect change
IN the attitude of the Chinese mind toward for
eiguers. The missionary, who was formerly avoid
ed, Is sought after for the sake of the kn0wl-
edge he possesses Of the West, and as this million
and q half Of students learn Iat foreigners, whom
they have always regarded barbarianS really
know some things that are worth knowing, their
changed feelings viii gradually permeate tho
masses Of the people"
Other addresses were given by DR.. Alice L Ernst.
Of India DR.. John Bancroft Devins, Miss Castel-
low, of India, and Mss Pierson, of Japan The
president. Mrs. Henry Johnson. presided