Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-30
CHINA IS WAKING UP
Athletic Meet at Wu-Chang
Largely Attended.
VICEROY GAVE PRIZES
OCCASION MARKED By THE SING
ING OF A NATIONAL HYMN.
Question Submitted to Popular Vote
for the First Time-Hankow-Can-
ton Railway Concession.
VICEROY GAVE PRIZES
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.


ters tell of recent events Of the greatest
Significance, which illustrate how rapidly
the people are throwing of their old ways
and adopting the features Of modern civil
ixatio Each Of the new universities and
academies that have been established to
educate candidates for office In modern
sciences and foreign affairs has a physical
culture Department. gymnasium ara
other facilities for outdoor exarc:Se-under
the direction Of American teachers or ma
tives who have studied at American or
English schools. They have introduced
foot ball. base ball and other American
games and track athletics with great sue
cess. Not only the students. but their par
ents and friends and the public generally.
have become enthusiastic on the subject,
and at the first track meet ever held In Inc
Chinese empire more than 1000 students
and pupils of the public schools were pres
ent, with several thousand other spectators.
The meet" was held at Wu-chans in
Hupeh province, in the very center OF
China. Wu-chang Is a provincial capital
and the residence of that great and good
viceroy Chang Chin tung-sometimes called
The Gladstone Of China" and Familiarity
known as 1.-The Grand Old Man." Chang
Chih-tung presided at the athletic exercises.
which gave them additional importance and
significance, and the old gentleman flor he
is past eighty years of age) became as
much excited over the contests as any
youngster In the immense throng. He
awarded the prizes to the winners with
great ceremony, thus making the event an
official function. 1t Is understood that
these tournaments will occur every year
hereafter. and this will make athletic train
ing a feature OF the educational system or
China
Perhaps the most significant incident OF
the occasion was the singing OF n national
hymn by the 1000 children and students
who had gathered for the tournament. Ny
informant does not say who wrote either
the words or the music, but as Chang Chin
tung is a poet of wide reputation, and has
frequently written verses for ceremonial
occasions, 1t is entirely probable that be
was the author of the words and they may
have been arranged to some foreign air in
PRODUCED by the missionaries or natives who
have been IN America China has never
had national hymn. She is, perhaps. the
only nation that has been without ore.
Hence this little episode also marks an
epoch in Chinese history.
Encouraged by the Missionaries.
Athletic sports have been cultivated in
all Of the missionary schools and colleges
and other institutions under foreign teach
ers. There are cricket clubs composed OF
natives. in Shanghai. Tientsin and other OF
the treaty ports, In Imitation of the EN-
glish residents. who carry their sports with
them wherever they go. have seen many
tennis courts In China and the Country
Club of Shanghai, to which many of the
wealthy Chinese belong, has very good golf
links. At st. Johns College In the SUBJ
| urbs of Shanghai. the students have a foot
ball team and they play base ball also.
They have a glee club and banjo club. and
1t is interesting to hear them singing the
college songs that are familiar to Amer
lean ears.
The Chinese, however. have very few ma
tional sports and athletic exercises. Ar
cherry has been practiced for centuries and
has been considered an admirable sport and
even now on the palace grounds at Pekin9
tournaments are often held in which famous
bowmen from different parts Of the empire
contest for prizes Battledore and shuttle
cock. which is somewhat ike tennis and
consists of batting to and fro piece of cork
filled with feathers seems to be more COM
mon than any other game. You often see
boys on the streets bouncing balls of yarn
| between the ground and their hands. and
other simple amusements are common
| among children. but foot races. jumping.
throwing weights vauting, foot ball and
other physical contests have been hitherto
unknown. The public was never invited to
witness such exhibitions and they were
never recognized by the officials until the
| meet at Wu-chang last month.
Popular Vote Allowed.
There are many other evidences of prog
ress in the empire Last summer for the
first time in history. a matter of public pol
Icy was submitted to a popular vote The
business men and property-holders Of
Kwang-tung. Human and Hupeh provinces
were invited to express their opinions by
vote in public, meetings regarding the pur-
chase of the Hankow-Canton railroad con-
cession from an American syndicate, repre-
scented by Mr.. Pierpont Morgan. Hitherto
viceroys and other authorities have acted
upon their own Judgment. without reference
to public opinion or the interests of their
constituents. and private citizens have sal
dom been brave enough to question the
wisdom or honesty Of a viceroy. In this
case, however. local influence compelled the
government to cancel the concession and to
purchase all the claims OF the concession
aires. 1t has now proposed that each OF the
three provinces named. through which the
railway Is to pass, shall build its share of
the line; and foreign engineers are to be
employed as superintendents Of construc-
ton and operation until natives can be edu-
Gated to assume the responsibility.
This concession was the most liberal and
advantageous ever granted by the Chinese
government, and the conduct of the syn
dictate gave American enterprise and in
tegrity severe blow in China. from which
It will be difficult to recover. The grant
was originally made to the late Senator
Calvin 8. Brice and his associates. William
Barclay Parsons OF New York. who built
Panama commission. was chief engineer If
Mr.. Brice had lived the railroad might have
been built; but Mr.. Parsons and the other
| surviving owners Of the concession aban-
-,
| sold their interests to King Leopold Of Bel
GUM and syndicate Of his subjects.
The charter granted permission to con-
struct trunk line about 75O miles in
length. from Hankow to Canton, with
branches to reach several .populous cities
lying at various distances from the main
line. 1t also carried the right to develop
deposits of coal, iron and other minerals
along the right OF way, which are exceed
ingly valuable. For construction expenses
the company was to receive 10000 a mile
which is said to be more than the road
would cost. This Is the only cash subsidy
the Chinese government has ever offered,
and 1t was given as an inducement to In
terest American capitalists In the develop
ment of China. German. French. Belgian,
Russian, English and Japanese syndicates
have been willing and anxious to operate
concessions without cash subsidy. but
the Chinese are afraid of European occu-
patton. Their experience with Russia in
Manchuria has made them cautious. and
they much prefer to have their railroads
built by Americana. because they realize
that our government has no intention of
SELLING territory.
Profits Of the Americans.
Mr. Parsons and his associates emphasized