The Washington herald., 1907-06-09
The Awakening of China.

trotters. others the result of diplomatic
residence there. but # is doubtful whether
anyone writes from so intimate knowi-
edge Of the country and its people as Dr.
@ 4. P. Martin. formerly president OF
the Chinese Imperial University and for
over fifty years a missionary TO China.
Dr. Martin goes, in his large volume,
very thoroughly into the past history OF
China. taking up in turn the five grand
divisions Of the empire China proper,
Manchuria, Mongolia, Turkestan, and
Tibet. He shows how it was by the alb
sorption Of small states that China grew
to her present greatness. and he traces
their history as they emerged like rivu-
let from the highlands of Central Asia
and. increasing In volume, flowed on 10
the eastern ocean. He makes record Of
the many revolutions that have taken
place IN the history Of China, and traces
their Importance in shaping the destiny
Of the empire as. for instance, the Man
chu upheaval Of 1914 which brought
nearly all Of China under the sway Of a
foreign dynasty.
That the parent stock 10 which the Chi
nese nation should trace its origin was a
small migratory people like the Tribes of
Israel and that the emigrants entered the
land Of promise from the northeast. DR.,
Martin considers toleTably certain, but he
holds that to try 70 follow their previous
wanderings back 10 Shinar, India, or Per-
sla. would be a waste Of time, as the nee
essary data are lacking. Even within the
domain which the emigrants were de-
stined TO occupy the accounts given by
their own early historians are too obscure
10 be accepted as to any considerable ex-
tent trustworthy This much can be af-
frmed with some confidence, however,
that the emigrants entered upon their
career Of conquest by colonizing the banks
Of the Yellow River and those Of the Han
BY slow stages they moved eastward to
the central plain and southwark to the
Yangtse Kiang. At that early epoch-be-
tween 300 ard 2lG0 B. c.. the newcomers
found the country already occupied by
various wild tribes. whom they looked
upon as savages DR.. Martin points out
that in their primitive traditions the Chi
nese described these Indigenous tribes re
spectiveiy by four words. Those Of the
south are called Man "a word containing
the radical for silk: those on the east. vi
"a word containing the radical for a bow;
those on the north. Tih IN word repre-
sAnted by a dog and fire. and those on
the west, Fung twGrlike. fierce-the SYM
Dol for their ideOgraph being a spear.
The inference is that some Of these in
diCenoUs tribes were spinners of silk, some
hunters. and most Of them formidable
enemies.
Most interesting is Dr Martins history
OF the past in China, written i'm a way 20
make il entirely comprehensive. even
20 the careless reader. But the prime
Importance Of Dr. Martins book lies in
what he has 10 tell us Of the wonderful
reform movement that is going on now
and which threatens 20 upset all of our
preconceived notions about the country
II is the more important to regard what
DIT. Martin says. as it confirms. in a great
degree. what has been said 10y other
acute observers notably Mr.. Putnam
WeaIe
The awakening and the transformation
Of China began i'm the nineteenth century
for prior 20 l2g the Central Empire, as
the Chinese proudly called their country
was shut absolutely TO foreign inter
course In 1899 the British dispatched q
strong force % China. and islands and
seap0rte as far north as the Yangtse were
occupied by British troops The ancient
capital. Nankin. was only saved from
falling into British hands by the accept
auce Of such conditions Of peace as Sir
Henry Pottinger saw ft 70 impose. These
were moderate, and the main part Of
them was the opening of five ports 20
British trade and the cession Of Hong
kong to the British.
In 1857 began the so-called Arrow
war, which lasted until 1850, in which year
Pekin was captured by French force
which laid the summer palace In ashes.
and which drove the Chinese emperor to
Tartarv 70 seek a grave. The treaty that
followed resulted ia the opening of more
treaty ports and opened the Chinese field
70 the foreign missionaries. In 1885 the
French seized the arsenal at FooCh0w and
destroyed the Chinese fleet and after that
France was left I'm undisturbed posses
sion Of Tonkn.
Dr. Martin was i'm Japan when the jap
anese-Chinese war broke out This result
ed I'm the expulsion Of the Chinese from
the Korean peninsula and the driving out
Of Chinese from the Manchurian districts
from which China has been successful in
ousting the Russians
BY this time these successive blows had
awakened China TO a realization of what
Japan, her tiny island neighbor. had
accomplished by the adoption Of the best
in Western civilization. and she hasten
ed 20 take advantage Of the lesson. The
young Emperor issued a series Of refor-
matOrv edicts which so alarmed the con
servatives Of the Empire that a reaction
set in which the Empress Dowager took
the lead, and which resulted in the Box
er war
DR.. Martin SAYS that the capture Of
Peln by the combined forces Of the CIV
ilized world taught the Empress Dowager
that her policy Of conservatism was no
longer safe. and that she has become a
convert 20 the policy Of progress. She
knows now that the spirit Of reform is
abroad in the land and instead Of letting
Il drive her. she has set about TO drive it..
DR.. Martin finds the best embodiment Of
the spirit Of reform in the high commits
sion sent out in 1905 to study the institu-
tiOns Of civilization; the broadest and
most advanced step China had ever TAX
en- since the year IS A. D.. when she sent
out mission 10 India TO discover a bet
ter religious faith.
The report OF the high commission
took the form Of a memorial 20 the
throne 70 the effect the strongest and
wisest nations Of to-day are ruled by con-
stitutional governments and pointed out
that China was the only great nation that
had not adopted that principle. They
urged that within five years China
should adopt a constitutional form of
government. At some length Dr. Martin
dvells on the great progress that has
been made IN Chinese railways. and he
believes that China viii adopt Japan's
plan Of Matchmaking her railways
The advent Of the railways in China has
been slow compared 20 the spread Of the
telegraph. The provinces Of China are
covered with wires. Wireless Telegram ply
is also used pretty extensively, and in the
houses Of Chinese in the foreign settle
ments the telephone and the electric bell