The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-24


 10000 taels, as l recollect it.
 That is to be given me for my part?" MT. Liang asked.
 The offer was repeated.
 Very we'll" said Liang. Now just credit that as a payment on the face of the contract"
 This was a type of Chinese official with which the foreign negotiator was entirely unfamiliar. but the credit was duly made and that amount saved to China
 When Liang told Chang what he had done the Niceroy only grunted his assent" said the Chinese official who told the story And I happen to know that Liang at that time did not have enough money to buy himself new winter coat"
 His idea was that the point of the story lay in Chang's ingratitude in fail ing to make Liang a substantial pres ent for his action To my mind, how ever, it had another and far more sig nificant point-and all through China have heard similar tributes to Liangs honesty. integrity and patriotism,
 Here in Pekin one hears much of the ability with which Liang Tun- yen has managed to prevent an open breach between Yuan Shih-kai and Chang Chi-tung. MT Liang himself will not discuss this phase of the political situation which brings him so strong ly to the forefront When 1 met him at his home he was, however, not at all reticent in his discussion of con- ditions in China, save where the talk bore directly upon matters with which he has to do in his official. capacity, as for instance, the ceaseless and annoy ing aggressions of the Japanese. which give the Foreign Office the greater part of it's troubles.
 Speaking of the active agitation for thei establishment of a constitutional government in the empire he said;
 Tt will, of course, come in time, but the danger to the present movement lies in an attempt to move too quick ly and go too far at the beginning. China is an old country and the Chin csc have been doing things In their own way for very long time. Any changes, to be practical and effective, must not run counter to the long es- tablished customs and the prejudiees of the people. This was found essen tial in the establishment of the scheme for modern municipal government at Tien-tsin. The Chinese have always enjoyed great amount of local self government in their own way, and no scheme of government can be success ful that does not fit itself to the ways and methods of the people. The most important thing in the construction of building to last is the foundation. "
 And that foundation 2"
 ''The two great essentials are edu- cation and railroads. l have always been the strongest possible advocate of education upon what you call western lines. Until real education is more widely diffused, any new system of government, dependent upon knowledge and better understanding, must be a precarious experiment, to say, the least of it. China cannot be made over in a day. The desire for education of the right sort is steadily growing in China. however, and the next decade will undoubtedly see great advances in that direction. As for railroads, nothing could be more potent as an educational influence and In developing the nationality of the people than a network of railroads developing the country industrially and bringing together the people of the different sections and provinces. "
 President Roosevelt's recommends ton that China must set apart an equal sum for the education of Chin csc youth in America in return for ab- solutionf from payment of the Boxer indemnity balance is hailed with de- light not only by all American fami- liar with China's conditions and needs but by all thinking Chinese.
 At the time the negotiations fol the treaties following the Boxer out breaks were pending, 1 was asked what assurance the Powers could have that there would not be a repeti- ton of those outbreaks and the con ditions which brought them on,' said MT. Liang. "I replied that this toul5 be settled for all time by the lnser- tion of few words in the treaties All that was necessary was a shor provision compelling China to sent 1 50,000 students annually 70 Ameflcf and Europe for their education. My 1 idea was, of course, that if this poli", were pursued, within ten years Chini would have so influential a body O fo,e ign educated students possessins real knowledge of the world an' realizing so fully the necessity fc' practical and substantial progress that such a thing as the anti-sore' 'gr feeling that gave rise tI BDAer:sn would be unknowG in the land"
 What about education in Japan 2
 At one time, immediately followinl the defeat of China by Japan. tn feeling in favor of Japanese educa tion ran strong. The arguments il favor of sending youth to Japan wer two-first, the smaller cost. due f Japan's proximity: second, the fac that a vast amount of the literature Q the Western world had already beel translated into Japanese, and was, il consequence, easily accessible to Chi nese characters in their writings Bu so many of the Chinese youth sent f Japan have turned out failures. s great has been the charlatantry Q many of Japan's so-called educators so strong has been the disposition c the Japanese educated youth towar socialism and nihilism, and so man of them have failed in their efforts | pass the governments examination even In face of the fact that at time the examiners have graded the Jap anese schools ahead of the America : and foreign schools, that Japanes education is just now at a distinct dis count. Tine general attitude of tn