Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-18
Crisis of Reform Movement.


The reform movement carried on during
| the rule of the late empress dowager has
now reached its hour OF crisis. For the
moment the passing of the old rulers has
enormously strengthened the hands of
| the reformers, but their fight is not yet
| over. The immediate danger Is not that
the reactionaries should obtain control,
but that there may come a revolutionary
| uprising against the Manchu dynasty--an
| uprising that will afford excuse for for
| eign intervention.
Since the Boxer rebellion of 1900 China
has Systematically attempted to adopt
Of officials has been changed, modern
| learning largely taking the place of Con-
fucian classics. Schools for west ern teach
| ing, started by the government, are
springing up every where. and in many
| cities idols are being bundled out of the
| temples TO make room for maps and
blackboards. Railways are being planned
| and built on a larger scale than In any
other land outside Of America. Life in
| the cities Is being revolutionized, modern
police methods adopted and prisons re-
| formed The consumption of opium is
| being fought. A new army. drilled on
western lines. has sprung into being. A
powerful newspaper press has appeared
| almost in a night.
| Much, of course, remains to be done.
| Many abuses survive and the corruption
| or weakness of local officials often wrecks
| admirable schemes. But the amount that
has been accomplished is amazing. The
| one man who has led the new reform
movement is Yuan Shi kai. until recently
| VicerOy of Pe-chih-li. and now mem
Der of the government at Picking and the
| man behind the throne. Yuan started
| reform because he realized that unless
| China changed her ways she could not
hold together. He gathered around him
I ~ an rtols. y11 n haa
| trained abroad and organized a strong
| fighting force under his personal control.
He has naturally had 20 face bitter oppo-
stion. especially from officials robbed OF
their perauisites and disturbed in their
| ancient ways. This opposition has been
| led by two powerful men-Tieh LANG, a
grand councillor and president OF the
| board of war. and Viceroy Chang Chin
Tung. But Chang. great and influential
as he is. is old, and Yuan, despite many
| struggles has never lost his dominant
| power.
Yuan's Sources of Strength.
| Yuan has two great sources of strength
He Is the hero of the new army, and his
policy has made it possible for China
to obtain large loans abroad. These loans
spent on railways and internal works
have yielded much profit to provincial
officials. II the situation during the Mex
| few months mainly centers around the
| government in Peking there will bt
little cause for alarm. Everything there
promises we'll for reform. Even Chang
| Chin Tung is said to have settled hi,
| differences with Yuan. and the late
| dowager empress tried to bring them to-
gether by intermarriage in their families
| The mercantile classes-which can d.
more than some are willing to admit
| are strongly in favor of advance along
western lines. Save for revolution, Z
serious famine. foreign quarrel or The
| unexpected success of some palace plo
| the reformers will win.
| The words the hest thin~ that cnul(
have happened" express bluntly, but clear
| ly, the views OF those ,ssl qualified Il
express an opinion on what has recently
| happened. What was widely feared wa: