Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-07

penses: they will establish a judicial bu-
reau and will begin TO issue certificates
In the ninth year the imperial constitu-
ton viii. be finally enforced and the I'M
perial parliament will. be In session here
al Picking.
This Is the bare outline OF but a few
Of the principal provisions The scheme
is elaborate. and II provides for thor
ough reorganization along modern lines.
There is one great branch devoted to
the reforming of the courts. and this IN
cludes the establishment OF law schools
in every great city and at all the pro-
vincial capitals.
Another branch is devoted to the creat-
ing of a modern army. the steps of
growth going on from wear TO year. ana
a third deals with education and the
gradual organization of system OF
schools which will make IL compulsory.
II is the same with the changes TO be
made in revenues and taxation. Every
thing is gradual. and in the end China
will be as far advanced AS Japan today
s.d will have all the government ed-
vantages Of other nations.
Take. for instance, the plan laid out
10. tie new school system Tire year
i:US was largely devoted TO the compost
ION OF easy text books along modern
lines This year the text books are being
published, and the laws have gone forth
that they must be used In all schools.
At the same time modern schools are
being started in all the large cities. Next
wear the same program Ia To Dc PuSiict'
and by 1872 it is expected there will be
a public school in every. village and
market town. Today the propo; ton or
Chinese who can read and write is eX-
ceedingiy low. The nation is not an edu.
Gated one. as many suppose, and l doubt
whether ten men in one thousand can
read and write. BY 1919. those who have
Investigated the matter say. one In
every hundred should be able to read. and
during the following year. If the school
scheme is carried out. one in every NIFTY
should be able to both read and write.
while at the close OF the nine years. when
the first members Of parliament are elect
ed. the proportion OF nterac! should DC
about one to twenty.
The new schools will practically create
a new language for China and new
system of phonetic writing. Schools are
now being organized by the thousahds.
and there are tens OF thousands OF the
old Chinese professors who are hitting
themselves to become modern teachers.
At the time the edict was sent forth zen
Thousand went to Japan and spent about
six months there fitting themselves for
the new education. The most OF these
nave returned but there are at present
something like 5000 Chinese studying In
Japan, and there will soon be in the
neighborhood of one thousand studying
in America.
II is a wonderful evidence OF the good
citizenship of the Chinese that the IN
PRODUCTION of schools and the aboh-
ton OF the old examination system have
bssn made without causing a revolution.
such a change would have created war
in almost any other country. necessitat-
ing as i, did the loss OF jobs by thou
sands of the old tutors and the making Of
heir classical education Of no value.
TIE new constitution is rigid as 10 the
qualifications of voters. All elections are
to be BY ballot and a plurality shall elect.
All voters must reside I'm the district for
more than one year. They must be able
to read and write. and must have their
family recoros unbemished. The fran
chise IL not given TO men Of bad char