The sun., 1909-12-09
The Awakening Of China.


No evolution in the world to-day is
more interesting or has greater sig
nificance for Europe and America than
the elaborate movement in China to
build a modern nation out OF her four
hundred million people, whose territory
Of 3,lis, ,4oI square miles is separated by
less then 300 miles OF sea from progress
sive Japan and extends on the north to
the Russian frontier and on the south
west TO the British possessions in India.
The time for the partition Of China
is past. BY the general consent Of
other nations she is to be allowed to
work out her destiny in her own way.
The new condition and the rich oppor-
tunity she owes in a double sense to
Japan: first through the national humil-
iation inflicted upon her in one brief
and disastrous war. and again through
the guarantees that resulted from the
humiliation Of Russia in the greatest
war Of modern times.
Professor PAUL 3. REINscH i'm an
article in the December Atlantic Monthly
entitled a Parliament for China de-
scribes the process by which the ma
tional spirit stirring in the country is
to be made effective to deyeiop its re-
aggression. From one end of China
to the other the cry is for a representa-
tive legislative body and a strong CEN
tral government. The difficulties in
the way Of realization are enormous.
The greatest OF them is the illiteracy
Of the vast majority Of the people;
they must be taught to read before
they can understand the elementary
principles Of representative govern
ment. Universal suffrage is out of the
question for the present, although the
radicals demand it, OF almost equal
importance is the training Of the edu-
Gated Chinese in the principles Of con-
stitutional government. A perplexing
problem is the merging of the prescrip-
tive rights OF the unpopular Manchu
dynasty in tho plan for representative
government.
The last three years. according 70
Professor REINsCH, have been full Of
nervous action and reaction II must
be understood that the Chinese people
are nightly in earnest about their essay
in nation building. After the war with
Japan national humiliation societies =
were formed, in which even the women
were prominent-they gave up the
wearing Of rings except one symbolic C
OF the abasement of China. The issue
Of tho Rnsso-Japanese war caused a
different feeling; one composite of
exultation in the triumph Of an Asiatic
race and Of confidence in the capac-
ity Of the Chinese people to take their
place among the great Powers of the
earth as Japan had done although
small in territory and limited in popu-
lation. On September !, 1908, a decree
had been, promulgated in favor OF a
constitution. In 1907 provision was
made for Central Council Of Constitu-
tional Study, composed of the Manchu
Prince PULUN. q high Chinese official,
and other leading men, to become by a
system Of appointments the upper
house of parliament.
On August ~. 1908, the Government,
under advice Of this council, decreed
the granting OF a constitution in 1917.
In the meantime various reforms in self
government in the provinces, with
particular reference TO methods Of taxa
ton and to civil. criminal and CONNER
cial codes, are being p omoted, with the
design that when the first Chinese par
lament meets order will already have
been brought out OF chaos. Special at
tention is to be given to public educa-
ton to the end that one-half the people
OF China shall be able to read and write
when the first national election takes
place. Already elections for provincial
councils have been held, public officials
and property holders participating.
sThe very fact, says Professor REINscTi,
that the principle Of elective represen-
tation has thus been introduced into
Chinese political life in quiet and or
deriy manner is of supreme importance.
The constitutions of England. the United
States, Germany and Austria are being
carefully studied. The appointment OF
YANG TAU. a follower OF the original re-
tCEiisCI SNhNO NJ "hls W hiC Nuhu Shtiik
Yuan, as the formative council is called,
is proof of the good faith of the dynasty
which must yield to modern ideas or
suffer banishmept. At the present
time the German Constitution is highly
regarded because it reconciles the pop
ular element in the State with the de-
mands Of a powerful central admins
tratiOn.
Clear headed leaders in the great
movement of naturalization have no
illusions. They realize that difficult az
the task of creating a parliament is, it
will be only a beginning Of the greater
problem of uniting the eighteen prov
inces in a system of administration that
will rule the empire wisely, and without
corruption, and provide for the national
defence on an adequate scale. They
understand that in the interval Of prep
aration a revolution or a foreign war
would bring down their ambitious plan