New-York tribune., 1909-10-24
THE 1ROUSING OF CHINA.
Government 4dheres to Programme
of National Progress and Unity.

Recent occurrences in the Far East die '
tional evidences of the unmlstaKapie i'0'
Cbina,s awakening few days ago dlspatch
not above dozen lines in length announce 'i''
nortentous news that an imperial edict had been
issued recognizing provincial assempiles l"e'e
assemblies viii select the men to make up the
immortal assembly which is to draft consttu-
tion for the most popuIous empire in the world
They represent the beginning of actual ropuid'
rula The care which the United states is TAX
ing in selecting representative Tor the ol"o-
matte post at Picking is another eVldehce ol INC
growing importance of the part which lhe
Celestial Empire is playing in the world. me
construction of railroads in every part Of the
great empire was freshly rought to NINA py
the japanese attitude toward the Brlush-
American railroad projected from Chh ChoW IT,
on the Gulf of Liao-tung across Mongolia to
Tsitsihar and the disclosure made In connection
with the retirement of MIR Crane from the
Chinese post that the United States was study
ing this attitude in order to determine its effect
upon the policy of the open door" for China
The Boxer rebellion awoke the sleeping giant
to the fact that the rest of the world could not
be kept out and that il was absolutely necessary
to join the procession of modern civilization IN
order to maintain national existence. 1he bare
mention of the steps which have been taken
toward the social revolution of perhaps the
most indiviGualistic of the races of the globe
comprises q tale of reconstruction whose meaning
can hardly be srasIed. one of the hfsl STEPS
taken was that of the dispatch three or tour
wears ago Of the imperial travelling commits
sioners to other countries to study the political,
social. educational and Industrial conditions of
the great nations of the Occident. From the
date of the return of that commission bursting
it,f,~ ti,n sta 4Ttl
been introduced
The best evidence of the success of a social
evolution is the attitude of the common people
the race with other nations can be run better in
clothes built TO fit" China contemplates max
ing a great hole in the worlds costume show by
putting her citizens into European garb. Al
ready hundreds of thousands of Chinese wear
the garments of the Occident, and it is not i'm
proper to appear at court IN this costume. The
army uniform is European in design, the only
removable Chinese characteristic retained being
the pigtaiI. This the private soldier is expected
TO wear curled up under his cap while the Off
Ger is permitted to wear it hanging down his
back The appearance of the officers to @ cci-
dental eyes therefore, is rather curious.
The Chinese proVerb, Good iron should not
J used to make nails nor good men TO make
Aldiers,' has fallen into disuse Fifty years
lgo European forces invading China were Op-
9osed by troops armed with long bamboo poles,
wooden shields and grOtesque masks intended
, inspire terror in the breasts of the invaders
The masks did not appear to trouble the Euro
peans 1t is all changed now. In 1908 the
armed forces Of China consisted Of about $4,000
,ombatants, with $50 field guns. One hundred
and twenty thousand regular soldiers, $4,000
police and 10000 Mongoan cavalry were armed
ma trained to take the field against modern
army The equipment of the army includes OBJ
Jervation balloons and wireless te!egraphs. Ac-
FOrdng to the military programme which has
been mapped out, in 1913 the organization of the
regular army will be completed and will num-
ber 400 0G0 men. In 1920 it is expected that the
organization of the reserves will be completed
and bring the total to 1,1S5,000. Army ma
n9uyres are held, and practical engineering,