Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-07
THE CHINsE PRESS IN POLITICS
Reform Journals Voicing Popular
Demand for q Parliament.

FROM the Literary Digest.
The recent development OF political
sentiment in China appears principally in
two cognate circumstances, the rise OF
the popular newspaper and the agitation
for a national representative parliament,
says Fernand Farjenel in the Core
spondant Paris. While there are two
languages in China. the written literary
style and the vernacular spoken tongue,
it is only quite recently, We are told,
that the spoken tongue, used by the
common people. has been used in the
daily or periodical press. The iIliteracy
is very prevalent in the fiowery kingdom,
yet SO keenly has the propaganda been
carried on for a national assembly that
the opinions and arguments OF the re-
form party are still brought To the ears
and minds OF the populace, as Mr.. Far
jenel shows in the following passage:
Notwithstanding the vast number OF
the people incapable OF reading journal.
even when printed in the spoken lam
guage, the influence of the press is stlll
very great I'm every class of society
Every evening, in fact, throughout the
towns and villages the Chinese love 10
assemble in groups to drink tea or smoke
after the days work is over The man
of each group who is able TO read recites
To them the news and comments upon H.
1t is thus that new ideas of reform are
dissemina ted from one end of the empire
to the other. In this way the people IN
the remotest villages of Manchuria. as
in Picking, are acquainted with the latest
events and inventions of the oocident.
and listen with delight to the account OF
Wrfght's or Paulhan's aeroplane exploits
The Chinese OF today by means OF
the press participate In the general lie
of humanity.
Particularly are they interested in the
nope of a general national assembly Tor
China"
Their hope is fed by writer's in the now
extensive newspaper literature OF China,
as this writer tells us:
Those Chinese who are active in poll
tics desire the establishment OF parlia-
ment without delay. The senate, as at
present exciting, does not satisfy them.
They wish to have national assembly
which will really inaugurate a new gov
eminent. The great stir I'm public opinion
has reached climax; it is formidable
wave of enthusiasm which is breaking
upon the seats Of monarchical power. and
it's force is already felt. The change Is
serious one, favored by the rapidity OF
communication between all parts of the
empire. 1t is being enormously increased
by the extension OF the press in recent
years
The original press of China was intel
ligible only to the highly educated and
had no direct influence on those who
knew only the spoken language. This
class Of journal did not meet the needs
Of the general population" says NJ. Far
ienel, and the need suggested the foun-
dalton of a new journalism, the Pehoa,
or journals printed in the spoken YER
nacular." This new Chinese newspaper.
we are told, is very much OF the same
conjecture as that of the journals OF
Europe and America. The number OF
such publications is constantly on the
increase their circulation being from
5000 to 10000 each. In writing his ar
ticle the author had before him fifty OF
the most important journals published
at Mukden, at Picking, at Hankow, at
Tientsin, at Tchekiang, and the borders
of Mongolia
The large papers like the Chenpao or
quantity of matter equal or superior to
that of the Paris Temps. Large journals
are sold at three or four cents a copy.
the small sheets at about half that
price"