Semi-weekly herald., 1912-07-01
THE REFORM MOVEMENT IN
CHINA.


The present is time of worldwide
political unrest. No country is i'm
mune. Even those nations which seem
ed to be hopelessly dormant if no.
already dead are affected by the same
irresisti le spirit of change which /,
working such mighty transformation
evel ywhere.
1t is but few years since the
Young Turk party suddenly gained
control of the government and lost n,
time in Transforming the old Otto
man empire into a constitutional mon
archy.
Persia followed closely after; and a
despotic shah was forcefully depostd
and the reins of government put into
the hands of lad of twelve whose
authority is merely nominal.
Portugal, almost in a single night.
drove out her king and took her place
among the republics.
All the European powers are fac
ing the problem of discomfort amCmg,<
the masses in more or less acute
stage.
The things which have been done by
the present government of Great Rrit-
ian by way of concession t. The popt.-
lar demands would have been con-
sidered revolutionary only a few years
ago.
Here in our own country we can
not be blind to the fact that the forces
that stand for the old ideas of gov
ernment, and the forces which demand
a different standard of public service,
are lining up for battle. What the
result will be, or how soon it will
be accomplished, no one is able to
foretell.
In view of all that has been taking
place elsewhere, it ought not to have
surprised the world 30 much when
even slow-going old China suddenly
fell in line, and in few short months
and with compara.i5e : little blood
shed, overthrow the worthless old
Manchu dynasty and brought forth a
brand new reput'>s ~.
But it is so - se anH We that
China ever did,Ss4 ? reop.n-
DRY of mo - es1
cainot 20.
not believSllMOChina H.
her effort to take her place d.
the modern nations.
In order to the better comprehen-
sion of the startling transformation
that has taken place in China, it is
necessary to review briefly her ma
tional history for the last eighteen
years or so. In the year 1894 China
went to war with Japan over the con-
trol of Korea. The Chinese fro n time
immemorial had despised the Japs
whom they call dwarfs. When, .here-
fore, the emperor of China, after a
few months of pitiful struggle against
Japan's modern army and powerful
navy, was compelled to send his en-.
voy to the island empire to sue for
peace, and eventually paid heavy
indemnity in order to secure it, the
thinking part of his people was
nightly impressed with the fact that
something was radically wrong with
the government of their land. 1t was
the very next year, 1895, that a com.
pany of patriotic young statesmen in
the capital organized reform move
ment which set for itself the task
of reforming the government from tie
inside, as 1T were. In remarkably
short time they had won over TIE
young emperor to their cause and It.
form edicts began to pour forth fro il
Pekin with startling rapidity.
| The older statesmen saw in tiis
rapid transformation of the govern
ment, the end of their regime of cor
ruption and profitable exploitation If
the public funds. They were not to
be downed without struggle. 1t was
an easy matter for them to p.t-
suade the old empress dowager thit
the government would rush madly nn
to anarchy unless she came forth fro n
her retirement and took control uf
affairs. A false move on the part If
the young emperor gave the neeu. d
opportunity, and by a skilful coup de
tat the emperor was arrested and
practically dethroned, while the re-
formers had to flee for their lives.
AS many as could be captured WEE
Summarily decapitated. Among tho e
VINO escaped were Liang Chi .chia g,
kang Yu-wei and Sun Yat-sen, waD
were later to have a great part III
the educational propaganda which =
suited in the transformation of the
empire.
The period of reaction which n q
set IN lasted for little over two yea !
and was characterized by a revers
OF all the reform edicts that had be 1
issued. But things did not go We
Smnnthlu A