Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1912-10-09

world?
The days Immediately followir g
that memorable 10th of November
were one succession of exciting
almost gala-days. Thousands up
on thousands of cues vanished in
the space of two or three days. In
a weeks time not one could be
found in Canton, and by the time
we left, the middle of May, we had
grown so accustomed to seeing the
men with close-cut hair that the
sight of one with cue caused us to
call to each other to Look, see!!"
The most intense spirit of patriot
ism has developed. They are proud
of their country, with her teeming
millions and her marvellous natural
resources; proud of their new flag,
proud of beng capable of self-gov-
ernment. The military spirit, too,
has grown apace. Where few
years ago it was thought disgrace
to be soldier-and I was almost
afraid to allude to the fact that my
father had fought in the Civil War
last November and December,
fired by the news that Pekin was
still holding out against the estab-
lishment of a republic, thousands of
our young Cantonese voluteered to
go to the front, enduring the SHOWS
and ice of the frozen north for their
country. Even the women, the
Chinese women who for centur-
les had been bound by custom to
the position of menials in the home,
felt the new impulse, and large num-
bers of them took special courses
and then went as Red Cross nurses;
some went out to help raise funds
by soliciting subscriptions foc the
new and financially weak and strug-
Cling republic, while some even
donned soldiers uniforms and went
out to fight by the side of their
brothers and friends. Of this class
! knew none personally; but of the
first two CLASSES there were seme4of
our Baptist girls, nay, even some
of orr dear boarding school girls
whom you met while in Canton,
and whom you describe in the let
ter just received as being so at
tractive.
At last Pekin fell, the reception
of the news in Canton being cele-
brated by the laundering of many
cannon and the firing of frecrack-
ers and all sorts of fireworks. The
first day of January the first Presi-
dent, Sun Yat Sen, was proclaimed,
and the calendar was changed to
conform to the rest of the world.
From that time on il has generally
been regarded that the issue is safe;
and, however many ups and downs
China may have, we believe that
the great mass of her people are too
thoroughly together on this sub
ject, and there are too many level
headed, up-to-date strong men guild
ing the affairs of state, for her ever
to 60 backward from the stand she
has taken. True, the financial out
look just now is not very encourag-
ing. That, and the seltishness and
avariciousness of certain foreign
powers are her gravest problems at
this time. But by building more
railroads, opening up more mines,
planning more carefully-in other
words, by developing and conserv-
ing her own undoubtedly vast re-
sources why shouldn't China even
tually be able to take care of her
self in a financial way? AS TO self
government, we are among those
who believe she is equal to it and
ready for it.
But the thing that concerns us,
as missionaries most is what hear
ing all this has OH The spread of the
Gospel. 1t is we'll known fact
that the officials of the Manchu dy-
nasty did not simply take a mega
tive and passive attitude toward
Christianity, but did everything
they were allowed to do to prevent
the spread Of Christian truth in the
Empire. None who were known
to be Christians were allowed to
hold any, even minor, positions in
the government, and Christians
were further Disseminated against
by the requirement that all pupils
in government schools should wor-
ship the tablets of Confuclus-a
thing that it was known no con-
scientious Christian would do-so
that this was virtually the means