The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-20

Director Of the Division of Public
Anafrs. New York University,
and of the Far Eastern bureau.
TIF-TEEN years age those Amert-
r. cans or Europeans most con-
L versant with conditions in
China would have smiled at
tho notion OF China a republic. That
was the Boxer year. From the brief,
bright nash of hope which stgnalled
the reform movement Of two years
before, the pendulum had swung back
and reaction. antiDathy n antagon-
ism to the foreign devil (fan kuei)
characterized the conduct Of most OF
the leading officials.
The foreigner. and particularly the
American, still had friends, good
friends. strong friends, heroic friends
In China. There was. for instance. the
growing body OF patriotic, progressive
scholars in Canton and several of the
! other centres IN the south where the
ideas Of the West seemed TO rave Sc
cured a real. permanent grip; the gal
liant Chinese Christians who gave their
lives willingly for the faith that was
n them.
There was the fearless, candid, sin
gle minded, generous hearted viceroy
Of Nankin G!u K'un-yD; there was
;he viceroy Of Shantung, who now sits,
the uncrowned leader of the people,
helmsman OF New China, n the For
hidden City OF the Manchus a, Pekin.
Yuan Shih-k'ai. And 1t Is true that
the official records have disclosed that
a, heart the old Empress Dowager,
Tzu Hs.. was well enough disposed tow
ard foreigners. largely because OF the
influence OF Yuan's blood brother and
her own faithful scrvitor and friend
from the stirring days OF the flight TO
Jehol On 1860, Jung Lu.
But these historic ~personages and
these friendly feelings oward the ever
intruding barbarian" did not repre-
sent the attitude Of official China. II
is idle to deny that the general atti-
Aih' va if'' 'N' ~ AN'N
tionary, seclusive: that Prince Tuan
and kang Y, the grand secretary,
were the mon of the moment; that the
very name Christian" foreigner
was anathema.
Even Prince Ching. well meaning
though ~.rresolute, made friends OF the
"fsts of righteous harmony" while In
wardly he despiscd them. The ne OF
a,.,rN ,r,-Far.tgp F4fr minded iDnnlr
tial official was In danger. In June,
Just before the crisis. kang yrs
brother-in-law. the veteran official
md former imperial tutor. Ching shan,
wrote In his diary:
by common report Yuan Sh!h-k'li
has now become a convert to Chris
tianity II he too were TO suppress the
movement in Shantung not death It.
SET could eNplate his guilt"
That was Just fifteen years ago
Yuan. who had already rssked hts
life to save the Manchu throne. now
riskcd IL again TO save tho foreigner
and the Christian. lie sent the mes.
sage TO John Hay which brought the
troops to Pekin and liberated those i'm.
pr.soned in he legations.
Fifteen years is but "A bands breadth
n time in the history of a nation. II
Is the merest fraction Of time in the
history of the world. Yet, during thai
fifteen years. from the end o. which
we now look back upon the dark days
OF the Boxer enace what a change
has come over China for China anC
for tho world!
Those WHO know China best. far
ron being impatient at obstacles
which occasionally retard progress
marvel at her wonderful capacity &c
change her IDEAS, to change her ways
to adjust herself with a celebrity rarely
II ever equAlled, much less excelled.
China, by some regarded as an eS-
=, ample OF acute conservatism, is as q
matter of fact the worlds most con
. spicuous illustration OF rapid progress
n along prudent lines. For China to-
day is a republic, And her republi-
, Canism Is real.
] do not pretend that China is yet q
completed Safeguarding democracy
= She is not. No Chinese would make
that assertion. No American familiar
with recent vents and present condi'
!, lions in China advocates complet,
p popular control OF Government affairs
until the way has been properly pre-
. pared, The way is now being pre-
, pared.
u \ distinguished American authority
on government, President Franz
II Goodnow of Johns Hopkins Univer
sity, helped to write China's new con
" stitut!on. Serious. deliberate, pruden
& efforts are now being made TO app.
l this organic law SO that China may
as rapidly as the circumstances vii
II permit, take her place among the mos
d progressive self-govern!ng Common
y wealths Of the globe.
! And the most encouraging featur
IS of present political conditions in Chin
is the national spirit which now per
vades China. Until the fall of tn,
k Manchus IN 1917 China had continues
d for centuries as a house divide,
70 against itself. Whether It was a Mo