The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1919-10-23
STUDENTS CALL
NATION STRIKE.
Form Patriotic soclety-C|ose
Shops and Banks to Gam
Patriotic Demands.
GOVERNMENT ALLOWS POINTS
MIs, Harriet Smith, Y. VIC A. esu''"'
Secretary In China, Relates A'''az'
Ina Story Of How 10000 Stu
dents Organized Themselves
GOVERNMENT ALLOWS POINTS
Nv sERNlcE eRlsWoLD.

Miss Harriet Smith, for ten years b
student secretary Of the Young Wom'
ems Christian Association In Shangnal,
China, relates the amazing story OF
how 10000 Chinese students organized
themselves to Dust the mllitarlsts from
Government offices In Picking and now
they succeeded in becoming the iseo'
ers of China.
Fearing that China was not to Dc
protected from the aggression Of other
nations by the Peace Treaty, as shs
had expected to be, some 10000 stu.
dents, all of them between tho ages OF
twelve and twenty-one years and IN
Guiding 5000 girls organized them
selves into the Chinese Students "a
trlotic Society Immediately after the
publication Of the first draft OF the
Peace Treaty to fight for Chinese
rights.
Their first mcye was to strike from
school or, rather, from lectures, as
they remained in their respective
schools and spent so many hours daily
In private study. They then organized
into bands for getting out propaganda
literature and for public speaking 10
the country and small towns and in the
ten shops in poorer districts OF tho
cities in order that they might reach
! the vast numbers Of people who could
| not read,
Immediately upon organizing, the
students published their demands, four
In number; (1) that the militarists,
who as a party were pro'Japanese and
practically controlled the Government
| at peking, be put out Of Office; (2) that
shaBtuag be returned to China; 90
that the twenty,ope demands made by
japan in 1915 be cancelled; "a that
there be freedom Of speech and OF the
,ress. They also insisted that the
| Chinese constitution be finished.
An immense amount Of literature
was put out, much Of 1t In the ne"
phonetic script which is being launch
ed in China, 40 that the uneducated
classes might learn what was happen
Ing. Students lectured everywhere or
the demands, stirring the people to pa
triotisnl. When many Of them were
arrested while paradlng In the streets
Of Picking they formed an Association
Of Imprisoned Students within thu
prison and refused to be released, pick
citing the stockade themselves wael
Government guards were taken away
until the Government submitted
! proper apology for having imprisoned
them in the beginning.
When 1t became evident that eco
ionic pressure was all that would b
effective both the bankers and mer
. chants guilds were called upl1 to bac]
o the students. I'm less than tw'
, hours" Miss Smith said, 1.-THE shutter
; were up at every shop In that grea
; city Of Shanghai, where telephones ar
few and communication difficult
Every shop, whether large or small
was closed. The laboring people, fee
S Ing az patriotic as the bankers, mel
d chants and students, also Joined tn
d general strike. For week everythin
8 was clOsed-sh0pS, money exchange:
. fish markets, shipping, everything
The students struggled to keep publ
u utilities running. The telephone ser'
q Ice was stopped for a short time, bu
d the students soon had 1t running AGAR
ri They held meetings day aud night, tr!