CHINA AWAKE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 11

CHINA AWAKE.

"r ' :7. ' ' V • NEW ED'JOATIONAL INFLUENCES. ■':.'/ A MISSIONARY'S STORY. : ' The Rev. T. Howard Smith, who has / been- working in Peking for the past ten : - : years under th 6 London Missionary. Socioty, ' ; - ar'rivcfl. in' Wellington via Sydney yesterday ■ */> : . oii furlough. .After spending a few days in this city; ho will make a tour of . the Do- . minion and Commonwealth. ; In an interview yoStordayMr, Smith gave an interesting acoount •of tho > startling ■- developments that • have' taken placo in China during the last .- few. years. ' "•Wonderful changcs •-•haro-°. occurred;"- --ho • said;. evon tho wildest dreams. I ; One Sould never >havo credited, seven years ago;-;that ;the things which aro now -happen-. ing:in;'Chma could como to pass. ■ A great ■ part/of/tho then hermetically '.sealed .it-is ■ open from* ond to: end, and there are endless opportunities for -missionary work."

v . A Hosl.of Schools. ■ - The education movement which has been - inaugurated, and is being carried out by the . Govornment. was referred to by Mr. Smith as?oiio aspect -of -tho silent revolution. Primary: and secondary schools.are being ,cstabi lished-.'in.i nearly- iovery town. ■ and- village, • when?,'-European appliances are .- used and /EuroJeari'T subjcctsV, taught/,'. High rsehcojs v have 1 -been 1 ' established m-tho-larger, centres, ' andv.,tKo : -iChih'c6o.' Imperial,' pniversity " in Peking-,lias been placed on a 'new -arid' more . satisfactory basis, with a' staff composed of; . foreign -professgrs, and Chineeo professors wliohavqbecn educated abroad. ' Mr. Smith; thinks' UiSt the-.acutbj sense!;of their: weak-. ' ness.f which was bm;ne, in upon tho ' Chinese alked: armies : occupic-d' Peking,' arid camped under 1 tho-vbrv;walls of tho lmpenal Palace, is rcBponsibft.- for tlie new awakening. . The ' . -to ' preserve possible; and they r.afo>ahxi6us:':to,-,incre4so'-their strength by AVktern methods, in order that th-ey may ' ,i:. : be"abl6 v tb'ipi'otect'thfeir Rationality against ■ possible Westorn aggression. Tho-.reaoubt-lias, changed her altit\)de completely on thew--matters.. and bns .hofselfl-issviedlsorae of the very edicts whoso ' . ohh6uncsment .by : the Emperor ; a- tev,- years . caused her to banish. Lnn from. Ills ' by 'the through tho-faraous: siege of Peking in 1000,- nhen, allj;tho'Europeans- m'-tho; capital, wero ,rei ported toihavo been cruelly massacred. W' 'V» . " > "China for tho Chinese." ■ vThe' watchword, :■'? China for the Chinese," •v' which' was;-emphasised, a .few - years ago ;by • ■ th 6' - boyefttt of - American goods,, -actuated : moro recently the:great:opposition which ,wa3 riii&ed tril.tije 'coristruotion,. ■by 'Ariglo-Chiriese ■ and German- syndicates, , of a new railv. ay . : from Tientsin to tho Yangtze Valley. \ The out- : '.. cify-jrwas ;,in" preventing, tho /grant-, ■ rat 'of 'a full .concession to .the foreigners, ' ■ ana all- that 1 the. syndicates will do now is to.vlond tho money for, the -railway, ■ whoso . i - construction and control afe botll to bo mi the hand* • of• -tho .Chinete • themselves, v • :.!At.tho -timo- there, are -something - like 2Oo:Cmneso- newspapers, and China has ■ onii/louriial which is '.possibly/.unique.m the worlii^a-'.daily-papor, containing foreign and other-sintelligonco, which ■ is ■ printed specially i for;women:- The position of women-in China . is/;gehcrally degraded, but li Peking, there We a; number i of Manchn and women who. can. read: a- : this : paper, is • printed -in simple Mandarin, for their'benefit. . Jloreover, it has an increasing circula-. -' tion.-: Another .Chinese: paper is very,- ably . edited .ibj t a -,Chinese' lady of foreign educa- . tion-| who i writes • articles against foot-bind-iilg, l vopium-sm6lnng,"' and/ • evils., 'In ; some-■'of;-their, oliiipels tho missionaries ox- - plairfi-,tho» contents': of the-newspapers, to tho - people; and tho Government .has; opened pub- ■. lie -.halls. for tho same purpose'. ■. -Tli'o Em- . - press • Dowager -and . some, of:- the' ducal ' fanlllles have established schools for Chincso women and -(girls, at - .which Western subjectStjsuoh'v -, -physical' drill,• aro ■ taught;-;'AOhi) of the .'coil-', \. Editions': of-* entrance -is itha'fci if -'the 'girl's'feet' , are.'bound. she must unbind; them.' V;

■ New-Missionary Outlook.■','// .The' :work';';of:'the.ii^^ s formerly Strictly tabooed, has advanced m a J' • ; ;':' remaiffeabl6 . manlier, Viii: spitq of Vthe■- disabilitleß from! which-it has'had to suffeiv :.To-dav-Mr/.';SmitH; : suppose3(that thero;is, hot 4 a:'fielc) : ;/in'sdnjp-.-pajrt l "of {.Chinid'. in which .there;are> not ; unique opportunities for a 'groat extension - of/-tho. work. In Poking, the street prcachv. ing ■ chapels, - which are open from iioon'till . 5; generally. croVded \with listeners < dynng'those hours. The attitudo of:the:offi- , cialV'towards; tho; missionaries/has.improved' coilaidotably, since an. Imperial edict was pro-. ."; mulgated that the well-being or.tho foreigner; : is "to'/bo .safe-guarded,: and many of: tho: .-. official,class aro «most cordial in their <Jcal/v . ings'with;the mission-workers. v . • • of r,co-operation- :• in mission ' wolk, Mr. Smith states, has been developed immensely. In Poking the London Mission-' ■; ary;>S^iii^ty,( : thcwAiiglican Society for tho :■/ Propq£;l,tiort< • of/-tho-. Gospel, the American .Board -of: Missions, American Presbyterians; 'ahdjAmei'icahrMethodists'ard all working in :.-. complete unison, and under a scheme which ;prevM.ts.;cbverlappin£^7Among ~ them , college;' .■ / l iarid' an ; arts' college .' in .Peking, and s jin arts /, college-in. Tungchow. :It was probably her Kuonledge.iof the.excellent medical work car-' , , ried on for 40 years" by, tli6;Londori Missionary Society .'.which .induced tho 'D'owagei 1 Em- .-. /press to contribute about £1500 towards tlio . cstabljslinient : of tho i College' /' J 1 ?. ?.?^' n ß> -snd app'Mifc a. specialiropresentat'jo to. open th's institution on her behalf. - ohe-has also gnlnted a 'privilege not enjoyed ■; --.other establishment ; in. , - - is--not piirelv Chinese,' iii , according .Goyernmciit. recognition to the do- ,/ preeS;-of. th 6 ..missionary, colleges. iThe ' in-" - flueHc9 :.of these' institution's; is'-, likely /to -, be ,1 /especially ; valuable -..in', counteracting -tho - -V'-stfiong •• rationalistic .tendency which. is' now Strongly 'eyident\ in Cliina, and which is ■ cn- : ■ couraged by the Japanese. Attitudo to Japan. , regards : ;iho.'present' attitude-of.China' / . Jiip.l n, r. Smith-states.that tho Chinese iv--.''-'to take all that-their-island'-neighbours-call give: them, but:they are not / . . without Suspicion of 'the Japanese. ' There ■ . i ar e«aboutSls,000 'Chinese students' in Tokio at! ; the, present time, and a great' many, of these are; gaining; revolutionary; ideaa : of-an : anttj-dynastic. character.::.. These- ideas have beoh;sproad by, Chinese students who.havo . returned; ! frOm ./Japdnjiihd : have boon the - cause of somo anxiety to' the Chinese authori- . ti(»S,\who ftre .distrustful of too ;largo"an: in- ... crease ,of Japanese influence.