13th May. Tue efforts of the statesmen of China are persistently directed to one great aim—to render' China independent of foreign countries, to clothe and feed her with the products of her own soil, and to find what metals, coal and oil she needs in her own mines and her own wells. When the opium was a moral- question in the'old Tao Kuang days, it was at the same time a financial question. Yo the eye-of the statesmen of that time: the-evil of opium smoking was twofold, moral and financial. Opiim mines thio moral character and does away with the. bread-winning efficiency of the smoker. The: practice of opium might be Viceroy Li's future successor smoking, spread as it will, spreads by imitation and social temptation; China tried. to check it and failed: But she might check the leaking out of silver and this was the reason that the stateshbas|men of China decided to allow the spread of poppy cultivation in so many of the provinces. The question has in China become almost entirely a financial question, China can grow own opium. For her to do this will free her from a tribute of silver to India now amounting to £3,000,000 each year. The Chinese writer of a lender in one of the more popular newspapers reasons about it in this way. Five million pounds in a year jis fifty million pounds in ten years, Since the slavery of this habit was upon us we have been losing money at this rate, Such a state of things is most alarming. We shall be bankrupt unless we grow our own opium and that we will do. In this way China resigns herself to the opium dream and thinks she is patriotic to do so, because she keeps silver from going to India. Chinese statesmen are not thinking about stopping the native production of opium; they have accepted the fact that the abandonment of opium smoking is not to be secured by legal enactment, and they quietly leave the work of curing opium smokers to local and philanthropic agency. hey have so much to do otherwise that this branch of agency they are not likely to undertake. They will thankfully accept help from all charitable people who cure the opium smoker of his habit, but the government is not ready to take the initiative in this benevolent task. There are some things, however, that they will do, hey will continue to bar the mandarinate as far as possible from the intrusion of too many opium smokers. 'I'he habit is under ban and will continue so. It is an argument in favour of the Christian Missions now established in so many places that the cure of opium smoking and all branches of medical work are so extensively carried on by them. Chinese statesmen are not blind to the benefits they detive from the presence of the missionaries. 'I'his has been shown recently ina graceful act of the Viceroy of Hukuang. Learning that the Rev. W. 1. A. Barber, who had been for eight years engaged in educational work a mile from his own door in the provincial capital, was returning to England, he sent a message of friendly inquiry and wished to know in what way he could assist in carrying out the objects of the school. This was the first time that he had taken any notice of Mr. Barber's efforts. This example shows how patient Jabour in promoting truth, justice, and charity with the diffusion of useful knowledge will be appreciated at last.
"Who Viceroy is representative man and a strong Confucianist, He has studied the foreign question long and deeply. If he were not a Child man he at Tientsin, -Asit is, he is a necessary man to the government and can scarcely cease to be a Viceroy for many years to come and probably for a long time after Viceroy Li has in the course of 1iature passed away. When to this is added the fact that recently by a decisive act he has stopped the issue of the obnoxious Hunan publications in the city of Changsha, it gives us the opportunity to know that while he has all along been patriotic, he is now becoming wise. In future he will be more friendly in his tone to missionaries. He sees that this is the proper course for him to pursue, but he will probably always be stiff according to the natural habit of his mind. Some will say that he only does what he is forced to do. Be it so; but what forces him? Is it 1 distinct order from Peking only? Or is it the fact that he allows himself to take more correct views of the situation? He has guaged the power of the anti-Christian feeling and has come to the conclusion that the Peking policy as enunciated in the edict of last June can be carried out with safety. If the /iterati are recalcitrant Viceroy Chang will coerce them -and not fear the consequences, The rowdy section of the literati have no newspaper organ, 'I'he native newspapers support the government policy and will continue to do so. The officials at the various points where insurrections of anti-missionary character may occur are more on their watch than last year. It does not seem possible for any great harm to be done by sudden anarchy. If violent acts should be unexpectedly committed the Viceroys are at one in their view that a strong-handed policy is the right one, Phe evils arising from popular ignorance cannot readily be removed. Such reform in local administration and such progress in popular enlightenment as would render anti-missionary riots impossible must be the work of time. But it is satisfactory to know that the policy of Peking is becoming slowly in this matter the policy of the provinces. We do not see why our friends at home should not now quiet their fears regarding' the personal safety of the foreigners resident in China.
The position of the missions has become perceptibly stronger than it was before the edict of last June, The antimissionary feeling belongs to men of the rowdy class, and their power in the State is visibly diminished by the very riots which they did so much to excite.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.