The Report. of this Society—its tenth annual report—for the year ending the St of October last forms a very interesting'pamphlet of some 30 pages, and we are glad: to learn that the year that has just expired has been the most successful the Society has ever had. The proofs of this success we shall come to later, on. is well worth reproduction'
16 Report opens with a paragraph whicl
One question has been in the hearts of many philanthropists during the last few years—the question: Is there any hope for China as @ nation, or not? Many have answered it in the negative and given up all hope for China as a whole. Tre corrupt tion of her officials, the ignorant: self-conceit and stubborn exclusiveness of her scholars,. the selfish materialism and sen-dualism of the masses of her people seem to them to have reached such a climax, that-a great national collapse appears to them to be inevitable, and they look upon China as upon a criminal who is doomed to suffer the severest kind of Chinese punishment, the ling-chih—ie., to be out. up into small: pieces. In opposition to this pessimistic view, there are others full' of the most sanguine hopes for China's fature. 'They' believe that China is now thorough-
she" is advancing fast in the way of pro-y aroused front her sleep of ages and that gress. Very soon, some say in four years, the railway' between Peking and Hankow will be completed, and in only a few years more a whole not of railways-will cover the land and connect all the important cities and market places; Western learning will flourish;."Chinese' professors of natural science will compete -with their European and American-colleagues in enriching the world by now' discoveries; commerce an industries will advance by leaps and bounds; prosperity-and wealth will take the place of famines and poverty amongst the peo-Pi, the idols of mad, wood, and stone will thrown away, and Christianity, the life-giving source' of modern civilisation, will be accepted with true conviction by the majority of the people, and go Chins, the new, the redeemed China, will soon be one of the leading nations of the world lew of the optimists. Our Society stands in the golden middle be- 25°. tive en these views. We neither give way to gloomy and. discouraging reflections on the corruption of China, nor do we desire to exaggerate the hopeful aspect of the present situation.
The next section is headed
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.