Amid.all that is being thought and written about the " Awakening of China," and conscious of the imperative need for reform, it is instructive to remind ourselves of the closing sentences of Marquis Tséng's article on "China: the Sleep and the Awakening," published in a London review about twelve years ago. In summing up the Marquis said: "In her efforts to eliminate from the treaties such articles as impede her development and wound her just susceptibilities, without conferring on the other contracting powers any real advantages, China will surely and leisurely proceed to diplomatic action. The world is not so near its end that she need hurry, nor the circles of the sun so nearly done that she will not have time to play the role assigned to her in the work of nations!" Many friends of China, on
several phrases (such, for instance, as those the appearance of the article, and in spite of we have taken the liberty of papers] were encouraged by the tone of the article to expect a new order of things. One of these friends is the Rev. Dr. Muirhead, who opens the June Recorder with an article on The Awakening of China." He appro-datively refers to the utterances of the late Marquis, and is cordially sympathetic with the strenuous efforts put forth by scholars, others for the uplifting of China, But he diplomatists, journalists, merchants, and
is careful to indicate the standpoint from which he considers the subject. Our aim," he says, "though on the same lines of awakening and progress in the case of China and the Chinese, has a far higher and grander idea than such as we have indicated. These varied efforts may or inay not assist in the attainment of it, but certain we are that in its realisation in any degree, they cannot fail to be assisted in securing whatever wise and benevolent objects they have, in view. Only we lay it down in the plainest and most decided terms that the awakening we contemplate is of the highest and noblest kind—spiritual, religious, divine—in reference to life and character, worship and service, that have to do with the best interests and sublimest duty of all this great nation. It directly concerns God, His being, perfections, and will in relation to men and their knowledge of him and their obedience to him. Their awakening toa consideration of this state of things is the idea before us, and nothing else and nothing short of it is the end we look forward to."
The body of the paper is taken up with a consideration of the Missionary requisite: faith, prayer, and work. Such a paper is valuable and stimulating as coming from a faithful veteran—full of works as well.
In "Some Phases of Religious Development" by the Rev. J. M. Foster we hear more of the clan and village fights in the district of which Swatow is the business centre. At first we felt as if our attention had been directed too frequently to this
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.