Berore the late war between China and Japan, a number of far-seeing and patriotic statesmen, nobles, and scholars of Japan founded an " Oriental Association" with the. view of drawing together in the bonds of; friendship the three Asiatic empires of-China, Japan, and 'Corea. That it was intended to be literary rather than' political is shown by ita designation in Chinese, the literal translation of which is "The East Asian Similar Literature Association." That the three empires have their written language and their best literature in common, of course made the work of easy. From the time of its foundation, numerous articles and essays were written by well-known Japanese littératewrs and disseminated among the officials and literati of the three empires, but principally of China, urging the desirability of getting the best and most advanced men of the Chinese-speaking races to work together for the mutual advantage and union of their respective countries, "the sole remnants of the many ancient independent kingdoms of north-eastern Asia." These paper messengers were intended to prepare the way for the visit of the advance couriers and agents of the association, who were to inaugurate branches wherever they found the conditions favourable. "The war in which the three empires were unfortunately involved five years ago came near proving fatal to the aspirations of the association; but the check to its fortunes turned out to be only temporary. Neither China nor Japan came so triumphantly out of the war that either of them could crow over the other; they found themselves, as Japan was warned before the war began, with the shells, while a third Power gathered in the oyster. While China "and Japan became thus brothers in disappointment, as far as material results from the war were concerned, China had in addition a load of disgrace and contempt to shoulder; and realising this, a number of enthusiastic members of the new Chinese Reform party cast away vain regret, and concentrating their energies on the elevation of their country, gladly joined the association, hoping thus to promote the closer union of the two countries, realising at the same time that the real hope for China lies in the friendship and aid of her recent enemy. Had the Emperor Kuang Hsii been allowed to carry out his earnest and noble intention to reform the government of China, the East Asian Association would have been a valuable instrument in his hands, and it would have drawn into its ranks the best blood of young China, and been a most efficient lever for the overthrow of the ignorance and prejudice which keep China from recovering her proper position in Asia.
The Empress Dowager's cowp @éat, undertaken on the advice of the most ignorant and narrow-minded of the Peking courtiers, involving as it did the death or banishment of the most prominent and hopeful members of the Reform party, checked the work of the association once more, and nearly extinguished the chance of a friendly union between China and/ Japan. But the Empress Dowager herself, frightened by the spectre of. partition and the sound of the feet of the approaching, though still distant, hordes of Russia, has herself: turned to Japan for assistance, and' the association so. much the' mioré this has put new life into the as- (3) alt. vimy-900 217 sociation. The propaganda has been recommenced, and branch associations are being established in the treaty ports and other large towns in the Yangtze Valley, the object of the association being still the union for the preservation of their independence of the three empires. The special mission sent to Japan by the Empress Dowager has given decided encouragement to this movement, whose importance is not, perhaps, sufficiently appreciated. Of these branches, the leaders and officers are ostensibly Japanese, who are scattered all over the country for this special purpose. The unrepealed decree of the Empress Dowager shortly after the coup d'état threatening the penalties of high treason on all members of clubs, societies, and associations, makes it inexpedient for the young Chinese reformers to let their names oppeat with any prominence on the rolls of these branches. The movement is nevertheless growing and spreading, for it is attractive and inspiring to the educated young Chinese, and promises nothing but good tv the three empires concerned; and we may trust the Japanese members of the association to keep their Chinese fellows up to the mark, if the latter show any signs of weariness or indifference.
The following are the three points of the charter of the association: (1) To work for the closer union and the preservation of the independence of the three empires of China, Japan, and Corea. (2) To educate and enlighten the peoples of the three empires, encouraging and forwarding men of talent and genius, and directing their energies towards the mutual benefit and advantage of the three countries. (3) To work earnestly for the'elevation of the three empires to the highest. plane of Western civilisation and culture, and to mutually aid in strengthening and enriching one another. This is a programme with which, ambitious and extensive as it is, we cannot but sympathise; and perhaps the constitutional unwillingness of the Chinese to use strong measures in their endeavours to effect reforms may be usefully modified by the greater vigour and enterprise of their Japanese fellow-members. As to Corea, we may leave Japan to look after that empire since Russia threw up the sponge at Seoul.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.