17th June, y. AT a time when much is being said concerning the burdens and misfortunes of China, it may be worth while to point out how generously she has been treated, and what an opportunity has been granted her to reform her political system and re-establish her honour with the other nations of the world. That the Foreign Powers may have been lacking in making a sure thing of reform and progress in China we confess, but none the less China has the chance—and perhaps the last chance—to do something for her own perpetuity and peace, When the Boxer uprising and the Government attack were at their height in the north in the summer of 1900, there were few indeed, foreigners or Chinese, who thought that China would be allowed to remain intact. "The end has come," was the prevailing impression, But not so. China still goes on very much x8 before. The Empress Dowager has been allowed to return to her capital without molestation or restriction; she has even been more recognized and honoured than in past years; her regency is an accepted fact. Yung Lu and the other Manchu dignitaries are in power; the Manchu dynasty has been allowed to remain. Do these men or does this dominating woman realise that all this is not only a surprise, but marvellous mag-unanimity? The Dowager's wealth is {still amply sufficient, a large part having been preserved for her rather than transferred to the foreign indemnity by the special act of grace, we believe, of the United States commander, acting under instructions from' his home government. The Manchu rule has been kindly dealt with. To the Manchu rule, with its Chinese amenableness and backing, the word has gone forth, "We will2not press you hard; we give you another chance; see
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.