Max O'Rell, in his bantering manner, used to say that readers were furiously eager to seize the morning and evening papers, but always flung them aside after a rapid glance aver their contents with the sarcastic remark "nothing in them again." Another Frenchman, more il-Iustrious still, said "four hostile vewspapers were moro to be feared than' thousand bayonets." He afirmed™ in his day: "We fight for ideas and news.
our fortresses." On the other hand, " still more renowned German exclaimed: We really gain nothing from such interests as occupy the newspapers." Amidst such conflicting judgments as to the value of the Press, we are thrown back on our own personal knowledge, and must decide for ourselves on such data as have come under our own observation. The native Pross of China, wt least of the South of China, has. grown up within the last twenty years. We remember when editors were harassed and their offices confiscated, if they published auything less harmless, and more interesting than the "Peking Gazette." Itmay be con fossed that the Hongkong native Press, whose roots struck deep in the island, but whose branches spread out. over the Kuantung: province, had much.to do with the present vi.ur of the native newspapers here. When complaints were made to the Hongkong officials' by the Canton mandarins, that government matters, hitherto so sacred, were handled with 8 rough irreverence, they got little comfort and less assistance. Freedom of the Press was the rule in the colonies of Great Britian; Hongkong was a colony, therefore the editors could not be coerced. The consequence "was that the mandarins, seeing that they were helpless, submitted to the inevitable. After a time, when nothing very serious happened, either to their revenues or to their harems, and in those days they did not seriously care for very much beyond these two absorbing interests, they ceased to be so obviously anxious, and so a native Press developed not only in Hongkong but in the city of Canton, which to-day is no small industry, and no unimportant factor in the life of the great city. The native Press attempts to reach the ideal of what a newspaper should be, which is, we take it, to collect and then distribute reliable and valuable information which its readers value; and further to guide and foster public opinion, even though it may not always be able de novo to create it. Aglanceat characteristic Chinese newspaper will show that this objectisnot forgotten by the native editor, and that sometimes he comes very near to realising it. A striking example of the influence exercised by the native Press is furnished in the present ferment over the boycott of American manufactures. The Canton Press has entered into the fray in a spirit of genuine enthusiasm, and has done much to foment the agitation. not now careful to pronounce an opinion on the wisdom of the Anti-American-Commodity League still less are we inclined to forecast the fruits of the agitation. Whatisabundantly evident is that the native Press has from the first proved If eager to foment the movement, and encourage the leaders. The decisions arrived at by the Commit-and Shanghai, and Amoy, and Singapore, have been published, commented on, lauded hi The apparent unwillingness of at Wuchou to join hands with their fellow-countrymen, was discussed with such scorn that they wore fain wishfal to reconsider their position.
Dloreover, not only.do the residents of the great cities enjoy the privilege of knowing what is transpiring m the "ther great cities of China, but inland towns and country villages now command the same advantages. The Canton papers ae carried throughout the towns of this province, under the direction of a well-ordered news agency, by means of the steam-launches which ply the waterways of the south, so that everywhere it is easy insure an timate punctuality without much difficulty. Probably never the history of the world has it found that a powerful Press has come into existence, cor within so brief a space of time. history of the genesis and development of the vernacular Press in Germany, France, and Kugland in the (7th entury offer ne parallel, for obvious. reasons. One characteristic of the native Press cannot escape notice, The editors lash out on the corrupt yoverument, and xt particular officials, in a way that excites astonishment. The bitterness of the attack on Yuan -Shib-ksi, dung the past fortnight, because he has ventured to lift warning voice against the bitterness the agitation of the boycott, has recently come under my' notice. search the dictionary to discover euphemistic diction whereby to describe the actions of Mr. Balfour, but its language is that of a guarded diplomacy, compared with what Chinese editors uso when they denounce what they ré- gard as unpatriotic. That such violent Tanguage is always effective we doubt. In fact doses of abuse are like doses of poison. It is true that much poison may be absorbed into the system with impunity, if the empiricist begins with little, and gradually increases the dose. So may a body of men absorb " considerable amount of abuse,.with indifference, after they have become accustomed to it. One of the greatest gains to China, which the vernacular Press has placed within her grasp, is a general knowledge of the history of the times. By this she has Jearnt what has already humbled her pride. She assimilates ideas by which she may correct her faults, She will be put into possession of ideals by which she may make good her limitations. The recent agitation over the torture of prisoners in ° order to extract evidence, would have been impossible without the native Press, The "Canton Times" published four leaders on the subject which were eagorly read all over the South of China. But perhaps the greatest gain of all will be the gradual birth of a. new solidarity. Hitherto, not only is it true that " East East and West is West," it has boon equally true to the Chinese that " North is North and South is South." Language of contemptuous scorn is often used by either to describe the other. This animosity will die, Anew consolidated China Will rise which is an essential characteristic of a solf.dependent and self-respecting nation, and to this result the native Press will have contributed much,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.