Poking, Jan. 91.
The popular movement in China which tends towards the awakening of a national consciousness and towards the creation of articulate public opinion, and which is described for want of a better name as the Student Movement, has veaghed an exceedingly critical jerled in its development. The Ume has come w foreigners and _far-officials regard significant political manifestation in China, but when the middle classes also are beginning to respond with enthusiasm to the inspiration of the student propaganda.
Nearly everyone who has China's welfare at heart now realizes that the future of China as a nation, and the future of foreign interests in China, are both dependent upon the speedy development of an intelligent, representative government in this country. The Student Movement might be a powerful medium to this end, or on the other hand it might prove a sore disappointment to the advocates of democracy in China and might set back the development of democratic institutions for an indefinite period.
Whatever we may think of the average Chinese official, and however we may condemn the selfishness and cupidity of men in high
seem to betray e best interests of papoose who of their country, we must always realize that not one in a hundred of.them is at heart unpatriotic, and that if the Chinese people showed unmistakable symptoms of regeneration and of their ability to understand and protect their own best interests, the same officials who seem most irresponsible would be inspired to courage and to a sense of duty and would respond to the public will.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.