"When I came to the province 43 years ago, ft was scarcely known to white races. Prior to the Boxer Rebellion it was fairly peaceful but untrogrersive. Most people Know that in 1900 all the foreigners!
Taiyuanfu were massacred. escaped because I was in England, Dut when the news reached Home T at once set out for this country and was the first foreigner to return to the sene of the tragedy) Thereafter foreigners were nat much molested 7 was away during the Revolution, but it was shortly afterwards that the present Govern-of, Yen Shih-shan, was confirmed in office by President Yuan Shih-kai, since when Shansi has prospered.
"There who have never lived in the province both before and after these upheavals, but have seen the effects of militarism elsewhere in China, cannot realize what a mantle of prosperity and peace has come over Shansi since Governor Yen as. sumed his pasty You in Shanghai and others less fortunate in the interior may well take a hopeless view of China. But in Shansi you would be equally optimistic concerning her future. "That is why T say it would were to be invaded."
Opium, Gambling and Foot-binding 'All its material "well-being Dr. Edwards attributes to the activities of its energetic Governor. From the very. first, said the speaker, Yen Shih-shan had set himself' to the task of wiping out three evils—opium trafficking, gambling and foot-binding. In addition to enacting vigorous preventive legislation against these vices, he had always been alive to the needs of edueation—particularly in agricultural and industrial matters, to better the lot of the people—and communications cut which no modern state can exist. During his term of office he had also encouraged afforestation. The foreigner nowadays in the province was as safe as at Home; bandits had completely disappeared.
"But if opium trafficking and gambling are suppressed so effectively, from whence does the Governor derive the enormous revenue that must be required to assist progress on all hands?"
From the land tax primarily, very little, if any, of which doubtless goes to Peking. I am really!
a loss to know, but of thig I convinced: that opium-smoking and trafficking in this drug.and morphia are being rigorously suppressed," Dr. Edwards replied. He! added that the most exemplary, punishment had all slong been meted out to offenders against th: drug laws. At one period the Governor unsuccessfully sought permission from Peking to impose the death penalty on drug traffickers. If any morphia got through now it came by the railway.
Dr. Edwards passed on to ite gratifying results which had been obtained from the Governor's educa-
{the characters to 1,000. When the new phonetic script was introduced jhe had made it a law that one person out of every family should attend'a night school in order to learn 'As an' initial -timolus to education he had had printed a Tittle compendium " called "What every person ought to know," which was still issued wholesale to the populace and probably contributed much to the enlightenment of the humblest citizens. The Hall of!
Self-Examination, another early institution, held about 9,000. Previously it hed been the meeting place lof three different gatherings during, the day—one for military officers, one for soldiers and one for scholars and merchants. Now. only one meeting per day was held, Its function was to keep people alive to the common virtues, the ethics of the Sages, and to give other useful instruction.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.