Whatever we may think of democracy ourselves and China's ability to adapt democratic stitutions to her needs, however much we may regret that the Chinese who think now believe that democratic institutions cannot be adapted to China's needs within a reasonable period (as the majority undoubtedly do believe in their hearts), this yearning after the restoration of order and authority is a decidedly hopeful sign, whatever form it takes. The feeling is that things have come to about as bad a pass as they should be allowed to reach and that it is now time for a clean up. This is nowhere more strongly felt than among the military, a class of people who have done infinite damage in China but who ave as every Chinese will agree, essentially straightforward and honest. No class has more special republican privileges and prerogatives to lose through the restoration of order and respect for authority in China than the military caste, yet one cannot travel from camp to camp these days in North China without feeling that the military are about to take the initiative in a big effort to restore an authority worthy -of respect and to deposit all the personal advantages that have been the fruit of republican confusion at the feet of that authority.
Of course each military clement, partly out of sincerity and partly from selfish motives, thinks that it should take the lead in this movement. In each camp one hears that the only way to restore peace and set up a respectable Government is to crush and annihilate all the others. If the evil forebodings of the prophets are going to be fulfilled this year, as actual conditions would already seem to indicate, it will be largely because of this new determination to end all this nonsense by fighting it out to a finish. In most of China's interprovincial wars it has been very difficult during these past ten years for the outsider to trace aggressive movements to anything but a selfish inspiration. In the wars that are coming the selfish motives will still be there, but anyone now moving about in Chinese official circles can easily see that with the selfish motives will undoubtedly—be mingled much of the spirit of a crusade.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.