Tue option of the Kuanhua or oer 19. Mandarin as the national language of China been discussed by educators and others in this country lerable. extent during the last ten yours. Tt is coming to be understood more and more, as the nation is gradually—awakening from its lethargy and inertia, that the question of the possession of a common language ix a matter of supreme importance in connexion with the unification of a great mass of people, such ay is found in China, The subject is, in some respects, ax worthy of consideration as the currency question on which so.
lately hax been said and is satisfactory to notice nese writers ure now diseussinge it, not infrequently. in able and forcible manner, in newspapers and magazines which have a respectable circulation in the great centres of the Empire. It is evident that they are beginning to realize its importance from a national point of view. In due time we may not unreasonably expect to see some tangible result of so much thought and attention as is now being given to the subject by the Chinese themselves, There can he no question that the rapidly nying conditions, now—being witnessed in China, will sooner orlator make it imperative that one common language shall be the medium of intercommunication between all lasses of the people, a langnaye that will he practically identical both in its written and spoken forms and will serve as a common repository of thought and medium of communication throughout the Empire. "This language must be the language of the senate, the language of the forum, the language of the restrain and pulpit, the language of the schoolroom and Original from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.