However much inconvenience the hostile troop movements lately proceeding may have caused to the general public, they confer at least one boon. It is to be noted that the noble band of—_manifestoists, pamphleteers and the like who hace flourished so conspicuously during the days when rumour of war was not, are no longer inflicting upon exasperated readers their laboured thoughts. No longer is the scarcity of paper increased wholesale distribution of political tracts, nor are officials denounced in daily and weekly publications which trace the history. of events back to the dynastic years. For many days now we hi been saved the po: usual of these documents with thei conspicuous sameness, their en-undation gf flatulent "democratic principles, their frenzied insistance on_China's sovereign rights. Such forms of democracy shudder when the dogs of war begin to snarl, and there is a general inclination to take cover. After all. as Mr. Bonar Law sagely remarked, democratic institutions are not the best struments for carrying on a war, and our manifestoists are presumably ready to accept this ruling and hold their peace. For which relief the rest of the people are thoroughly thankful.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.