BOYCOTT, Dee. 5.
Ture is no need to emphasize the serious natare of the boycott of German firms proposed by tain section of the vovolationaries To the majority of our readers the complaints on which this proposal is based bad been made familiar by ramour some few days before they took definite shape at the meetings reported in yesterd and nothing is to be gained by specifying them farther, Bat before the boycott is allowed to become a matter of practical politics, there are important considerations for which we would urge its would-be promoters to take heed before committing themselves to an undertaking which they might have cause subsequently to regret. On general principles it must be remembered that in a time of crisis like the present, it is most difficult to sift fact from fancy. Men's minds are ill prepared by the heat of revolution to view things jadicially, and incidents which under normal conditions would be sasceptible of a perfectly normal explanation are distorted beyond all semblance of accuracy. For a case in point, it is well known that for many years prior to the outbreak of the revolution the Imperial Government bad been buying guns and munitions from German firm: snd this at least is also known, that since the outbreak of hostility boon received in Shanghsi from the capital that certain orders of which delivery bad not been completed were to be delayed until the return of settled conditions. Waat more there may be in the revolutionaries' minds, beyond angry conjecture based upon the admittedly superior marksmanship and drill of the Northern troops st Hankow, we The point that to ideals, real or imaginary, upon the whole nation indiscriminately, is as foolish as it is unjust. In the eyes of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.