May 30.
THERE is some evidence that our friends the students are going to abandon the quiescent attitude they have assumed for some time and take a more active part in the great game of politics. First there is the letter which they addressed to us recently in which they arraigned both Britain and America for alleged unfriendly acts towards the Chinese people—America for giving a loan' to Peking and Britain for using men-of-war to convey munitions to the forces in Kuangsi. The reports of these transactions are, as we have pointed out, utterly fallacious rumours to which we decline to give further publicity. The National Students' Federation should not make the mistake of traducing its friends. China has need of all those well disposed towards her, and if America and Great Britain are not to be reckoned as friends then she is, poor indeed. Then the Students® Union has sent an open letter to the Premier of Great Britain, Members of Parliament, etc., opposing the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, and this will doubtless receive the attention it warrants, for whatever ends the Government of Great Britain expect to be served by that alliance, they certainly will see in it nothing inimical to the welfare of China. Did it contain any stipulation that could be so construed, the people of China may rest assured the pact would have little chance of renewal.
We have always considered that the students have an important part to play in forming and guiding public opinion in this country, bat they will seriouslyundermine their influence if they act rashly and send out cables to the four points of the compass to contra-diet silly rumours which any intelligent man would dismiss without
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.