Now that the scholastic fraternity in China has been brought to discuss communism, and the Bolshevist manifestation of it in Russia, and now that the acknowledged leaders of the intellectual caste in the Feking University have openly an-rounced themselves the "pupils" Of the Russian Communists, the writer has suggested that foreigners who know something of th theory of communism, and something more of the results of its application in Russia, should enlighten their Eh friends, if they have any regard for China's future. Following up this suggestion, the writer has had the presumption to promise his readers a dissertation upon communism in theory and in application. In undertaking this he is fully aware that hundreds of readers will be better informed upon this subject: than he is and that his opinions will only bore or pain a large percentage of the well informed.
An apology for this presumption is therefore required, and the writer has two excuses to offer. The first is that events have made this a vital topic in China and that it is, therefore, a topic which should be discussed, To stimulate discussion there must be an expression of opinion, right or wrong, so one 0: the deliberate purposes of these articles is to "'start something." The second excuse is that, during a long period of enfoxecd idleness the writer has given quite a little thought to the phases of theoretical and applied communism which would be most likely to interest the Chinese, and that he may be able to indicate, even to those 25 who know a great deal more of the subject than he does, what is worth discussing with one's Chinese frignds—what. features of the Bolshevist idea are likely either to attract or repo) them.
Ten years ago when Mr. H. G. Wells and a group of his friends, most of whom were Socialists, determined to collaborate upon a hook upon the "Great. State," they agreed at the start that socialism rauld no longer be defined to the satisfaction of even a small percentage of the persons who si fit to describe themselves as Socialists. This now is equally true of communism. To take an extreme example, for instance, the half-baked college student in America who derives a thrill from calling him-sell a Communist would scarcely lazy agree that his communism could make room for a Comrade Lenine living in w palace and riding Rolls-Royce cars in almost complete indifference to the fact that several million other comrades were hungering to the point of cannibalism in the Volga basin.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.