We hear a great deal of talk just now of "Let China work out her own salvation." This is all very well if foreign Powers will do 50, but to give a child poison is a poor way to say: Let the child play along and he will be good." As long as the bandits can secure revolvers and rifles from powers of a better kind than the authorities possess they will continue to pursue their trade of outlawry. [f we want our merchants to trade in this land in safety or our-missionaries to teach the principles of peace unmolested, we must forbid the sale of firearms to those people who are a menace to the Chinese authorities.
The first danger is the asylum offered to political fanatics in the foreign concessions where the government cannot reach them; the second is the allowing of these men to creep back armed to weaken the government of the country.
I have been in China now for 12 years and it has gone from bad to worse; but there is an increasing number of bright and intelligent people who will some day show the world that China can put her house in order, and it is these men who ask for a fair chance of the foreign Powers. Let China work out her own salvation, but back the right people with encouragement and support.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.