'The four experts' report to the Chinese Government on ther organisation of education in China is a tantalising document. It shows remarkably acute perception of the defects of the educational system on which, in the space of three months, the distinguished—authors were called upon to report. It avoids comprehensive—xeneralisations because of the brevity of the tour taken to reach conclusions. It lays down admirable principles of educational policy, yet, it must be confessed that " its constructive proposals are hardly inspiring. The despatch of Chinese mission to Europe to study European conditions ix ne of the preliminary measures recommended. It "has been adopted and already a small commission hax been sent from China for the purpose named. The summary shows that the! experts were suitably definite in their criticism.—'They seem however, to display insufficient appreciation of the fact that that criticism, on its main lines, can hardly be met without sweeping administrative and financial' advance in the Central Government and its relations with the Provinces. Although the framing of a general educational policy may be rightly assigned the central Ministry of Education, such suggestions that which would concentrate! the appointment of teaching star? with that "Ministry seem to impose a centralisation beyond the compass of the Government successfully to achieve. The! lead to the Provinces may well come from Nanking but, having regard to the Report's recosnition of the impossibility of ordering a uniform advance, more effective work is likely to be done by strengthening the machinery of the provincial educational departments. The experts were right perhaps in leaving out of account, the present financial and political disabilities. Yet their report would have been more helpful if it could have distinguished lie: tween proposals fit for immediate adoption, and those which must wait.on a further, advance toward consolidation of authority in China. Searching criticism is passed on the mass education movement in Chibli. This accords with the views of certain Chinese critics. It echoes the verdicts passed _on similar efforts in other countries. And, in contrast to other passages in the Report, it recognises the need for a "decisive improvement in the Chinese economic system" as a condition precedent to the imitation of that move-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.