there has been much table here in recent weeks that the educational institutions were {0 close up of, what would amount to the same thing, Would be taken over by the local administration. One report was ing around that the National Library hud started shipping all its books to the South. From authoritative fcuirees T understand that this Is not the ease, Only some of the rarer books snd the most valuable original documents have been sent away, safe-guard."
At one time it was even seriously proposed to appoint a Japanese ad-Visor for education, All such plans Tam informed by reliable circles have been dropped, at any rate for the me being. Well-informed quarters are of the opinion that there will be hho change In the educational system for many months to come. As a matter of fact, it was not the Japan who wore urging Gen, Sung Chi Yuan to take over educational "in~ stitutions, 'This agitation was got up by-a certain group of his unemploy~ ed hangers-on who were hoping thereby' to find lucrative posts for themselves, as supervisors and Inspectors of education, and so. forth.
The gqneral's leading subordinates were, indeed, very much against such a plan, on practical, if not on sently mental, grounds. First and fore most Was the consideration that the universities, -high schools, National Library and_ similar educational inatitutlons are not revenue-producing concerns, but, on the contrary, represent a very heavy liability, In the second place, the unpleasant but true fact had to be faced, that if these Ingtitutlons were removed from the control of Nanking and taken over by the local Council and administered In accordance with Japanese Ideas, all the Southern students would simest certainly cease patronize them, "As there ure reckoned to be nearly' 60,006 such outside students who spend at least $500 per annum in Peiping, the loss that this would mean to the city is obvious. In the third place, undoubtedly many, not all, of the professors would ree sign, end the new authorities would have the greatest dim culty in carry-Ing on the colleges at all, The clos-Ing of the universities and other institutions would be about the last blow for Peiping whose sole raison aire as a large city is that it has. to far remained an important educe. anal end cultural centre.
Unusually Cold Winter The winter in the North has been quite unusual this year. Not only have we had the longest and most severe spell of cold that has been recorded for the last twenty years, but we have sise been having the heaviest fall of snow that even the proverbial oldest inhabitant can remember. Usually we get a few hours snow once or twice during the winter" which evaporates almost at once In the dry atmosphere and under a brilliant sun. But this time has been snowing steadily for several days on end in a rather damp atmosphere under a glowering sky, uunill there is well over half a foot of snow on the ground. The gloomy, overcast sky Is quite a relict from the eternal glare of the sun and the cloudless, bright blue sky, and minds many of us of home. The sun-worshippers, however, who form the backbone of Peiping devotees, are not at all pleased and are already complaining of this unusual break In'the sunshine. The farmers too, needless to say, are starting grumble, that the fall of snow is foo heavy and has come {oo late. The shopkeepers say it is bad for business, while their apprentices who ye to go out every hour or 30 and veep away the snow from the shop front are. very disgusted with the weather.
Motorists, too, strongly object 10 the snow; for in our happy city, when it snows, everybody without distinction, pedestrians, rickshaws, fand cyclists, all use the middle of the road, where the snow has either disappeared or been beaten down hard; and only very reluctantly and with' bad grace will they step aside Into the soft snow at the side of the eud. The only people who are com~ pletely happy are the photographers, amateur and. professional, busy. running around to obtain their series of "Peiping under Snow." And it must be admitted that for once Peiping the dust, rubbish buildings and ruins under their picturesque robe of snow. But evil days fre before us. For when the inevitedle thaw sets in, after this heavy fall of snow, Peiping which is not famous for Its drainage system ibe turned into w veritable mud Nanking, Feb. 21.
The student agitation at the National Tsinghua University, Peiping, and the Wunan University, Wuchang, which once threatened to assume serious proportions, has now been satistactonly settled,, according to reports received by the Ministry of Education from the authorities of the two institutions, Dr, Mel Yi-chi, Chancellor of Tsinghua" University, reports that the faculty members who recently sesigned en bloc, on account of the student trouble, have agreed to Jdzaw their resignations. The report from the Wuhan University states that conditions returned to normal yesterday, and the ringleaders of the student agitation have been given severe disfeiplinary punishment by the university auihorities—Centrat News.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.