A message appearing in one of the American papers, describing conditions in China from the point of view of one of the missionary organizations here, says that "Bolshevism is advancing and the spectre of a Soviet China is enough to strike terror into the bravest heart." The implication is that we are to-day on the brink, and in view of the expression of such a belief it will be fitting to inquire whether any possibility exists of anything of the kind. Careful observers of Chinese affairs during the past four years have watched for any sign of the kind and, with anxiety at times, have noted the attempts to propagate Soviet principles here, at one time among the workers and soldiers and at another among the intellectuals. Opinion, we believe, is that the intellectuals have offered a more favourable soil than have the workers, and it might not be too much to conclude that the most critical time was when Mr. Tsai Yuan-pei, Chancellor of Peking University, and his followers gave their welcome to M. Joffe. Just then the anti-Christian movement was at its strongest, and there seemed almost a probability that the two might somehow join forces. Since then the impetus has waned, and the politicians of the country: are too much concerned with their 1 ce own provincial and national politics to worry about the exotic varity. Further, as floods are now being reported from up-country, the common people are so interested in the problem of where their rice will come from in the future that they give no heed to importunities of pamphleteers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.