REFORM IN CHINA.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1350, 30 January 1912, Page 10

REFORM IN CHINA.

A NATIONAL UPRISING. DOFFING TIIE PIGTAIL. Few people take a. moro optimistic view of tho present revolution in China than Mr. Jus. JO. Liddinrd, F.K.G.S., an ! lish traveller, who is at present on n visit to Wellington, ,ajid who has an intiinato knowledge of China and its nd'air?. In the course of an interview on Saturday evening, Mr. I.iddiard said that he lirst heard of the Chinese revolution, by wireless, aboard the' steamer Orvieto," when he was on his way out to Australia. As soon as ho knew that the revolutionaries wero making for Hankow, lie concluded at once that capable brains were directing tho movement. Hankow is tlio heart of the Empire. It is connected by rail with Peking, and another railway is being constructed to connoct it with Canton, the greatest commercial city in China. Not far from Hankow is the city ot' Ila'n Yang, which is tho site of great ironworks, where guns and other munitions of war nro manufactured on a largo scale. On tho other side of a river from Hankow is tho city of Wu-Chang, which is tho scat of tho Viceroy, and tlio site of tho Treasury. Tho revolutionaries displayed admirable judgment in striking at a clustcr of tliroo cities which in themselves contained a great part of tho wealth and warlike munitions of the Empire. The revolutionary movement, Mr. Liddiard went on to remark, was in no sense anti-foreign, and it was not anti-mission-ary. It was in the fullest souse an' irresistiblo national uprising against an effete and corrupt administration. The leaders of the insurrection were men who had received the benefits, of Western knowlcdgo and civilisation, and wero filled, with a conviction-that -tho old -conditions-of things could not remain. Until quite recently tho natural bent of Chinamen had been to think, "what did my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather do ? What they did, I must do." At tho present day the Chinaman was beginning to look forward instead of back. Mr. Liddinrd assigns an important place, among the factors which have produced this radical change in national' outlook, to tlio influence of tho Japanese. "As Mr. Liddiard nuts it, air the forces • which for years have been working" quietly in China for enlightenment and progress are now boar-" ing fruit, and are giving increased momentum to the insurrectionary movement. Of tho justice of the revolutionary cause he entertains not a single doubt. The rcgiino of tho Maneliu dynasty, he remarked, was frightfully;.corrupt-, ~lts-leading -men flud high officials gave no thought to tho interests of;t.ho country, b"ut;j:ovornecl jsolely. in tlio interests of their own particular friends.. As'tho younger, men " ofthe country came more and moro into touch with Western knowledge and education, they began to see that infinitely bettor government was possible. The revolt against tlio tyranny of tho Manchu dynasty followed in natural sequence. Mr. Liddiard mentioned incidentally that ono of the revolutionary leaders has four sons at a mission school, As showing the spread of education in face of all the difficulties that have hitherto obstructed its progress, ho mentioned that, ten yeari ago, there were no schools for girls in China outside of tho missions. Now there aro schools for girls in every town and colleges for- girls in evory province of tho Empire. No girl whose feet have been bound is admitted to a school or college, and as a result withput any prohibitory edict having been issued, the horrible practice of foot-bind-ing has been practically abolished. Tho success of tho revolution, by the way, will seal the doom of- the pigtail-, for tho wearing -..of thia pcculiar 'appendage was imposed, by the Manchiig as^ji-badge of servitude, and the pigtail-will-pass into oblivion with the Mnucliu dynasty.- ~ Mr. Liddiard attaches great' importance to the example set by Sir Robert Hart and other t foreign representatives in China the impression created upon thoughtful Chinamen by seeing men, perfectly honourable and trustworthy, filling hieii official positions, contributed in no small degreo, ho thinks, to bring about the revolution.