THE AWAKENING OF CHINA

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 96, 11 April 1908, Page 3

THE AWAKENING OF CHINA

In a lecture at Wellington the other dav, .Mr. T. H. Smith, missionary, a former resident of I'aUnerston North, gave an interesting description ol liis experiences in China iu recent vears. -Mr. Smith was among those who came through the siege oi the Legations at Pekin? Mr. Smith saiil they owed their lives t« the Christians, who did such splendid work in eroding and digging trenches. If relief had arrived one day later than wan the case, it would have been too late, as a mine had beeu laid under the strongest defence at the liritish Legation. In any ease, the lecturer was of opinion lhat if the Boxers had had sullicient courage to rush tlie position they would have succeeded before the foreign troops entered the city. The impression made *>n the Lhiue>e Uv the concerted action ol si.N re-awakened the reform -I'iril. 'twelve veai- ago there n- no railway iu ta • whole of China; 10-day there are | ( miles wovkimr. and Ui±! in process ..I construction. U'U year, ago the |>o-tal ~y-tein was practically non-existent: lodiiv there are li.lWii pOsl otlice-, whieh in lllilt) handled ll:!.IIIIII.IIOtl letters. 1.-2-.11--1)00 parcels, and post olliec orders lor the value of one and a halt million ounces of silver. Eight years ago l'ekin had one telegraph line, to connect the Chinese Foreign Ollice with the outer

; woihh t.v-.hiy th«- telegraph if as ad-vain-cd a- in any other city. and tin' 1 tel-phonr i- eotmuon in l'ekin. I lie liaI ; inn tli.it u-eit I 111' teaching " f l '" H ~ finin- I'i.r -JillH> yi'iir- lu- nun modern pel 1- all "m-i; 'the land Ksc-llenl I'lim.U'.v M-limil- weie 111 ,-.\Mi'inr. .mil .-..11-'-i'- w here chcmi-try.

iiliy-i,-. - inn t heiuatii's, and tor I'iL'ii language- wr- taught. and a mo-t Uignili-ani fail was lb- attention li- | -i?mi .1 I• v -1 u N'iil - -it tin- art id war. I (In- thousand -Indents went last ye.,r I Japan. making a total "I lill-en thou-md. all "I whom were studying tin' mmlrni -v-l-in of i'dll l*;ll i"ii. Tlie-c .Indents were la-akin-' .lowu prejudi-cs. Olli-iaN were converting temples into -,,-b...»1-. In a land where n<-w-|>:i pi-;-xvei'e ,onli>eate,l ami reform editors were banished there were uow 2(1') periodicals. 11:,||, were engaged liy lite educated, where the new-papers were road and |d;iiinvl to Hi.' illiterate. \||. Sniilli regarded China a- the larue-l ii-ld I'l'i- lil-ralurc ill 111- world. 'l'll,.v «-r- i-a-tiir "IV tit- "Id system an.r looking eagerly and -l-nially for the 11-w. A- an illustration. Hi- lecturer stated tli.it -n- publishing lion--

in Shanghai. in I'.mii. wild :UI.OIHI topics ~f ~ "reader." and its hunk trade ait i "iin 1•' d 1,, CKIiUWIII. Sinee the edict rain-it opium was issued, in l-'oo Chow ahuic. where on— .jll per cent. "I 1 the

ni-n and 'ill p-r I'i'iii. of women wen- slaves to tile drug. 110 than It It I ,|en- liad been closed, and a similar r-dnction liad liocn made in other cities excepting. to tlic sliaine of Kngland. in the British concession al Shanghai. The drug was not tolerated in the navy and arinv. or in tin- railway or |iost.il -crviei's. The Dowager-Kinpre-- made a ..it't of i; 1 .">ll'l io the London rv Society 1 - Collide, and had assured thrnllcge of I tovcrnnient recogtiil ion ol ||» ,le-fees, Mr. Smith is coiineeted with the l.ondoti Mission al I'ekin.