THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8117, 11 April 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1906.

However Pekin may regard Tokio. it is plain that throughout the 18 provinces of China, Japanese influeuae has made enormous strides. Japanese travellers, commercial agents, teachers, and drill-sergeants are to be found in the remotest parts of the Empire. The sons of the Chinese nobility and ruling olasses are being educated in Japan by thousands, and return home fired by her example and emulous to repeat it. The best of the native Chinese papers are in Japanse control, and the amazing growth of this native presses in it-

self one "of the most significant of all the phenomena of revolution, By means of it China is being intellectually irrigated, and n channel of communication is for the firafc time being opened between the Chinese masses and tne modern world. Japan's true policy is not to force China into a sham similitude to Western civilisation or ideals, but to use the accessories ot the Occident for the preservation of the fundamentals of Oriental lite and polity.

But it is dear that with thpso accessories China is rapidly arming Ijerself. We have spon the historic examination systorn thrown open to modern learning. We have seen the provincial viceroys founding schools and collegs of all binds with an almost American avidity. The missionary schools were never better patronised; the translations of Western literature never circulated to widely. Chinese students have been encouraged by Imperial edict to complete their education abroad. A commission is at this moment touring the world, to collect data for the establishment of a Chinese Parliament. Provincial armies have been multiplied and a more than promising beginning has been made with the creation of a wholly national force. "In the to-morrow of the political calendar," said the Times correspondent, who watohed tin new army at its manoeuvres last October, and formed a high opinion of its capacities, "China will have a standing army of 36 divisions, with a reserve of a quarter of a million men —in other words, a field army of half a million"

No less a sum than £28,000,000 was recently voted by the House of Kepresentatives at Washington tor the payment of naval and military pensioners in the United States during the present year. The pen-sion-roll now numbers close upon a million names, includini: some from every war.in which the American nation has ever been engaged. Although it is 123 years sinae the War of there are still Ave women receiving pensions in connection with the historic straggle. One is a widow and .fear are daughters of soHiera who took part in the war. There are still on the rolls the names of 8,000 widows of men who .fought in the seoond war with Great Britain, 81 years ago, Un pensions arising out of the Civil War of only 40 years ago the gigantic sum of £660,000,000 has already been spent. This is half as much as the total cost of the war itself. From the Mexican war there are now 4,700 survivors and 6,700 widows on the pension list. ¥et that wai ! waa closed 10 years before President Soosevelt was born. If the army in the Spanish war furnishes the same proportion of pension claimants that the Union army in the Civil War has furnished, 20 years from nW, there will be 132,414 more pensioners on the rolls.