Published monthly, except in Aug., Sept., and Oct. by Washington University, St. I JAMES FRANCIS ABBOTT, Professor of Zoology, Washington University. The "Coming Struggle in the Far East" bids fair to take its pl alongside "Trouble in the Balkans in the Spring" as the space writ never failing resource in the dull season. The long deferred, m heralded, and eagerly anticipated "Awakening of China" seems to be last a reality. But those who have been most concerned in stimulat that awakening may perhaps be pardoned if they recall nowadays a tain proverbial admonition relating to sleeping dogs. For the awake China is no resurrected Rip Van Winkle as most of us fondly imagi but rather, if literary allusions are at all clarifying, a sort of internatio edition of Clouston's Prodigal Father, who reversed the processes of and grew young, to the scandal of his associates. In short, Ch appears to have developed into an enfant terrible, but those relati and neighbors who must be mightily moved to administer condign pun ment for the irritation and annoyance of which she is the cause find th hands restrained by a wholesome fear of what she may do next. Two influences in China have sufficed to transform a huge area dissociated, self-centered districts, with almost nothing in common their origin and their ignorance of each other, into a unit. These influences have been the development of communication, both rail telegraphic, and the growth of a native press to print and interpret news of China and the world. The latter would of course be of li significance without the former, and for the former the Occident is who responsible. Only one thing more was needed to transform this solid complex into a nation,-some thing toward which the attention of Chinese provinces could be directed in opposition, which by giving th a common grievance would develop through a common resentmen mutual understanding. Such an understanding would sharply set China from the rest of the world and thus fix a national egoism that been gradually developing. -5 |