$
June 26, 1905.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
national characteristics are entirely dis- | Russian history alone were permitted; and similar. Norwegians may be "too proud to become Swedes." So far as we know, they have received no such invitation. No Scotsman wants to be an Englishman, or vice versa, but they do not fight about it. They are not ashamed of the name Britons; aud a man may be a good Norwegian with out objecting to be classed with the Swede As a Scandinavian. It is certainly Chau- vinistic of GLOBETROTTER to boast that Nor-A. way once gave Sweden a decided beating; and ve fancy the inaccuracy is on his side when he
says that "
no page in history can be brought up as evidence of a Norwegian defeat in battle at the hands of Sweden."
We read that the Kings of Denmark and Sweden, after defeating and slaying Olaf I. (the king who "established Christianity by force and cruelty"), divided Norway between them (A.D. 1000). On the 16th July, 1814, the Swedish troops entered Norway, and the same year Charles XIII. of Sweden was proclaimed king. There dock not seem to have been a really decisive battle, but if the Norwegians defeated the Swedes, why did they accept a Swedish King? We will not, however, labour an unpleasant point unnecessarily. We cannot withdraw our reinark about Norway being the weaker partner. In one way, recent history is sufficient to confirm it. Union is strength, and Norway is weak enough to wish to dis- solve a union that has conserved Scandina- vian strength in times of common peril. We hope they will never regret their separatist policy; and cordially echo our correspon- dent's wish that there may be no war. We do not think there will be war. GLOBE TROTTER, in thinking that there is a strong strain of Norwegian, and Danish blood in
the veins of the English, thinks rightly. In the Hebrides, he will find unmistak. able Norsemen, who still talk of " Vicking" (Vikings); and in England proper, the rural dialects of the north west contain to-day many purely Norwegian nouns that are in daily use. We are far from being ashamed of this fine strain; and trust that our Norwegian correspondent will accept these comments as well-meant and friendly, however erroneous, inaccurate, or ignorant. they may in his eyes appear.
POPULAR EDUCATION IN
LUSSIA,
(Daily Press 20th June.) There is something humorous about the
recent announcement that the TSAE
វ
we may take it for granted that, as happens in most countries, the history books were carefully edited. Professor SKRINE, in the Cambridge Historical Series, says: "The nature of the political instruc- tion meted out is indicated by the following extract from a catechism imposed by NICHOLAS on all schools.-Q. What does religion teach us as our duty to the TSAR?
Worship, fidelity, the payment of taxes, service, love, and prayer; the whole being comprised in the words worship and fidelity.' NICHOLAS' attention was given chiefly to military education; and the Russian army schools were the best in Europe.
That
the navy was not neglected was proved by the heroism shown by the crews of the Black Sea Fleet during the Crimean War." Then, and now! It must not be overlooked, by the way, that the first NICHOLAS was in many ways a most enlightened and humane monarch. His one mistake was in muzzling knowledge. From his point of view, perhaps, it was no mistake, for "an absolute government has no foe more deadly than a free Press." But as he was constantly thwarted in other reforms
the bureaucracy, just as the present NICHOLAS has been, progress would have come more quickly and more surely with popular educa- tion and an unmuzzled Press, just as it seems to be coming now, deluge-wise, since information has leaked in, and the Press has progressed even under its notorious difficulties. ALEXANDER II. was responsible for broadening the educational scheme of
by
the Empire. In 1864, all primary schools were subsidized, and placed under the zemstvos. The elementary course then included reading, arithmetic, writing, and the scriptures. The curriculum of secondary schools was, however, still care- fully restricted; and the zemstvos found their laudable ambitions checked by a very o vious obstacle, the dearth of teachers. The Russian officials had no mind, of course, to do as Japan did, and import foreigners to unfold western lore, which was practically as new to the liussia of even that late date as it was to Chips and Japan. ALEXANDER II removed the restrictions from the Universities, which immediately began to take in youths from the poorer classes. It was then that tie present revolution had its birth. The d ctrines of Socialism, then gaining ground in Europe, were like honey to the youthful Slavs, who ar, like the universal youth, prone to aspirations for the good of hu- NICHOLAS II. has decreed that education manity, and to yearn after impossible ideals within his realms shall be compulsory. It of brotherhood." MILL and BUCKLE in smacks of the policy of the parent who translation spread like a fever over young compels his young hopeful to smoke a Russia. Officialdom took alarm. In 1861, strong cigar to the bitter end in the hope Admiral PUTIATIN, who had distinguished of curing him of his fancy for an injurious himself in the Far East, was appointed habit. For while PETER the Great valued Minister of Public Instruction." He pro- public instruction, and carefully selected a
tested against a system which was rearing Minister therefor, the present TSAR's ancestors a brood of revolutionaries at State expense have not been very keen on enlightening the and his severe measures caused a students; mental darkness of their subjects. His riot, during which, as usual, troops were ancestral namesake, NICHOLAS I., regarded employed. ALEXANDER III remembered the Universities as hot-beds of revolution, this, and when he took the reins of Govern- and imposed high fees and limited the ment, he thought to suppress Nihilism by number of students, in the vain hope of reverting to his grandfather's policy of suppressing the trouble.
The tree of the restriction. High schools of every grade knowledge of good and evil was made as were closed to the children of servants! inaccessible as possible, lest the rising and working men. But riots became generation should become sufficiently wise
even more frequent, and during the to choose the go.d. His opinion was that eighties, the student wag regarded the sole reason for the existence of these as, and behaved as, an enemy within training centres was the preparation of a the gates. In the jubilee year of few young men for public service. Any- the British Queen VICTORIA, all the univer- thing beyond that was considered mis-sities and high schools were closed, and chievous. In all the primary schools, under
mere boys banished to Siberia. many state supervision-and of these there were Secondary and primary schools were not by no means many-Russian language and interfered with, and made considerable
..
383
advances during Alexander III.'s reign. There were 89,000 primary schools, with 2,025,000 scholars enrolled. This number, of course, is absurdly small in proportion to the population and is absolutely dwar fed by Japan's figures. A startling and rapid change should appear if the news be true that education is now to be compulsory upon the masses. It will be curious, moreover, to watch how a country can get along simultaneously with compulsory learning and a muzzled Press.
CHINA'S INDEMNITY DEBT.
"
R
(Daily Press, 21st June.) There is really very little that is now in the disclosures of the indefatigable Poking correspondent of the Times, some comments upon which were reproduced in our issue of yesterday ; but those who remember the staid and conservative tone of an older Times, may wonder, perhaps, at the strain- ing after sensationalism nowadays per- misted. Foreign claims against China are described as "extortionate and unjust," 'fabricated," "the iniquitous and dis- graceful project of exaction," an "⚫xorbi- tant war indemnity"; and the claimants are all that can be suggested in such phrases as "the pretensions of her grasping creditors," shameless rapacity," "dishonest profits," and so on. Thus collated, the vigorous expressions of our London contemporary might not improbably startle that journal, and give it furiously to think' if it had really meant all it said. For after all, circumstances alter cases, and remembering many matters connected with that owing indemnity, we are indis- posed to join the censors of the white credi- tors of the yellow debtor. The writer of the article quoted would perhaps tone down those hard words were it not so long since the items of the bill were set forth in detailed account. He does remember more recent things, and goes so far as to admit that the foreigners, and particularly Great Britain, owe China nothing on the ground that Chinese promises have ever been fairly and honestly kept. It is rather interesting to recall that one of the undertakings of the MACKAY Treaty was to reform the currency system of China; and we like to think that these claims to interest and exchange dif. "fab- ferences, which the Times regards as ricated," are by way of being useful reminders to the effete gang at Peking that the fluctuations of exchange. do make a difference. China will not think any the worse of the foreign SHYLOCKS (as the same foreign journal has recently called them) for exacting their pound of flesh. That is business, and for exorbitance and injustice will not put many Chinese official squeezes "into the shade. Extortion seems natural enough in China. The inditer of all those quoted words mentions inciden- tally that "in three short years the Shanghai TAOTAI has amassed a large private fortune, and satisfied the greed of Peking by the variety and ingenuity of his lawless extortions." We are not attempt- ing to argue that two blacks make ope white, but suggesting that the whole cir- cumstances of the case scarcely warrant the wasteful use of so many condemnatory adjectives at the expense of China's foreign creditors. It is not at all unlikely that these virtuous commentators, supposing that the foreign creditors had been simple e ough to stand the loss on exchange, and the loss of interest, would have been point- ing out how wrong the Governments were
{4
to allow such an illicit reduction of the
debt originally contracted. The curious thing is that those denunciatory words were
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