nciple, if not in extent. Whipped up
into a white heat of fury, it draws, over and over again, the most
disconcerting parallels.

And all this week it has continued to be irritating, referring
constantly to Belgium, and harping upon the Allies' ideals,--the
preservation of civilization, liberty, justice, and the rights of
small, weak nations. The "Gazette" insists that these ideals should
be applied to China, forgetting, apparently, that while China is
weak, she is not small!

Meanwhile, at the mass meetings which are being held all over the
country, especially at Tientsin, the officials are trying to calm the
people. It is feared that some violent action will take place, some
hostile demonstration against the French which will throw the Chinese
entirely in the wrong, no matter how great the provocation. If this
happens, the sympathy of the world will be turned against the Chinese,
and the officials are striving by all means to prevent such an outbreak.
A quaint account of one of these indignation meetings was published in
one of the Peking papers:

On Saturday morning more than four thousand merchants and
inhabitants of Tientsin gathered themselves at the Chamber
of Commerce at Tientsin, declaring that as the French
authorities had disregarded international law and
principle, they would devise means themselves for the
preservation of their own liberty against the aggression
of foreigners. The Chairman of the Chamber came out with
the representatives of the Society for the Preservation of
National Territory to appease the indignation of the
public, and to persuade them not to resort to violence,
but to seek a constitutional method to arrive at a
peaceful solution through the proper channels. He at once
proceeded with the people to the office of the Shengcheng,
who said, "The Frenchmen are indeed most aggressive and
unreasonable. Your humble servant is ready to sacrifice
position, rank, even life itself, for the preservation of
the territory of the ration. A telegram has already been
sent to the Central Government giving a detailed report of
what has happened here, and a reply will soon be received
giving instructions for our guidance." The Chairman of the
Chamber of Commerce replied: "I am afraid that the people
are out of patience now, and there are several thousands
of merchants and other classes of people awaiting
i