the new arrangement
greater weight, it was required that they "discharge this duty in
conjunction with the viceroy or governor of the province."

An item of news that came along with these decrees seemed to indicate
that a hitherto frivolous court has at length become thoroughly in
earnest on the subject of education. A sum of 300,000 taels appeared
in the national budget as the annual expense of a theatrical troupe
in attendance on the Court. At the instance of two ministers (Viceroy
Yuan and General Tieliang) Her Majesty reduced this to one-third of
that amount, ordering that theatricals should be performed twice
a week instead of daily; and that the 200,000 taels thus economised
shall be set apart for _the use of schools_. How much this
resembles the policy of Viceroy Chang who, exempted from raising
a war indemnity, set apart an equal amount for the building of
schoolhouses! An empire that builds schoolhouses is more certain
to make a figure in the world than one that spends its money on
batteries and forts.

In addition to adopting the new education there are three items
which Chang proclaims as essential to a renovation of Chinese society.
In the little book, already cited, he says:

[Page 236]
The crippling of women makes their offspring weak;
The superstition of _Fungshui_ prevents the opening of mines,
And keeps China poor."

How could the man who wrote this fall back into the folly of
_Fungshui?_ Is it not possible that he closed that new road
in deference to the superstitions of his people? In either case
it would be a deplorable weakness; but his country, thanks to his
efforts, is now fully committed to progress. She moves, however, in
that direction much as her noble rivers move toward the sea--with
many a backward bend, many a refluent eddy.

POSTSCRIPT NO. I

In taking leave of this eminent man, who represents the best class
of his countrymen, there are two or three incidents, which I mention
by way of supplement. In his telegram to Vancouver, besides engaging
me to assume the office of president of the proposed university, he
asked me to act as his legal and political adviser. In the agreement
formally made through the consul in New York, in place of these
last-named functions was substituted the duty of instructing his
junior mandarins in international law. The reason assigned for
the change was that the Peking Government declined to allow _any
foreigner_ to hold the post of adviser. T