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this country. The opium reforms affect the large and the small farmers,
the manufacturers, the transportation companies, the bankers, the
commission men, the hundreds of thousands of shopkeepers, and the
government revenues, for the opium traffic is an almost inextricable
strand in the fabric of Chinese commerce. In addition to these bewildering
complications of the problem, there is the discouraging inertia to
overcome of a land which, far from being alert and active, is sunk in the
lethargy of ancient local custom.

No, in putting down her master-vice, China must not only overcome all the
familiar economic difficulties that tend to block reform everywhere, but,
in addition, must find a way to rouse and energize the most backward and
(outside of the age-old grooves of conduct and government) the most
unmanageable empire in the world.

On what element in her population must China rely to put this huge reform
into effect? On the officials, or mandarins, who carry out the
governmental edicts in every province, administer Chinese justice, and
control the military and finances. But of these officials, more than
ninety per cent. have been known to be opium-smokers, and fully fifty per
cent. have been financially interested in the trade.

Still another obstacle blocking reform is the powerful example and
widespread influence of the treaty ports. Perhaps the white race is
"superior" to the yellow; I shall not dispute that notion here. But one
fact which I know personally is that every one of the treaty ports, where
the white men rule, including the British crown colony of Hongkong, chose
last year to maintain its opium revenue regardless of the protests of the
Chinese officials.

Putting down opium in China would appear to be a pretty big job. The
"vested interests," yellow and white, are against a change; the personal
habits of the officials themselves work against it; the British keep on
pouring in their Indian opium; and by way of a positive force on the
affirmative side of the question there would appear to be only the
lethargy and impotence of a decadent, chaotic race. How would you like to
tackle a problem of this magnitude, as Yuan Shi K'ai and Tong Shao-i have
done? Try to organize a campaign in your home town against the bill-board
nuisance; against corrupt politics; against drink or cigarettes. Would it
be easy to succeed? When you have thought over some of the difficulties
that would block you on every hand, m