The entire civilized world, as well as China, is to be heartily
congratulated upon the glorious revolution which has been sweeping over
that vast ancient empire, and which is now practically assured of
success. "Just as conflagrations light up the whole city," says Victor
Hugo, "revolutions light up the whole human race." Of no revolution
recorded in the world's history can this be said with a greater degree
of truth than of the present revolution in China. It spells the
overthrow of monarchy, which has existed there for over forty
centuries, and the downfall of a dynasty which has been the enemy of
human progress for the last two hundred and seventy years. It effects
the recognition and establishment of personal liberty, the sovereignty
of man over himself, for four hundred and thirty-two million souls,
one-third of the world's total population.
The Chinese revolution marks, in short, a great, decisive step in the
onward march of human progress. It benefits not only China, but the
whole world, for just as a given society should measure its prosperity
not by the welfare of a group of individuals, but by the welfare of the
entire community, so must humanity estimate its progress according to
the well-being of the whole human race. Society can not be considered
to be in a far advanced stage of civilization if one-third of the
globe's inhabitants are suffering under the oppression and tyranny of a
one-man rule. Democracy can not be said to exist if a great portion of
the people on the earth have not even political freedom. Real democracy
exists only when all men are free and equal. Hence, any movement which
brings about the recognition and establishment of personal liberty for
one-third of the members of the human family, as the Chinese revolution
is doing, may well be pronounced to be beneficial to mankind.
But is it really true and credible that conservative, slumbering, and
"mysterious" China is actually having a revolution, that beautiful and
terrible thing, that angel in the garb of a monster? If it is, what is
the cause of the revolution? What will be its ultimate outcome? What
will follow its success? Will a republic be established and will it
work successfully? These and many other questions pertaining to the
Chinese situation have been asked, not only by skeptics, but also by
persons interested in China and human progress.
There can be no doubt that China is in earnest about what she is doing.
Even the skeptics who called the revolution a "mob movement," or
another "Boxer uprising," at its early stage must now admit the truth
of the matter. The admirable order and discipline which have
characterized its proceedings conclusively prove that the revolution is
a well-organized movement, directed by men of ability, intelligence,
and humanitarian principles. Sacredness of life and its rights, for
which they are fighting, have generally guided the conduct of the
rebels. The mob element has been conspicuous by its absence from their
ranks. It is very doubtful whether a revolution involving such an
immense territory and so many millions of people as are involved in
this one could be effected with less bloodshed than has thus far marked
the Chinese revolution. If some allowance be made for exaggeration in
the newspaper reports of the loss of lives and of the disorders that
have occurred during the struggle, allowance which is always
permissible and even wise for one to make, there has been very little
unnecessary bloodshed committed by the revolutionists.
Although anti-Manchu spirit was a prominent factor in bringing about
the uprising, it has been subordinated by the larger idea of humanity.
With the exception of a few instances of unnecessary destruction of
Manchu lives at the beginning of the outbreak, members of that tribe
have been shown great clemency. The rebel leaders have impressed upon
the minds of their followers that their first duty is to respect life
and property, and have summarily punished those having any inclination
to loot or kill. Despite the numerous outrages and acts of brutality by
the Manchus and imperial troops, the revolutionaries have been
moderate, lenient, and humane in their treatment of their prisoners and
enemies. Unnecessary bloodshed has been avoided by them as much as
possible. As Dr. Wu Ting-fang has said: "The most glorious page of
China's history is being written with a bloodless pen." Regarding the
cause of the revolution, it must be noted that the revolt was not a
sudden, sporadic movement, nor the result of any single event. It is
the outcome of a long series of events, the culmination of the friction
and contact with the Western world in the last half-century, especially
the last thirty years, and of the importation of Western ideas and
methods into China by her foreign-educated students and other agents.
During the last decade, especially the last five years, there has been
a most wonderful awakening among the people in the empire. One could
almost see the growth of national consciousness, so rapidly has it
developed. When the people fully realized their shortcomings and their
country's deplorable weakness as it has been constantly brought out in
her dealings with foreign Powers, they fell into a state of
dissatisfaction and profound unrest. Filled with the shame of national
disgrace and imbued with democratic ideas, they have been crying for a
strong and liberal government, but their pleas and protests have been
in most cases ignored and in a few cases responded to with half-hearted
superficial reforms which are far from satisfactory to the
progressives. The Manchu government has followed its traditional
_laissez faire_ policy in the face of foreign aggressions and
threatening dangers of the empire's partition, with no thought of the
morrow. Until now it has been completely blind to the force of the
popular will and has deemed it not worth while to bother with the
common people.
Long ago patriotic Chinese gave up hope in the Manchu government and
realized that China's salvation lay in the taking over of the
management of affairs into their own hands. For over a decade Dr. Sun
Yat-sen and other Chinese of courage and ability, mostly those with a
Western education, have been busily engaged in secretly preaching
revolutionary doctrines among their fellow countrymen and preparing for
a general outbreak. They collected numerous followers and a large sum
of money. The revolutionary propaganda was being spread country-wide,
among the gentry and soldiers, and even among enlightened government
officials, in spite of governmental persecution and strict vigilance.
Revolutionary literature was being widely circulated, notwithstanding
the rigid official censorship.
Added to all this are the ever important economic causes. Famines and
floods in recent years have greatly intensified the already strong
feeling of discontent and unrest, and served to pile up more fuel for
the general conflagration.
In short, the whole nation was like a forest of dry leaves which needed
but a single fire spark to make it blaze. Hence, when the revolution
broke out on the memorable 10th of October, 1911, at Wu-Chang, it
spread like a forest fire. Within the short period of two weeks
fourteen of the eighteen provinces of China proper joined in the
movement one after another with amazing rapidity. Everywhere people
welcomed the advent of the revolutionary army as the drought-stricken
would rejoice at the coming rain, or the hungry at the sight of food.
The great wave of democratic sentiment which had swept over Europe,
America, and the islands of Japan at last reached the Chinese shore,
and is now rolling along resistlessly over the immense empire toward
its final goal--a world-wide democracy.