propaganda; a man told us that the soldiers wept when some
students talked to them about the troubles of China, and the soldiers of
Shantung, the province turned over to Japan, have taken the lead in
telegraphing the soldiers in the other provinces to resist the corrupt
traitors. Of course, what they all are afraid of is that this is a flash
in the pan, but they are already planning to make the student movement
permanent and to find something for them to do after this is settled.
Their idea here is to reorganize them for popular propaganda for
education, more schools, teaching adults, social service, etc.

It is very interesting to compare the men who have been abroad with
those who haven't--I mean students and teachers. Those who haven't are
sort of helpless, practically; the height of literary and academic
minds. Those who have studied abroad, even in Japan, have much more go
to them. Certainly the classicists in education have a noble example
here in China of what their style of education can do if only kept up
long enough. On the other hand, there must be something esthetically
very fine in the old Chinese literature; even many of the modern young
men have a sentimental attachment to it, precisely like that which they
have to the fine writing of their characters. They talk about them with
all the art jargon: "Notice the strength of this down stroke, and the
spirituality of the cross stroke and elegant rhythm of the composition."
When we visited a temple the other day, one of the chief Buddhist
shrines in China, we were presented with a rubbing of the writing of the
man who is said to be the finest writer ever known in China--these
characters were engraved in the rock from his writing some centuries
ago--I don't know how many. It is very easy to see how cultivated people
take refuge in art and spirituality when politics are corrupt and the
general state of social life is discouraging; you see it here, and how
in the end it increases the decadence.

I think we wrote you from Shanghai that we had been introduced to all
the mysteries of China, ancient eggs, sharks' fins, birds' nests, pigeon
eggs, the eight precious treasures, rice pudding, and so on. We continue
to have Chinese meals; yesterday lunch in the home of an adviser to a
military official. He is very outspoken, doesn't trim in politics, and
gives you a more hopeful feeling about China. The most depressing thing
is hearing it said, "When we get a stable gover