lican Constitution, which involves his own disappearance from
political existence, is created by the fiat of the Emperor in his last
official utterance. Theoretically, the Republic is established not by a
people in arms acting in opposition to the imperial will, but by the
Emperor acting with august benevolence for his people's good. The cynic
may smile at the transparency of the attempt to represent the
abdication as entirely voluntary, but in this procedure we find
something more than a mere "face-saving" device intended for the
purpose of effecting a dignified retreat in the hour of disaster.

Perhaps the greatest interest of the decree centers in its appeal to
the wisdom of the national sages, and its acceptance of their theory as
to the ultimate seat of political sovereignty. The heart of the drafter
may have quailed when he wrote the words that signified the surrender
of the imperial power, but the spirit of Mencius guided his hand. It
now remains for us to hope that the teachings of the wise men of old,
which have been obeyed to such momentous issues by the last of the
Emperors, will not be treated with contempt by his Republican
successors.

TAI-CHI QUO

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 consid