ercise care to see that the man whom she is
taking to be a life companion is worthy of her. During this period
it is the duty of her relatives and friends to point out to her any
danger or misunderstanding even to the extent of offending her
feelings. But if you leave her alone at this stage when there is
plenty of time to change her course, and--what is more--urge her to
tie the knot despite incompatibility, what right have you afterwards
to make the impudent suggestion to the wife that her husband is not
a man to whom she should cling for life? Is such a course a
charitable way of doing things?

If indeed the republican cause is enough to cause the destruction of
the nation then you, the advocates of monarchy, have placed the
country in a position from which she has no hope of ever coming out
independent. You are the men who--to the best of your
ability--inculcated and pressed the adoption of the republican
cause. The proverb says, "If now, why not then?" How many days can a
person live that you, not satisfied with one great sin, are again to
commit another. It is not long since the Republic was first
established; yet you, the veterans of republicanism, are the leaders
to-day in advocating the overthrow of the Republic. Yes. It is
indeed strange that I, a man who once opposed the republican cause,
should now be opposing you. Nothing is stranger and nothing is so
fateful.

But our modern critics say we prefer a constitutional monarchy to an
autocratic republic. Now whether we are constitutional or not is a
question concerning the administration, while the question whether
we are republican or not is a question concerning the form or status
of the country. We have always held that the question of _Kuo-ti_ is
above discussion and that what we should consider is the actual
condition of administration. If the administration (government) is
constitutional, then it matters not whether the country is a
Republic or a Monarchy. If the government is not constitutional then
neither a republic nor a monarchy will avail. There is no connexion,
therefore, between the question of _Kuo-ti_ and the question of
_Cheng-ti_. It is an absurd idea to say that in order to improve the
administration we must change the _Kuo-ti_--the status or form of
the country--as a necessity. If this idea is to be