fighting the opium evil
earnestly, and in part effectively, they are still some little way short
of conquering it. Also, we must not forget, that all reforms are strongest
in their beginnings. The Chinese, no less than the rest of us, will take
up a moral issue in a burst of enthusiasm. But human beings cannot
continue indefinitely in a bursting condition. Reaction must always follow
extraordinary exertion, and it is then that the habits of life regain
their ascendency. Remarkable as this reform battle has been in its
results, it certainly cannot show a complete, or even a half-complete,
victory over the brown drug. And meantime the government of British India
is pouring four-fifths of its immense opium production into China by way
of Hongkong and the treaty ports. It should be added, further, that while
the various self-governing ports, excepting Shanghai, have very recently
been forced, one by one, to cover up at least the appearance of evil, the
crown colony of Hongkong, which is under the direct rule of Great Britain,
is still clinging doggedly to its opium revenues. The whole miserable
business was summed up thus in a recent speech in the House of Commons:
"The mischief is in China; the money is in India."

What is Great Britain doing to help China? His Majesty's government has
indulged in a resolution now and then, has expressed diplomatic "sympathy"
with its yellow victims, and has even "urged" India in the matter, but is
it really doing anything to help?

There are reasons why the world has a right to ask this question.

If China is to grow weaker, she must ultimately submit to conquest by
foreign powers. There are nine or ten of these powers which have some sort
of a footing in China. No one of them trusts any one of the others,
therefore each must be prepared to fight in defense of its own interests.
It is not safe to tempt great commercial nations with a prize so rich as
China; they might yield. Once this conquest, this "partition," sets in,
there can result nothing but chaos and world-wide trouble.

The trend of events is to-day in the direction of this world-wide trouble.
The only apparent way to head it off is to begin strengthening China to a
point where she can defend herself against conquest. The first step in
this strengthening process is the putting down of opium--there is no
other first step. Before you can put down opium, you have got to stop
opium production in India. And therefore the Anglo-Ind