NEWS OF THE WEEK.
..itt MOMENTOUS decision has been taken in China.
Yuan Shih-kai announced, with the approval of the Manchu dynasty, on Thursday, that the dynasty places its future in the hands of the National Conference which is shortly to be elected. The general opinion seems to be that the Conference will declare in favour of a Republic. As we recorded last week, the representatives of the rebels in the Rebel-Imperialist Conference at Shanghai do not admit the possibility of allowing the reigning House to continue, and even the Imperial representative was unable to refrain from expressing sympathy with the rebels. It was his report of his mission which has just brought about the very important declaration by Yuan Shih-kai. Whether Northern China is really republican at heart remains to be seen. It is to be remembered that it is very different in character from the people who have as their spokesmen the Westernizing scholars and philosophers of Canton.
