It is clear that Yuan Shih-kai has the ball at
his feet. We believe he is to be trusted to act in the best interests of China, for besides being a far-sighted statesman he is a sincere Chinese patriot. If the revolutionaries inspired by Sun Yat Sen, whom we also believe to be a. sincere lover of his country, arc wise, they will trust Yuan Shih-kai. With their support nothing can touch him, and he will be able to insist upon a policy of " thorough " not only in regard to the Manchus but in the clearing out the Augean stable of the Palace. The fact that the Emperor is a child is of no small advantage. A Regent can be got rid of with little difficulty, and a boy Emperor can be far more easily trained in constitutional ways than could a man who had grown np under the evil influences to which such persons are usually exposed in Oriental countries. There is no reason indeed why Yuan Shih-kai should not be made Regent for the twelve or four- teen years which must elapse before the Emperor is old enough to act for himself.
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