and is frightening his conservative subjects by his revolutionary
changes, while Korea is changing with kaleidoscopic
rapidity.

Whereas the opening years of the sixteenth century saw the
struggle for civilization, of the seventeenth century for religious
liberty, of the eighteenth century for constitutional government,
of the nineteenth century for political freedom, the
opening years of the twentieth century witness what Lowell
would have called:--

``One death-grapple in the darkness 'twixt
Old systems and the word.''



X

FOREIGN TRADE AND FOREIGN VICES

THE influences that are thus surging into the Middle
Kingdom are tremendous. The beginnings of China's
foreign trade date back to the third century, though
it was not until comparatively recent years that it grew to large
proportions. To-day the leading seaports of China have many
great business houses handling vast quantities of European and
American goods. The most persistent effort is made to extend
commerce with the Chinese. That the effort is successful is
shown by the fact that the foreign trade of China increased
from 217,183,960 taels in 1888 to 583,547,291 taels in 1904.