habit, and encourages the formation of anti-opium societies, but
will not allow these societies to discuss other political
matters.

Next to China Great Britain is the party most affected by this
movement towards reform. When this edict was issued Great Britain
was shipping annually fifty thousand chests of opium to the
Chinese market, but at once agreed that if China was sincere in
her desire for reform, and cut off her own domestic productions
at the rate of ten per cent. per annum, she would decrease her
trade at a similar rate. It is unfortunate that the Empress
Dowager should have died before this reform had been carried to a
successful culmination, but whatever may be the result of the
movement the fact and the credit of its initiation will ever
belong to her.

Such are some of the special reform measures instituted by the
Empress Dowager, but in addition to these she has seen to it that
the Emperor's efforts to establish a Board of Railroads, a Board
of Mines, educational institutions on the plans of those of the
West, should all be carried out. She has not only done away with
the old system of examinations, but has introduced a new scheme
by which all those who have graduated from American or European
colleges may obtain Chinese degrees and be entitled to hold
office under the government, by passing satisfactory
examinations, not a small part of which is the diploma or
diplomas which they hold. Such an examination has already been
held and a large number of Western graduates, most of them
Christian, were given the Chu-jen or Han-lin degrees.