The British government introduced to the foreign office (Tsung Li Yamen and Wai Wu Pu) for many years, Sir Walter Hillier, as adviser, but since his appointment was to a degree forced he had less influence than in the case of the voluntary appointments of the Americans, Dennison and Stevens, as advisers in the foreign offices of Japan and Korea, respectively. The four-nations bankers will have foreign advisers on the Chinese Finance and Foreign Boards, and great tact and patience with China’s difficulties will at all times be required. Long before the revolution, as well as after it, the masses of the Chinese had commenced to think of national and international politics. Whenever missionaries opened new “tan” (preaching or “talk” halls, as the Chinese call churches) the auditors listened respectfully for a while to the “doctrine” or “tao” (way). When the missionary came down from the platform, and joined the audience on the benches for a familiar “tan” (chat), religious subjects were not the first spoken of, the following questioning being common: “Our first question is, what is your name, age and number of children?” “Did you come from your country by railway or steamship?” “How far is it and what was the cost?” “What is your real business outside of your kindly avocation of achieving merit by temporarily talking about Jesus?” “How long have you been in this province of China?” “Were your clothes made in a China port, or in America, and at what cost?” “You do not shave your head and face or change your outer clothes often, so we suppose you do not bathe often.” “What do you think of this talk of republics, foreign loans, centralized government, armies and railways?” There is no sycamore tree for Zacchæus to climb; he must come down. They know you are peaceful as an amateur, but they insist on your professional opinion, and they believe your profession is something more practical than talking religion. Are you a doctor, a government employé, a farmer, a soldier, a spy, an artisan, a merchant? If so, you must know about these practical things, and can answer the questions propounded.