Compare, however, any city in China, in the midst of the most ancient civilisation in the world, with a city like Chicago, which claims to have reached the highest development of modern civilisation, and it would be difficult to assert that the condition of public morals in the heathen city was even comparable with the corruption and sin of the American city, a city "nominally Christian, which is studded with churches and littered with Bibles," but still a city "where perjury is a protected industry." No community is more ardent in its evangelisation of the "perishing Chinese" than Chicago, but where in all China is there "such a supreme embodiment of fraud, falsehood, and injustice," as prevails in Chicago?
An alderman in Chicago, Mr.Stead tells us (p.

172 _et seq._) receives only 156 dollars a year salary; but, in addition to his salary, he enjoys "practically unrestricted liberty to fill his pockets by bartering away the property of the city." "It is expected of the alderman, as a fundamental principle, that he will steal," and, in a fruitful year, says the _Record_, the average crooked alderman makes 15,000 to 20,000 dollars.

An assessorship in Chicago is worth nominally 1500 dollars per annum, but "everyone knows that in Chicago an assessorship is the shortest cut to fortune." Squeezing in China may be common, but it is a humble industry compared with the monumental swindling which Mr.Stead describes as existing in Chicago.
Besides being manager in Yunnan City, Li is the chief telegraph director of the two provinces of Yunnan and Kweichow.

That he is entirely innocent of all knowledge of telegraphy, or of the management of telegraphs, is no bar to such an appointment.

He is a mandarin, and is, therefore, presumably fitted to take any position whatever, whether it be that of Magistrate or Admiral of the Fleet, Collector of Customs, or General commanding in the field.