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28 CHINA MISSION YEAR BOOK.ler-General of the Board of Education and the youngerman becoming President of the Waivvu Pu. Their presence in Peking certainly hurried on reform, for on thei6th the Government Council discussed Yuan Shih-k ai smemorial of the 2yth July, and on the i8th issued areport in the shape of a memorial, covering five points :the centralization of Government in Peking, the creationof a legislative Council, the extension of local selfgovernment,the provision of universal education, andthe abolition of the distinction between Manchus andChinese. The Throne considered this memorial, andtwo days later issued an Imperial decree establishingthe Legislative Council as the basis of parliamentaryGovernment, Prince Pu L,un and Sun Chia-nai beingappointed presidents with responsibility for draftingdetailed regulations. A week later an Imperial Decreelaid upon the Bannermen the burden brought upon manby man s first disobedience that in the sweat of theirbrows should they eat bread. "We hereby orderViceroys and Governors of provinces ... to report uponthe number of banner troops in the provinces and alscthe drill grounds and arable lands for their use.Detailed arrangements were made so that the bannertroops should earn their own living and "the officialsconcerned should not fail to carry out the Imperial desireto remove the differences between Manchus and Chinese."This decree was supported by another a fortnight later,which instructed the Board of Rites to compile lawscommon to Manchus and Chinese other than ImperialClans ... in order to let the populace know that allthe people are under the same rules and customs. Between these two decrees came one dated 3Oth September,in which it was declared that "We think it necessaryto have universal education . . . and it is also necessaryto have local self-government, without which men ofability could not be properytrained." The sameDecree gives instructions to various departments toprovide necessary aid in these directions. Yuan Shih-