晚清政治改革中的蒙學公會與《蒙學報》──以葉瀚為中心的分析

Political Reform during the Late Qing Dynasty: On Ye Han, The Society for Children’s Education, and The Children’s Educator

本文以晚清維新運動時期的蒙學公會與《蒙學報》為素材，以蒙學公會核心人物葉瀚為討論中心，重新建構相關史實，進而討論在十九、二十世紀之交中國趨新人士群體成長過程中，蒙學公會與《蒙學報》的特徵及其歷史意義。甲午戰敗後，身處武昌的葉瀚原有發行報刊、創辦學堂等計畫，但因籌集資金困難、武昌風氣錮蔽等原因，均無法付諸實踐。光緒二十三年秋，葉瀚赴上海，與汪康年、汪鍾霖等江浙人士一起成立蒙學公會，並開始發行《蒙學報》。上海相對自由的環境，以及逐漸形成的上海地區學會運動的活動模式，使得葉瀚等人實踐了在武昌難以開展的事業。光緒二十四年，蒙學公會捲入圍繞著康有為集團的政治紛爭。葉瀚擬動員蒙學公會等浙江人士在上海的既有力量，試圖對抗康有為集團。稍後，葉瀚等政治積極份子也繼續投身於庚子時期的上海士紳政治運動。故筆者認為，透過蒙學公會的活動，可以看出在十九、二十世紀之交士紳群體力量的成長。

This paper considers political reform in China during the late Qing dynasty. Its particular focus is on Ye Han, one of the founders of The Society for Children's Education, an organization guided by the belief that political reform should begin with early childhood education. Ye Han was also instrumental in the creation of The Children's Educator, a newspaper that advocated for the education of children from the earliest ages upward. By examining Ye Han, The Society for Children's Education, and The Children's Educator, the paper helps us arrive at a better understanding of the nature of political reform in China during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the aftermath of China's humiliating defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), Ye Han, who was then living in the interior city of Wuchang, attempted to found both a newspaper and a school. He failed in these attempts, however, due to fundraising difficulties and the stifling cultural atmosphere of Wuchang at the time. He then moved to Shanghai in the fall of 1897. There, together with Wang Kangnian, Wang Zhonglin, and others from the so-called Jiangsu-Zhejiang school, he established The Society for Children's Education. He also helped found The Children's Educator. The relatively liberal environment of Shanghai enabled Ye Han and other like-minded reformers to succeed, whereas the repressive and conservative environment of Wuchang had doomed them to failure. This paper also examines how Ye Han pitted himself and his allies against Kang Youwei and his followers during the Reform Movement of 1898. Political activists such as Ye Han continued to participate in the political activities of the Shanghai elite after 1900. By considering the activities of Ye Han and his allies, we can see how the elites grew in power as the Qing dynasty drew to a close.