Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-11-12
PHILOSOPHY OF THE wHIp.

dicted to the use Of the whip AS IN instrument
| of punIshment-the Chinese the Russians, and
the English and II may not be uninteresting
| to trace the different notifications of the GUS
4 tom among them to their source In the national
character.
The Chinese have at length begun to show
themselves. We have dragged them into day
by main force. Our fleet has thrown down
| their walls of concealment; aud our missiona-
ries landing on the coasts in spite of their en-
raged functionaries, have planted the gospel in
defiance of the law. Weiind this peculiar pco-
| pie, whose first modern compiler Of ancient
| history flourished about the time Of Herodo-
tns, 10 he nothing more than old children
They have NOT got beyond the patriarchial
regime; and although now comprising one
third part Of the human race their government
| is the same in theory as that which ruled the
tents Of the fathers of Israel We speak, of
| course, Of the great fundamental Thought, not
of the complicated system of legislation by
which so mighty a people are kept in order
This thought" is composed of paternal duty
on the one hand, and filial duty on the other
The emperor for the time being, no matter of
| what dynasty, is the father of the nation, and
the people are his docile and reyerent children
The imperial power is represented by the Off
GERS of the state, great and small, each under
each and finally by the fathers of families, who
| are each imperial in his own household. A
youth will not sit without permission in his
fathers presencei the father pays similar re-
spect TO the lowest public functionary, and he
to higher, till the chain of reverence termi-
mates with the emperor himself Yes, termi-
natcsi for the emperor is the high priest as
as well as king A common Chinese does not
presume 10 communicate with the Heavens and
the Earth, who are the supreme deities of the
nation but contents himself with paying divine
honors to the Emperor, whose business it is to
mediate for all. Even his ancestors are infe-
rior in spiritual dignity to the emperor al
though he worships them likewise, and burns
incense before their names.
The principle of cohesion, therefore, in Chi
nese society. is that ceremony which regulates
the graduation of ranks. The law cannot COM
mand respect which is an act of the mind, but
commands the observance Of certain forms
implying respect. 1t regulates the number OF
obeisances at private as well as public meet
ings ii measures TIC depth of bow or a cour-
.esy il is supreme over fashion itself Even
a lady dresses according TO the statute. No
| man must dare 10 notice the varieties in tenn
pcrature before his superiors. The governor
of province lets its inhabitants know when it
is cold enough for change of costume and
when the signal is given BY these functionnries,
all China puts on its winter cap But the law
does not end here; II extends to the spiritual
kingdom; and the gods and the genii are ar
ranged with the incest attention to the distinc-
tinction Of rank. When Il mandarin, in travel
ing, lodges az temple, he causes the statues
of those diyinties to be displaced who are of
inferior grade to himself
In all countries, there must be some penalty
annexed TO the lighter and more common in
Engagements Of the law and in iilial China, il
will be seen, the most suitable one is II whip
ping The rod appears, from the universal
practice of mankind, to be the natural instru-
mcnt for the correction of children, and it is
government of the Chinese TO keep the sons OF
Han in order, When the emperor is dspleased
with his ministers, and the offence is not grave
enough to require their being sent to Tartary,
or condemned to stand sentry at the palace
| doors, he chastises them with bamboo. The
ministers keep their subordnatcs in mind of
their duty by the same means; the subs trans
nit the whipping TO tn ose under them and so
on, till all China is soundly and continuously
logged. When an English ambassador was
| incommoded by the crowd of courters who
| gathered around him at the palace, one of the
ministers of the state, catching up a bamboo,
rushed out among them and put them to flight.
A magistrate makes his appearance in the
streets with bundle of rods for his insignia of
Office, and officers go before him to thrash the
people out of his way, AT trial, these instru-
mcnts punishment are placed in awful array
before the bench and sentence is executed up
on the spot, by tho offender being laid down
upon his face in open court, and receiving the
chastisement allotted to him
But the government of China is not merely
patriarchial, but scholastic the people are at
once children and scholars, and in both capac-
ties the rod would seem TO be their due. Some
Of our readers will be surprised to hear that the
Chinese are the most universally educated peo-
pie in the world except one and that one sthe
Japanese. In China education is one of the
chief empioyments of the state and the peri
odical examinations Of the schools keep thu
al,