Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-30
ChInese hungarian Mnrriage.

Correspondence OF bne London Times.
SHANGHAI, March 21.-The Pekin Gazette of
the 18th of March announces that the marriage
of the emperor is at length definitely resolved
on. The expresses dowager publish three de-
crees, the first naming the empress elecl, the
second appointing three other ladies TO be
members OF the harem, and the third ordering
the astronomical board to select lucky day in
October for the celebration of the marriage.
The name Of the lady whom fate and the en-
presses have selected for this supreme honor is
Alute. She is Mongol by descent, her father,
Chung-chi, junior officer ofthe Hanlin college,
being son Of Saishanga, a Mongol mandarin
who held high Office at the beginning of the
last reign, and her mother daughter of the
late Tuanhau, prince of Cheng, who was a
prominent member of the anti-foreign party
that held sway during the closing years of
Hen flung, but was overtaken by Prince Kung
and the expresses in November 1861. One of
the other three ladies is a daughter of the above
Saishanga, and, therefore, an aunt of the en-
press-rather curious admiXture of relation
ship; the other two are daughters of subordi.
nate officials of no particular note.
The mere incident Of the emperors approach
ing marriage will have little interest for readers
in England. But this event has political impOr-
lance quite Interior. The formal assumption BY
him of the reins Of power cannot be long delay.
ed after his marriage; and the first question he
will have 10 decide on his own responsibility is
that of admitting foreign ambassadors to audi
among western powers that they would forbear
pressing this claim until the emperor's ndepen-
dence from control should be fully recognized.
The epoch Of marriage in China is generally
held to be the signal for this emancipation, so
we may anticipate that the question cannot be
longer delayed than the spring Of 1873.
To Europeans unfamiliar with the extrayagant
assumption Of a Chinese emperor .hs matter
must seem much less important than il really is,
for il does involve crucial point of our rela-
tons. Isolated for centuries from the rest of
the world, knowing only the weak kingdom
around her borders, over whom her superiority
Is unbounded, China has'rcgarded herself as the
centre Of civilization and power implied in the
term central Kingdom" Aud the emperor is,
Of course, as far above "ouslde' sovereigns as
| China Is superior to the nations over whom they
| rule. There Is only one emperor, and the other
rulers OF the world are his vassals. Ambassa-
doris, therefore, fioln those rulers are tribute
| bearers aud can only approach bis presence as
| they would that Of god, constantly knecliug
and striking the earth with their forehead.
IL Is easy TO conceive that the advisers of the
| young emperor have steadfastly declined 10 deal
with demand so preposterous in Chinese eyes
| as the admission Of foreign ambassadors TO an
audience as representatives Of sovercigns equal
| with their master. All COnluciandom would
| have been aghast At the innovation, apd the
head Of the innovator would have been in dan.
| ger A powerful mandarin might have dared
| and steered through the crisis, but the members
| Of the present government are not individually
| powerful, and the instinct OF a Cbinaman Is 20
staye of rather than grapple with an emer.
gency.
The responsibility could not have been put
upon the emperor, for he was too young; il
would have been too patent that boy OF four
,geh OF fifteen was acting under the influence Of
ms ministers; but his majesty is now seventeen,
according TO the Chinese mode of reckoning
/, W. leh SETS down baby as year old directly ii
,ee oo,ni ana when to the weight of these seven.
SS I seas - added the dignity Of marriage, all
nj viii w IV ~ 's, certain amount Of ndvd
. only man VINO can cut the knot without DANCE,
e to ms head, and to him has he solution ~ *,
problem been LETT Whether he viii deal with
lllteilgeuty OF persist In dashing his head
I The Pekin correspondent Of the North Chin,
! ! Herald Is unfayorably Impressed by the fac