The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1873-01-30

The "S0iiiary Prince.

The ''SOiitary Prince.
\ Pekir letter 10 the London Neus says:
~ he Emperor Is said TO be seventeen years
old, tut that means that he is only fifteen.
Every Cninaman has the right To add an
extra year to his age, and the Emperor has
the right OF adding Two wears. As vet he is
supposed not 10 have seen his future consort,
and will not see her Till she arrives at the
palace ON the day Of the marriage. For
lover this would be very hard coEdition OF
things, but imperial love seems 10 he u very
different matter from the ordinary article III
common life. One could suppose an arden,
youth, placed as the imperial bridegroom is
and trying 10 imagine his future
wife, that he might form all ideal Of her,
and something like the feeling of love might
list. This does not ses LII 20 be the Case !;
at least it is hard to suppose that i; can be
from what is reported To be going on. About
a year ago four teachers" or professors OF
m lirimony" is the rendering Of thei.
appointed 10 the Emperor these be-
ing four very beautiful young ladies'.
Alter the iGarrisge one of these will be adj
United to the harem. No idea can be formed
from this of the private character or feel
ings OF the Emperor. Everything he does,
and the conduct of every one about him, Is
d. fined in the book of ceremonies. Every
event in the EmperoI's life, from his birth
to his desth, Is regulated BIZ tbi. book, which
is said to extend To about Two hundred vol
ume,. In such an amplG,code there will be
no doubt, many volumes devoted to such an
Important event as the addition OF al em-
press to the imperial dignity, but it is hard
to understand how the ''art OF love" can be
taught by an imperial code, however volum-
inous, or by four professors Of matrimony."
The dream of the humpbached girl may in-
dictate the existence OF feelings which may
exist or thrive in spite of this overpowering
code of rules. Ii il hard to imagine what
the real character OF an Emperor OF China
is. He IL so shut cut from all the world
that he is called, among many titles, the
"Soli;ary Prince" and he may truly be said
to be a. ''ionely As god" State officials only
approach him in PROSTATE attitude and must
60 through their ceremonies or duties ac-
cording 10 the dictates Of this book OF 200
volumes Not a remark even a word
or emile, 10 express or communicate
thought or feeling can take place, and he
has been so from his cradle One wonders
# soul 20 isolated as this from all other
souls can possibly have grown and been de-
veiOpe,i. Can a heart SO carefully kept
away from cOntac. with all other hearts pos
sibly feel like the rest of mankind? What
he IL no one can find out. A writer wanting
to describe such charc;er can not get the
slightest information. An ar;ish desirin.
portrait can only do so by evolving it out
of his inner Consciousness. Photographers
have come 10 Pe,kin and tried every means
but found all TO be bopelese. One phO,ogra-
pher offered 10 leave the camera all arrapg-
cd, so that his presence would not be requir-
ed; bu; Son of the Sun would not allow the
sun this exclusive right Of portraiture. Ii is
highly probable that there il nothing in the
200 volumes NJ to how as Emperor ought
TO ii, when being photographed, and had he
tried to do go, the chances are that he
would have looked in two or three direc-
ton. dnring the sitting. and the result would
not have been 1AtteriDg Likeness. What
an Emperor of China would think, or how
the satelites about him might act, On seeing a
lot of smudges as the Likeness Of him who
sits on the Dragon Throne. it is impossible
to ray my opinion is that it 10 4 lucky
thing Tor the photographer his request was
refused. This seclusion Of the Emperor has
also to be carried out in relation to the En-
press, and it results that all the ceremonies
Of the marriage are hid from the vulgar eye.
The bride will no doubt he more stricily hid
than even her husband, for officials who
have 10 zee him on State business will be ex-
cl,ided from any chance Of seeing her. The
extreme of Oriental eecltsion il the rule
in the imperial harem Of Pekin. The I'm
press can he seen BY no male relative, and
only by her mother and sisters a, rare in
terva.s. With such conditions to begin with
a marriage becomes a very peculiar sys;sm
Of ceremonies. The Un'een is what has to
be dealt With, and from it, as first clement,
psyeanis ard rites have 10 he constructed.
So far as it il a show, Hamle, has to be en-
tirely LETT out Of the place and it Is very
curious 10 rec how il has been all mansg-i