New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-18
CHINESE ETIQUETTE or PUNISHMENT

From, temple Bar.
The present representative of Confuciuss family,
rs the only hereditary duke in China. Is the only
hereditary noble whose position the emperor, be-
lievc cannot NEEDLE with Princes, for instance,
however high their rank, be made unmade
by stroke of the emperOTs pen. On me ioth
September. 1874. an imperial edlct was puOilshes,
setting forth that for eighteen months previously
the language and tone OF the emperors uncle, the
former prince regent, toward the emperor lia'i
been L" in very many respects unOecomlns. ne
edict goes on to say: We therefore ordaIn that by
speciai grace there be substituted fer other punish
ment deprivation of his imperial prlncedom OF the
first class with hereditary succession in the same
degree forever and that he he reduced to the grade
of prince of the second degree His son also Is TO
be deprived of his rank as ar admonition and
punishment" Fancy u European prince losing
his stripes" like "a sergeant, III this way The fun
of the thing that, next day, two other doGu-
ments appeared III The CGzette-One IRON the
prince returning thanks for the emperors clemency;
and another from the emperor, III winch III was
stated that at the request OF the expresses he had
let the prince oil with warning to be more dill
gent and careful i'm future 80 the sentence forever
was rather out of place. The fact was that the
prince al the empress-mother had quarrelled, and
the latter had insisted on the emperor degrading
him; soon as 1t was done size began 10 thihk she
had gone too far so next day he was pardoned.
The mention made of returning thanks for an
imperial punishment recalls the odd aength 10
which this custom is carried When It is desirable
to get rid of very influential official 1t is done
in most polite manner. He is not condemned TO
death He only receives a neat parcel, containing @
sken cord with an imp -Tial dispatch setting forth
that in consequence of his great virtues ana many
him 10 strangle or hang himself ana the recipient
is thereupon supposed to write a careful allSN or
thanking his Majesty for his consideration, and
stating that the hint VIII be Immediately taken.
As a rule, the unlucky writer does inish himself OIL
with all iispatch.
Bmt n case occurred when was in Pekin which
sadly outraged all feelings of Chinese court pro
prieiy. General Shang-yu who during the last
China war. commanded the body OF men which
treachcrously seized Sir Harry PaINes ana several
others under flag OF truce-moSt OF the poor fel-
lows dying afterward i'll great torment-was one OF
those indiscrcet whose tongues are too long for
their safety After the war he took a local com
mand and having once been rehuked by the en-
preSs-mOthcr INDUCED IN some remarks ABOUT her
character OF coures son kind friend told the EN-
press and some time afterward subordinate OF
Shang-yus charging him with some Ohence, ne was
ordered to the capital for trial lie came, boldly
trusting to his great wealth to escape unpl1asahI
CONSEQUENCES. lie was lodged III prison. but allowed
to do much us he liked, and some of his wives used
to come and him daily. He stayed there SD long,
and was so comfortable, that he began 10 think he
had been forgotten and III IN evil hour ne sent i'll
a pctitiOn to be put AT OnGe on trial. The emperor
Tankwong had died since his arrest, and the en-
presses were in reality governing throughthe regent
prince kung; and General Shang-yu little knew
that his inCautiOus remarks had been repeated.
When the petitions of the day were submitted to
thc iuniOr empress his was read and he ordered
10 he beheaded There was nothing for it but TO
obey the empresss orders, and decre9 permit
| ting" him TO strange himself was immediately
drawn up and sent to him with the usual package
of silkcn cord. But Shangyu didn't take at all a
proper Wow of his duties and he did not lend him,
self to the operation. II was net etiquette To cal
i'm the gaoers TO strange hIn and the bearer of the
| bowstring and the governor of the gaOl were
| hardly strong enough to cope with toerabfy
muscular man who objected 10 letting them hang
| him. However they got the cord ronnd beam,
| and after long course of reasoning got him to
| mount n stool and put his neck in the moose Ii
must have been very much like Punch and Judy.
For fear he should change his mind, they did not
allow him to kick the stool away himself, as is Gus
| tOmary. but pulled it away themselves, and when
| his wives came that day as usual to dinner, they
were shown his corpse still hanging.