Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-04-30
A Chinese Newspaper,

The Peking Gazette is as unlike
Western Newspaper as its contents are
unlike Western pewe. It is an oblong
book CT few thin leaves, printed with
downward lines CT wood characters. In
shape it is like our cash books, but SO
narrow and fiimsy that il could be curled
round a finger; strings of twisted paper,
run through the back, fasten 1t into pa
per covers of the national yellow, be-
smeared with dim red letters-and there
is the whole thing complete, the organ
of the Chinese Government for publish
ing imperial DEGREES. official charges,
memorials and reports from the pro-
vinees; and to thousands of pig. tailed
gentlemen, in and out of office, it is
that indispensable luxury-the daily
paper.
We shall CLEAN some idea OF its Curl
GUS contents from the collected issues OF
two notable years-lS75, when new
Emperor ascended the throne, and 1877,
a year of war and famine. His Majesty
the Emperor having ''ascended upon the
Dragon to be a guest on high" in the
twelfth moon of the past year. or early
in our January, the opening news of
the year deals largely with Palace af-
fairs. The new Emperor-the adopted
successor of him who had ascended
upon the Dragon to be a guest on high
publishes such protestatlons of grief
and of devotion to the Empire, that it
is with a shock We discover afterwards
his mature age of three years. The
Empress Dowsger and the Empress
Mother govern for this imperial wise
acre, and issue such "benIgn DEGREES"
as the disgrace of His late Maiesty's
ply ysicians by the immediate forfeiture
of their buttons and peacock feathers
for having let him die.
The peacock feather which is worn
hanging from the cap, and the top but
ton, which by Its color marks the grade
OF rank, are often the subject Of de-
erees. Memorials from the provinces
are constantly printed. A minister asks
tor retirement on the ground of i'll
health, begging that His Majesty's
slave" be given rest, SO that he may,
though useless and ssted, continue his
existence on the face CT the earth. The
Governor of Kiang-su, on being ap-
pointed Governor General of Nanking,
declares tha. he sent up a memorial last
year, BEGGING leave to retire On account
OF hls lntirmitles, but. as the courier
rode to PekIng, he was drenched by
rain and snow, that the wet penetrated
the despatch box, and the many folds
OF oiled pal er, and reduced the letter
of enireaty to pulp, by the Joltmg OF
the horse. And thereupon does not the
Governor of kiang-su e1ulting state
that the courier has been repaid with
the bamboo, and brings now another
despatch, which will inform HIS Majesty
that be, the injured Governor, will take
command at Nanking, although his
rheumatism is hard to bear? 1t is
strange to find. in columns of news,
whom the soul of a Nomen Han of
Tibet has been reborn. A youth OF
seventeen is now discovered In an OBJ
scure village, and it Is stated that he is
ble re-embodied spuit.
A petition is forwarded In favor of this
remarkable young man, who-lf the
reader wishes TO remember his name
was Awhng Cniamubalch' u 'ch' 'engchai- |
so. But he is refused re instatement at |
Tibet, and disowned officially, as he |
had been forbidden forever the privil- |
ege OF re-appearIng again on earth. ,
But such news Is not alarming to re ad- |
ers who have come across the predlc- |
tons OF the Board of Astronomers, and |
read OF the assistance in public works |
vouchsaied by the river gods, the Yel- |
low Great King, the Vermilion KING,
the Nine Dragon General and several |
more. The famine of 1877 furnishes us |
with terrible pictures Of human misery,
but 1t bIlngs forward also the benevo- |
lent efforts OF those who we're charged
with the perIshing multitude at their |
doors. The police censors of the west |
ern district OF Peking memoralIze, say
ing that during the winter they saw Ii |
the streets the unsheltered dead, and |
the cold and hungry huddled together |
In heaps. 1hey quote a former decree, |
declaring that the police ought to be |
the protectors OF the poor, and they
call attention to hospice at the gate
OF the city. and tell how body of un-
employed officials have subscribed for
WIG eicStAon VI aAolnef Hoep'Ce W sHel-
ter thousand of the destitute, sick
and aged. The accounts from the
famiEe-strlcken districts tell dire tales.
The Governor OF Shansi writes time
after time, telling how the people have
stripped the bark off the trees TOR food,
and even swallowed pellets of earth;
and at last ''there remain neither the
Lark If Trees LOr the roots of WILD
herbs 10 be eaten, and ordinary food
supplies have absolutely disappeared.
The land is filled with the sound OF
lamentations, and the corpses OF the
starved are to be seen on every hand 10y
the wayside."