The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-06
NIIEILISTS
The Great White Lily Secret SOcisty that Set
the Chinese Empire in a BInze.

Aab& 49, EAtNt - ~ wv 49, OI1
Chinese dynasty of the Mings and the following
of the Manchoo dynasty of the Tait-Sing, from
whom the present Emperor is descended. It was
during the reign of Prince Kia- King, in 1899,
that the secret society, the White Lily, first
came into existence, Its members attacked die
imperial palankeen in the streets'of Pekin in
1S03. The Emperor barely escaped with his fife.
An investigation set on foot revealed the fact
that members of theilnpeTial family, high digni-
taries of the empire, were connected with the
society. The insufrection spread to all the cen
trail provinces, and was not finally stamped out
until eight Years later.
The prosecuted members of the association
changed il into what was ostensibly q charitable
and philosophical ~society-the 'Thiente- Ouy,'
brotherhood of Celestial Reason" The first
article of faith imposed upon the affiliated the
necessity of dividing all good and evil fortune
with their brethren of the society. Its chief
aim was to bring about perfect harmony be-
tween heaven, earth and man, and the constant
occurrence of this formula caused Europeans to
allude to it as the Society Of the Triad.
"How should this harmony be re established
in it's genuine purityF' BY the overthrow of
che Tartar dynasty, and restoring to the Chl-
nese nation it's liberty and rights. This would
appease heaven and satisfy mankind not until
then secure of obtaining justice upon the face of
the earth The organization of the society re
sembled that of freemasonry.
The members addressed each other as broth
err" The officers were called the seniors but
there number was very limited Fhey must
have belonged for a leng time to the association,
and hence given proofs of their fidelity. The
rules of the order were extremely strict Urea
son or failure to execute the orders of the So
ciety was punished with death and the guilty
one fell beneath the peniards of two or three of
the members selected by the council to carry out
the death sentence.
The ceremonies of initiation were calculated
to freeze the blood of the n~eophytes and inspire
obedience by terror. From a distance came a
certain number of the initiated, so that the
neophytes might not be able to identify them
afterwafd. The new member was Obliged to
take thirty-SIX different oathS, by which he eff
gagged himself to serve the association faith
fully, to devote his whole life to it. to execute
any orders he might receive without the slight
est hesitation, and to remain faithful to his
brethren until death.
This done, he handed to the person who in
itiated him a piece of money to show that hence
forward all his property was at the disposition
of the society. Then came the most imposing
part Of the ceremony, The passage of the
bridge" Two of the brethren held their sabers
crossed over the ueephyite's head, while the
latter took to It senior tile oath of inviolable
fidelity to the cause of which he became a ser
want. Then the new brother cut off the head of
a cock, saying: "'rhus may l perish if L betray
the secrets of the order" These ceremonies
took place in dense woods or in isolated houses,
or else, if possible, in ancient cemeteries. where
the remains of China's ancient rdlers lie in half
forgotten graves Certain passwords and CON
V~entioual signs enabled the initiated to recognize
one another in public; to approach one another
snd communicate an order without awakening
suspicion. Not only were many of the learned
men Of China members Of the association, but 1t
Is known that at all times a great number Of the
leading funetionaries, who were of pure Chinese
descent, belonged to 1t.
The association soon showed its hand and its
strength. Only two years after the revolt OF
the central provinces had been suppressed, an
instruction broke out in the provinces Of Shan
tuIa2 and Pe-Tchili The revolt of 1903 had
made Kia King timid and suspicious. He had
not shown his face among the peoples since that
time, and renlainded a self-constituted prisoner
in theipalace he had converted into a fortress.
Yet in Oct. of 1913, a handful of determined
men forced the Holy Gate, and, aided by the
tpeachery of some of the garrison, succeeded IN
scaling the wall surrounding the private pavil
ion Of the Emperor. Three of them penetrated
as far as his bedroom, whence he fed shrieking
to the apartments of his son Mining, who
rushed upon the scene with a double -barreled
shotgun and killed two of his fathers ASSISTANTS,
while a nephew of the Emperor disposed of a
third. The fight continued in the courts and
outside, and it was. only at the end OF two days
that the Imperial Guard restored order in the
capital, and a regular campaign was necessary
to suhdue the insurgents in the two revolted
provinces.
Kia-King died in 1870 and was succeeded by
his second son, Mining, whose heroic courage
had saved his life. The surname conferred upon
him by the Sacred College of Haniu, the Gus
todian of traditions and Of law was Taou-
Kwang, or the Light OF Reitson- mining sup
pressed the harem and dismissed the eunuchs OF
his father, contenting himself with = single wife.
He also dispensed with the mounte banks and
rope dancer, who formed so conspicuous a part
of his fathers retinue. Though the sangulnary
executions that took place at the suggestion of
Kia-Kings ministers seemed to have had the
effect of frightening the secret societies out of
existence, the new emperor thought it wise to
order a general disarmament Private persons
were forbidden to keep weapons in their houses,
and the authorities were instructed to make
Innafafifanu visits. md ~ea1n ECpafQ N upma fhaU
might find.
~fsou-Kwang died in 1850 The Emperor was
very superstitious, and was greatly impressed
by the fact that ON Feb IL. the day on which the
Chinese New Year begins. there happened to
fall q total eclipse of the sun. He considered it
an omen of disaster, and, in order to ~coDiure its
i'll effects, ordered that the new year should be-
gin a day earlier than usual The Chinese cling
to established forms more closely than any other
people, and on this occasion were SO indignant
that at Shanghai they tore down the placards
announcing the change of date.
Taou- Kwang died a few days afterward. and
was succeeded by his son, Nchchou, his fourth
son, whom he had appointed his successor. In
the will of TaourKwang, opened at his death, 1t
was found that the only qualities he claimed for
himself were love of economy and love of peace.
He forbade the erection of a memorial tablet to
his memory, but ordered the placing of a wooden
slab commemorative o. his reign in the temple
dedicated to his ancestors, and his son received
the surname of of Hien-Fung, or Perfect Hap
pineSS," a title not warranted by the incidents OF
his reign. One of his first acts was to disgrace
Musbangah, his fathers prime minister, for hav-
ing shown weakness in his dealings with foreign
powers. This was welcomed by the cultured
classes as a return TO the old traditional ex-
elusive policy Oh China.
tAThe Triad" supposed TO have been sup
pressed in the previous reign, soon came to the
front again as the precursor of another and more
formidable organization known as the Budding
Lily" This society was formed with the secret
object of overthrowing the Manehoo dynasty,
and restoring the ancient Mings. Many Chinese
of the higher class were initiated in either this
or the other association. The oath now admin
istered was as follows: I'VE sweat to make
every effort to restore the Mings, to exterminate
the barbarians, and to behead the 'Tsiug'-(the
put an end to the Tartar dominion, and, in SO