The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-10-31
GRDPfAG IN THE DARKNESS.
The Chinese Sti1l Cling to Customs of Cent
uries Ago-An Audience with the En- >
peror Only Possible via the "AlI-Stom-
aeh Route"-The Wonderful Progress
of the Japanese Empire

| military IN the use OF modern arms.
The Chinese government made an
application to the president for
such an instructor. The request
was granted Capt. Maddox was
given three years leave for
| the purpose of fulfilling the task as
| signed. The captain is a tall man OF
good figure, with a clear cut, regular
featured face, set off by a flowing IRON
gray mustache and long imperial.
Most of his life in China was at Tien-
tsin. Here he lived in an English
speaking colony OF about 500 people,
| and rarely visited the city proper.
The captain says that he found the
Chinese very teachable. They will
make very good soldiers, he believes.
The men OF the northern part of China
are tall and have fine figures. In these
regions SIX feet is not an uncommon
height The inhabitants of South
ern China are small and inferior physi-
cal types. 1t is from them that the
immigrants to this country come.
~
Capt. Maddox says that the Chi
nese prejudice against foreigners is not
much less than when seaports were
first opened. The Chinese emperor
has never given but one audience to
the representatives OF foreign nations.
This audience was only after several
years OF diplomatic talk. Consent
was given to the reception OF the for
eigners if they would consent to follow
the Chinese etiquette for such an audi
ceived to crawl upon his stomach as
he enters the room, pausing on the
road to bump his head on the floor
at requisite intervals, until reaching a
sacred line in front OF the emperor,
where he must remain PROSTATE until
told to retire by the call stomach
route" Naturally the foreign repre-
sentatives refused to accede to this ct
iQuette. The matter was finally COM
promised by requiring the diplomatic
people to make continuous bows up
on entering and retiring from the en-
peror's presence. When the ministers
came to be presented they were kept
waiting for nearly two hOr in very
cold ante-room. The British minister,
who was a very old gentleman near
ly eighty, became thoror ghly chilled.
His teeth were Chattering with the cold
when he entered for the first time the
sacred presence OF the emperor. His
shivering was noted by the keen-eyed
Chinese, and published in all the Pc
kin papers as evidence Of his terror
upon entering the awful presence OF
Chinese majesty.
This audience to foreigners has neV-
4nl +,,Iy =
satisfaction in China. The present
emperor is a lad OF IT who is guided
by the Empress Regent. He has never
been seen by any Of the foreigners and
by none except the highest officials of
his own race. The old question of an
audience to the ministers cannot be
raised until the present emperor is OF
age and has displaced the Empress Re
gent. Capt. Maddox says that the
current impression among the foreign
ers in China, is that the present en-
peror will be put to death before he
reaches his majority, so as to put in
another boy as chief ruler andso post
pone for few more years the question
of audience. The young emperor will
probably be given gold leaf" the
aristocratic poison of China, which
is administered to only the highest
officials when their death has been de
creed.
The question Of receiving foreigners
has been settled in the affirmative by
the Japanese mikado, according to ex-
Minister Bingham, who is still here
He says the mikado receives the for
eign ministers as a matter of course,
although he defers to popular preiu
dice by speaking only the japanese
tongue. The Japanese emperor, ac-
cording to Mr. Bingham, is one of the
greatest rulers of the East, and he is
entitled to place in history by the
side of Peter the Great or OF Bismarck
for the good he has done for his coun-
try. He is only 36 years of age,
but has already done the greatest of
works place his country in line with
modern progress. When he ascended
the throne he found the country ruled
by feudal system that had come
down from one of the oldest dynasties
in the world. The empire was in the
hands Of four daimOs ornatiye princes,
who held the subjects beneath them
as slaves, and having unlimited power
over property and the lives of their
vassals. The mikado abolished the
power Of the daimOs He freed all the
serfs and made them independent by
giving them the lands in severalty Of
the once wealty feudal princes, who
were placed even below their old
vassals The Mikado himself re-
nounced the arbitrary power oflife and
death possessed by himself and for the
accomplishment OF Justice has estab-
lished perfect system OF trial courts
all through his empire. He has given
the empire postal system, a navy,
an army, the railroads, the telegraph,
aud so far as he has been able all OF
the equipment Of modern nations.
That he could have come from the
Conservative, non-progression of Ori-
entail despotism by a single step into
the light OF full sympathy and appreci-
alton OF the benefi6s Of modern civiIi-
zation, marks the Japanese emperor
as one of the most wonderful men.
His wife, the empress, is a good mate
for the mikado. Out of her own pri-
vate income she has founded a great
college for the education of women.
Students are admitted without any
regard to their social rank. This
marks the greatest progress, as the
Oriental idea of woman has never con
templated an approach to her being
considered as an equal.
~
The Chinese students who havecome
to this country to study English and
modern methods find, when they come
to go home, that they are merely OBJ
jccts OF suspicion and dislike and are
utterly devoid of influence. In many
eases the Chinese students have been
sent to this country at such an early
age that they have forgotten their own
language. This is an unpardcnable
offense in China The young men gen
orally return to this country after a
time, but never succeed in finding a
place where they are really welcome.