The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-12-04
CHINA'S COURT.
TRAINING THE YOUNG RULER OF
THE CHINESE NATION.
The Little Prince Taught Constant
ly-His Various Teachers-The
Imperial Harem-A Yearly
Court Banquet.

Nevertheless, says the New York Sun, he
probably has as much miscellaneous learn
ing in his head as any three European
princes, who, at his age, are usually dig
ging deep after Greek and Latin roots or
hammering away at elementary problems
in Parliamentary Government and finance.
The young Chinese Emperor's precocious-
ness is due for the most part to the
thoroughness and strictness of his very
early training, for in China little princes
are compelled to cram their small noddles
full of all sorts of knowledge during the
wears which American boys always de-
vote to marbles, scrub, and holey- -bowley.
They rise at o'clock in the morning to
take lessons in Chinese literature. The
teacher who gives them this lesson bears
the title "shifu," and is very big man,
so big in fact that the princes upon en-
tering their recitation room must bow to
him first. AS soon as prince haslearned
his lesson he places his book before the
teacher, sets down before him, and re-
peats without interruption all he remem-
bers of what he has been studying. If
the teacher finds that the prince does not
remember enough he sends eunuch out
for a whip and makes great show of pre-
pairing to whip some one. The whip
when it comes, however, falls not
upon the shoulders of the prince but upon
the shoulders of eight other little China
men called "ha-ha- -tschu," who accom-
pany the prince to his school daily and re-
cite the same lessons as he. Through
these ha-ha-ts tschu the prince is thrashed
or praised according to his deserts.
Should vicarious foggings not induce
prince to stow away the requisite amount
of Chinese learning he would be taken
before the Emperor, who would COM
mand q eunuch to pinch the young lazy.
bones's cheeks. The Chinese lesson lasts
two hours. 1t is followed by other less
important exercises, which are superin-
tended by another teacher. Still anoth-
cr teacher instructs the princes in several
Asiatic languages and Chinese dialects.
After school hours the princes shoot with
the bow, on foot and on horseback,
fence, run and jump, under the superin-
tcndence of special teachers. In short,
!hcir whole day is taken up with the
performance of prescribed mental and
physical exercises. At fixed hours their
food is portioned out to them. None of
them is allowed to use his own judgment
as to what and how much he may eat,
They are always tucked away in bed
with the hens, so that they may be ready
| for the four o'clock dose of Chinese
literature the next morning.
At the beginning of his fourteenth
year the heir apparent to the Chinese
throne is put in training for his marriage,
which takes place in his fifteenth year.
The young woman who teaches him all
about the duties of married life is Sc
lected from the inner circle of the i'm
perial official household, and must be
Just one year older than he. After the
Prince has become Emperor this pre-
liminary wife receives the honorable title
of "Si," which she alone Of all men,
bers of the harem is allowed to bear.
The daily leisure hour of his Imperial
Chinese Majesty is from four to five
o'clock in the afternoon. During this
hour eunuch brings the Emperor box
of little white tickets, each of which
bears the name of court lady. The
Emperor draws ticket, hit or miss, and
gives it to the eunuch, who Immediately
orders the horri named on it to the EN-
peror's apartments. She is conveyed
thither in q litter by four servants.
Most men are not allowed to pass the
most remote of the five doors which lead
to the imperial chamber. Members of
the Imperial Garde du Corps, who guard
the fifth door, are under orders to oppose
with drawn swords the entrance of all
men, even the highest imperial officials,
who cannot give the password. Not
even eunuchs are allowed to pass the
three inner doors. If a lady of the court
wishes to buy anything or communicate
ln any way with the outside world, she
tells maid servant all about it. The
maid servant then goes a safe distance
away from all courtladies and summons to
her the cunuch in chief by striking gong
or turning "clapper." After learning
what the court lady wishes, the eunuch
in chief passes along the errand to an
under eunuch, who secures the desired
article or information.
Once year, on New Years Day, the
Emperor and his real wife preside over a
treat court banquet. The Empress then
S at her husbands left. This is the
ly occasion in the whole year when the
.nperor has all his quasi-wives together
and under the eyes of his real wife. The
Emperor himself hands the viands to the
euuuchs, who receive them kneeling.
Most persons address the Emperor as
'Kwang -Tschan," that is "Majesty."
The members of the household, however,
use merely the title, "Chu-tsz' that is
"Dominus" or "Lord." The eunuchs
usually address the Emperor, Empress,
and court ladies as "Fo-Ye," that is.
"Buddha," and royal prince as "Ye"
or tMost Gracious Lord"
The Cabinet Ministers at the Chinese
Court don't have so much fun as their
lord. They have to get up at two o'clock
every morning to present themselves at
court one hour later. They receive their
meals, free of charge, in the Emperor's
dining room. They pass the whole day
in the imperial palace up to four o'clock,
and when military affairs are under dis
cussion, up to six o'clock in the after
noon. Only when seriously ill can a
Minister excuse himself from the labori-
JUS duties of his Office.