The Washington critic., 1889-01-07
IRON The Non YoM san.

seems TO Americans to be unbounded do
mesticity, to wit: One consort, Ye-ho-na-
la, daughter of Deputy Lientonant.G Gen
eral Knei IIsiang; one secondary con-
sort of the first rank. Ta-ta-la, daughter
OF Chang Hsii, some time vice-president
of an imperial board; and one concubine
of the second rank, also named Ta-ta-la,
and also daughter of Chang Hsii.
THE YOUNG EMPEROR.
1t is nearly fifteen years since the
paesent Emperor of China, Tsateen, sue
ceeded to the throne. He was then only
a baby. He will come into possession
of his royal domestic household on his
18th birthday. lie is not the son of the
last Emperor, but is one of the numerous
Princes of the realm from whom any
one might have been selected as the
head of the Chinese religious system
and nominally of the empire. The late
Emperor was cousin of the present in
cumbent. He died of smallpox, and the
Empress soon followed him. The father
of the present Emperor was Ch'un. sew
enth son of the Emperor Taokwung, who
died in 1850. Chinese diplomacy, full of
intrigue and civil service reform ideas,
is responsible for the choice of Tsateen,
for on account of his extreme youth the
powers that were nj the time believed
that they could retain control of the Gov.
crnment longer in that way than by
electing an older Prince.
China, in spite of many ideas to the
contrary, is somewhat democratic as re-
CARDS the succession of Emperors to the
throne. 1t would take thousands of
words to explain the intricate workings
nj IN Il
good many members Of the imperial
household in China, and there is no par
liamentary body to appropriate funds for
their support. The RESULT rather mixed,
and it is well nigh hopeless to attempt
10 unravel the thread of their relations
to themselves and to the commonwealth.
The interesting fact remains, which may
be explained, that Tsateen, having ar
rived at his majority, so to speak, has
entered upon responsible career, and
may find himself in the course of thirty
years the father of family that will
strain his imperial purse to supply with
rice and birds nests.
THREE WIVES AT EIGHTEEN.
Three wives may be very well for a
lad of eighteen, but they are not a
marker to what grown man must have,
life is so enshrouded with mysticism and
intrigue that none but the highest
officials of the State have any correct
idea of what it is like. Theoretically he
is invisible. Certainly he is the Son of
God and the head of the Church from
the Chinese point of view. AS such he
is held in the highest esteem by the
populace, but his temporal power is re-
markably slight.
One of the most patient students of Chi
nese affairs is Mr. H. B. Mcdowell, now
of this city. He said yesterday:
RULES GOVERNING THE EMPEROR.
GAS the essential element of all Chi
nese life is religion, it is probable that
the Emperor's career is governed by
much the same rules that apply to other
men in China of high rank. The history
of previous Emperors justifies this view.
AT the age of is Chinaman emerges
from boyhood or infancy, as in our Gus.
toms man attains his majority at 21,
though the parallel is not exact. For
the Chinese system is closely analogous
to the ancient Roman progression of the
individual. AT 1S young Roman be-
came 'adolescens.' AT 20 the Chinaman
advances another step and becomes
'juventus,' according to the Roman
standard. From that time on his stand
ing in the community improves with
every decade. At 20 he is marriageable,
or, more plainly, he ought to be married,
and after that time he selects his wives to
please himself When he is 40 he is
capable Of holding public office, and at 30
he can advance step in his official posi-
tion. So again at 60 the dignity of his
relation increases.
A BOYS HELPMATEs. ~
"a lad of 18 is provided with domestic
helpmates by his father. From now un.
til the Emperor is 30 his wives and con.
cubines will be selected for him. After
that he may choose and bargain for him.
self. The three domestic sympathiZers
with whom he has already been provided
represent the nucleus of his future harem,
and the consummation may be any num-
ber which he chooses to support The
imperial haren of China is the largest in
the world. The Sultan's will not com.
pare with it. Many Chinese emperors
have had as many as 800 wives, Out of
all these, however, there is but one
genuine wife in our understanding of the
term. She is the first, or in this instance
Yeh-ho-na-la. Normally her first born
son will succeed to the throne, though
events may so happen that according to
Chinese policy some other of the En-
peror's offspring will be selected. The
one real wife is at the head Of the house
hold. Besides her there may be any
number of secondary wives, equally le
gitimate, but of lower rank. The concu
bines correspond nearly to the mistresses
of Europeans, but their offspring are not
socially so degraded as they would bt
according to our civilization"
THE EMPERoR's CHILDREN
"What are the relations of the En-
perors children to the community or tC
the State2'
"To understand that you must remem
ber that the father, until his death il
the absolute head and ruler of the family
The Chinese father is responsible for the
support of all his children. No excep
ton to this rule is made in favor of til,
Emperor. OF course he secures funds
for his household by taxation, but the
Chinese taxation is system of sqeezing
The Mandarin sqeezes the people of hi
province, and the Emperor squeezes tn,
Mandarins. If the Book of Rites, ac
cording to which all Chinese conduct i
regulated, did not command by religious
law such eXactions, the Emperor, will
his numerous family, might find himsel
sadly pushed to meet his living expenses
for he is no absolute monarch, as mos
people suppose.
In fact he has less political power anC
influence than Queen Victoria. His sac