St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-01
PUNISHED BY PROXY.
How the Young Emperor Of
the Chinese Receives His
Castigation.
Fellow Students Whipped
When He Doesn't Learn
His Lessons.
Strange Stories Of the Boy
hood OF the Ruler Of the
FloWery Kingdom.
The Cabinet Ministers Have
Much Less Fun Than the
Kid Chief.
London Times.

assembled the throne March last, was
just seventeen years old on July %.
Nevertheless he probably has as much
miscellaneous learning in his head as
any three European princes, who, at
his age, are usually digging deep after
Greek and Latin roots, Or .hammering
away at elementary problems in par
llamentary government and finance.
The young Chinese emperors pre-
cociousness is due for the most
part to the thoroughness and strict
ness OF his early training. for in China
little princes are compelled TO clam
their small noodles full of all sorts of
knowledge during the years which
American boys always devote to mar
bles, scrub and holey bowley. They
rise at O'Clock i'll the morning to take
lessons in Chinese literature. The
teacher who gives this lesson bears the
title ..'Shifu," and is a very big man, so
big, i'll fact, that the princess upon ell
terlng the room must bow to him
nfst. AS soon as prince has
learned his lesson he places his
book before the teacher, sits down
before him and repeats, without inter
ruptlon, all he remembers of what he
has been studying. If the teacher finds
that the prince does not remember
enough he sends a eunuch out for
whip, and makes great show of pre-
pairing to whip some one. The whip,
when 1t 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
recite the same lessons as he.
Through these ha-ha-tschu the
prince is thrashed OF praised ac-
cordlng to his deserts. Should vicarious
hoggIngs not induce prince to stow
away the requisite amount of Chinese
learning he would be taken before the
emperor, who would command eunuch
to pinch the young lazybones' cheeks.
The Chinese lesson lasts two hours. 1t
is followed by oJher less important ex-
erclses, which are superinteded by an
other teacher. Still another teacher in
StructS the princes in several Aaiatic
languages and Chinese dialects. After
school hours the princes shoot with the
DOW. on foot and on horseback, fence,
run and jump, under the superin-
tendence of special teachers. In short,
their 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 judg-
ment 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 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 marri-
age. which takes place in his fifteenth
year. The young woman who teaches
him all about the duties of married life
is selected from the inner circle of the
Imperial official household, and must be
just one year older than he. After the
prince has become emperor this prelim-
mary wife receives the honorable title
of Sll, which she alone of all the men,
bers of the harem is allowed to bear.
The daily leisure hour of his imperial
Chinese majesty is from 4 to o'clock in
the afternoon. During this hour an
eunuch brings to the emperor a box of
little white tickets, each of which bears
the name OF court lady. The emperor
draws a ticket, hit or miss, and gives it
to the eunuch, who Immediately orders
the hOurl named on it to the empero1's
apartments. She is conveyed hither i'm
a litter by four servants. She ALWAYS
takes golden wash basin with her.
She is carried back to her quarters
after having passed about an hour with
the emperor. Twenty-four female serv
ants pass the night in the sleeping
chamber of the emperor and empress.
Their duties consist In keeping a sharp
watch of the imperial couple. They
are not allowed to sneeze, cough, speak,
or make an unnecessary movement,
When the imperial couple awake in the
morning the twenty-four female SER
ants announce the fact to the euDuch
on guard, who proclaims the news by
vigorously clapping his hands.
Most men are not allowed to pass the
remote of the five doors which lead to
the imperial chamber. Members of the
imperial garde du corps, who guard at
the fifth door, are under orders to OBJ
pose with drawn swords the entrance of
all men, even the highest imperial
officials, who cannot give the password.
NOteven eunuchS are allowed to pass the
three inner doors. If lady of the court
wishes to buy anything or commune
cate in any way with the outside world,
she tells maid servant all about it.
The maid servant then goes safe dis
lance away from all court ladies and
summons to her the eunuch-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 Sc
cures the desired article or information.
Once year. OH New Years day, the
emperor and his real wife preside over
a great court banquet. The empress
then sits at her husbands left. This is
the only occasion in the year when
the emperor has al his quasi wives
together and under the eyes of his real
wife. The emperor himself hands the
viaDds to the eunuchs. who receive
them kneeling.
Most persons address the emperor as
'KwangTschan," that is majesty. The
members of the household. however,
use merely the title ''Chu-tsz," that is
dominus or lord. The eunuchs usual
~ address the emperor, empress and
court ladies as ''Fo-Ye," that is Buddha,
and royal prince as '-Ye" or most
gracious lord.
The cabinet ministers of the Chinese
court don't have as much fun as their
lord. They have to get up at O'Clock
every morning to present themselves at
court an 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 O'Clock,
and when military affairs are under dis
cuSsiOn up to o'clock In the afternoon.