Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-28

formality have been fruitless. because it has
been held as a fundamental principle in the
politics OF the flowery land that no other
nation could possibly be regarded from its
point of view as equal. Therefore it was in
sisted upon as a condition essential to the.
granting of an audience that the ambassadors
and the ministers plenipotentiary should 60
through the performance Of the ''kotow' le-
fore his majesty, which consists in kneeling
upon both knees and touching the floor nine
times with the forehead. Such ceremony of
submission was too much for the naughty
stomachs of Europeans and Americans. and
accordingly it is the case that this government
and those of Europe have never actually been
admitted to the recognition, in the correct and
usual way, of the celestial monarch.
RECEPTION TWENTY YEARS AGO.
Just twenty years ago the emperor did grant
an audience to the diplomatic corps, it having
been arranged that the members of the latter
body should be obliged only to make obeisance
on one knee; but the result was not satisfactory
at all, because they were received not in the
inner palace, but merely in sort Of outer hall.
where 1t was customary for his majesty to
accept tribute from subordinate princes. In
effect, the foreign representatives found them
selves and their governments treated not upon
equal terms, but as interiors, and so it was
worse than no recognition at all. Ever since
that time, however. the people of most progress
sivc ideas in the country have been trying to
bring about an audience in proper shape, and
such an audience was to have been given during
this month of March, had it not been for the
demise of Prince Chi n, in consequence of
which the ceremony has been postponed. 1t is
hoped that the postponement will not be for
long. lnasmuch as the matter seriously involves
the degree of intimacy and intercourse between
China and the more civilized powers, upon
which will necessarily depend much of the in
fiuence which European enlightenment is able
to utilize for the Transforming of China from
| dead nation into live one.
HOW THE PRESENT EMPEROR WAS CHOSEN
The state of affairs in China which led to the
placing OF the present emperor upon the
throne was q very peculiar one. When the
throne was left vacant by death nearly twenty
years ago there Was no direct heir to the sue
cesslon. and the two dowager empresses-one
OF them the mother of the deceased emperor
and the other another wife Of the deceased en-
peror sfather-undertook the regency With
| them rested the power of choosing who should
be the nextemperor, and, instead of selecting one
OF the brothers OF the emperor lately dead. they
appointed an infant son of Prince Ch'un one
Of those brothers. The elder of the two en-
presses was considerably older than the
younger, was rather stupid, and had never
borne any children. She had been the original
| empress, the younger one being only a second
airy wife; but the latter had had male child
namely. the deceased emperor referred to
and had been for that reason pro-
She. the younger one. was very re-
markable woman, and it is to be
presumed that her object in choosing
an infant nephew for emperor was that she
might be able during his minority to be in fact
the ruler of the land. This result was ac-
complished and up to within two years of the
present time, when the emperor came of age,
she has governed with q sagacity that has ex-
cited the admiration of the civilized world
Even now her power and influence are very
great in the control of affairs. She has had
not little to contend with during her regency.
| inasmuch as the anomaly of reigning sove-
reign having father living has been produc-
tive OF many Inconvenience difficult to get
over. Obviously, the forms of respect which
Chinese law and custom prescribe for a son
toward his father could not but clash with the
obeisance due from the subject to the mon
arch.
PRINCE HUNS UNPLEASANT SITUATION.
Prince hun, the emperor father, has found
his situation very unpleasant one on this ac-
count. Naturally he has been looked upon as
occupying menacing position from the politi-
cal standpoint inasmuch as he might have
taken advantage Of it to overturn things and
assume the direction Of affairs, ii not actually
the incumbency OF the throne, himself There
Is good reason to believe, however, that he
never contemplated anything of the kind.
Aware that he was watched with jealous ewes
on all sides and living in chronic dread of the
censors, who have SO much power in the en-
pire. he withdrew almost wholly from public
affairs. But if the difficulties of the situation
in this regard were great during his lifetime
they became even more important upon his
death recently.
1t is question which has long exercised the
minds Of meditative Chinese how the emperor
would treat his deceased father. He could not
worship the tomb Of a subject, and therefore
1t might be necessary to promote the dead
prince to full imperial rank. If so. it would
follow that all the heirs OF the posthumously
created emperor would possess q status MANY
degrees higher than would belong to them as
mere offshoOts of the imperial house. Oues.
tons similar to this in the course of Chinese
history have developed political conflicts of
disastrous magnitude. and split Of the kind
is said to have done much to bring about the
downfall OF the Sung dynasty.
THE CLEVER EMPRESS powAaEn
These risks, and probably many others. were
clearly fo:esoen by the clever empress dowager
when, on the premature death of her son Tung-
chin. she placed the infant son of Prince Ch'un
on the dragon throne. Much discomfort was oc-
easioned by her action at that time; but it was
promptly smothered, the one censor who dared
to speak openly about it committing suicide as
he handed in his memorial of protest. Now, to
nip in the bud any agitation contrary to her
policy the empress has just published an edict
in which she declares how the present situation
shall be regarded. Resting her arguments
upon the authority of the great Chinese sage,
Confucius, she lays it down that if a son is Of
higher rank than the father the burial of the
latter must be regulated according to the rank
of the father, but regards all subsequent
ceremonial the son must worship the tomb Of
the father as if he were of equal rank. Thus
her majesty has cut the Gordian knot and
there is not likely to be any disturbance. 1t
will be admitted that she has displayed in her
conduct of the whole affair an ability of an ex-
traordinary order.
THE EMPERoR's LOT NOT HAPPY oNE.
1t can hardly be said that the lot chosen for
the little boy Hwang Su, who was in this way
made emperor, is a particularly happy one.
The.occupant Of the dragon throne is always
necessarily prisoner. He is perpetually sur
rounded by a crowd OF servants and officials
who watch everything he does. Although the
master, bowed down to by all and in fact wor-
SHIPPED as a sort of god, he is himself under
constant surveillance by the censors, who are
given by law the privilege even Of reprimand-
ing the monarch. These officials are much
dreaded in the empire, inasmuch as there is
nothing into which they do not put their med
dlesome fingers, and their influence and
power are correspondingly great Had he
only become emperor upon reaching his ma
jority Hwang Su would have had . very much
better time, inasmuch as his bringing up
would have been simply that of q prince and