New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-04
NO MORE KOWTOWING.
KWANGSU'S observation-disclosures AND
CREDITOR IN CHINA.
Canton. Novemher q

victory over bis Ministers, and over Prince kunT
particularly On several occasions since his ac-
cesson the young monarch has showed himself
restless under the manifold letters of red-tape,
and he has more than once had sharp controversies
with his kinsmen. He is deeply mbued with the
liberal and progressive spirit of the lamented
Marquis Tseng. Like him. he realizes that the
traditional excusiveness of the Celestial Empire
has outlived its usefulness; that indeed, il must
be abandoned altogether and that very The
assumption of superiority TO the rest of the world
too, he sees cannot longer he maintained. On
this point. it is said, he had lively passage Of
words with Prince Kung on the occasion Of the
recent destruction of the railroad at Tientsin,
which was instigatcd by the Prince himself.
You claim that are superior 10 all other ma
tons, that all Others barbarians, he said but
1t seems TO me that we far behind them in many
respects. They all have railways. We have
none; and when we try to build any, you tear
them up"
But these railways are devils" replied Prince
Kung.
Perhaps So" said the Emperor, but other
nations have conquered them and made slaves of
them; and if we are the greatest Of nations we
ought to be able TO do the same
The Prince not convinced, however, and
he and the other Ministers have been looking
upon the Emperor mailman almost. They
have prevented him from signing the decree Civ
ing foreign syndicate a charter TO build a rail
way system, although for want of the money that
would thus be gained the court is bankrupt and
the Army and Navy have been unpaid for months
The Ministers hold that the Son of Heaven, as
the Emperor is styled, must not dcmean himself
by giving his august signature 10 a lot Of foreign
devils But amid all this the Emperor's symptoms
Of independence have been growing stronger and
stronger. and at last, apparently, he has ncrvcd
himself up 10 the point of defyinc the traditions
Of etiquette and putting his court a common
sense basis.
The present crisis has been preciptated on the
snbjcct of receiving the representatives of foreign
Governments. This has long been troublesome
matter. The Emperor, il has often been said Is
as solitary as a god. He has been so hedgcd
about BY ceremonials and etiquette that. theorcti
cally, mortal eye has not been permitted To look
upon him. His nearest relatives and his highest
Ministers of State could only approach him prone
ard grovclling upon the floor, with dOwncaSt eyes
and abiect mien. This was well enough for
domestic affairs. If the Chinese wished to worship
their sovereign in that fashion. it was their OWN
business. But when foreign Ministers
pected TO do likewise there a fuss. The
foreign devils" objected, whereupon they were
told that they should not enter His Majesty's
presence at all What was good enough for eX-
egners. But the Ambassadors claimed that they
were the personal representatives of their
sovereigns, and entitled to he treated those
sovereignS themselves would be. To this the
Lords of Etiquette responded that the Son Of
Heaven was above all other rulers and that if
any foreign kings or emperors wished 10 approach
his throne they would have TO do il in a pros
trate attitude, humbly kowtowing at his feet
The vision Of the Queen Of England or the Car
of Russia kowtowing before Acknowledged
heather was picturesque, but it not diplomacy.
Lord Amherst fatty said he would see the Emperor
in Hades before he would knock his forehead
the floor before him; and the result was that
Lord Amherst didn't remain Ambassador at Pekin
any longer. Mr.. Ward the American Minister,
thirty odd years ago. also most strenously objected
to any such humiliation and forced the Mandarins
TO agree 10 let him approach the Emperor Ike a
man, only bending knee he saluted him.
There were those who thought the world would
promptly TO a end when this concession was
made but it didn't. Again, in 1913, the Amerl-
can Minister led the way in resisting the demands
of etiquette. and won the fight But soon after
that the Emperor died and the Mandarins gravely
regarded it Judgment of Heaven upon him
for allowing the foreign devils to stand on
their feet and look him in the face
While the Dowager Empress was Regent, the
whole matter was held in allegiance but as soon
as the boy Emperor came to the throne the for
cign Ministers prepared for another battle and
did the high lords OF etiquette. The latter
Logan TO coach" the Emperor to his duties
"Of course Your Most IusirOus Majesty will in
sst upon these barbarians assuming all attitude
OF becoming reverence they said. But the En-
reror didn't see the "of course 1t was all well
enough for Cinnamon TO PROSTATE themselves be
fore him, if they liked to do So for he had per-
feet right TO drive many bamboo splinlerS under
their disrespectful fngernails and then chop theiI
heads of 10 relieve them from the pain. But
these ambassadors were not his subjects but the
rep esentatiyes Of other sovereie Ms who per-
haps just as good as, and great deal more power
full, than he was himself. IL would not do u
make them kowtOw before him. So, while his
Ministers quiveTed with terror at the idea he
declared that he would, once and for all time
sweep away at least that much of the traditional
etiquette of the court. The Ministers from for.
eign Powers should be admitted 10 bis presence, as
men to the presence Of q man lie would issue an
Imperial decree announcing this departure TO
the world. And il the Mandarins did not like it,
they could do the other thing. 1t is understood
that Prince Kung pretty nearly had TT at this,
and that the whole court spoke in whispers for
three days. But there was no disputing the au-
thority Of the Emperor, and the revolution
was accepted an accomplished fact.
1t is announced that the order Of things
will begin on next New-Year's Day Chinese cal
endar). when the Emperor will give an audience
in ordinary European style to all representatives
OF foreign Powers, function TO be repeated Oh
every succeeding New-Years Day. And, TO cnch
the whole matter and make the mandarins them
selves partakers in his crime, he will compel the
great lords of the Foreign Office TO give sumpt-
uous banquet to the foreign Ministers at which
they shall all meet equals This is really one
Of the most remarkable bits of progress in all
the history of China, and it will undoubtedly
do wonders toward bringing the Celestial Empire
into sympathetic touch with the rest of the world