Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1892-12-16
A QUEER SYSTEM.


Tn. chIas.. Mst.snd. psdquilt Theory a
8svcrass.
The North China Herald Of Shanghai
In q recent loading article. Describes
what II calls "tho mat. aud bedqult
theory Of govcrnmcnt' in that country.
II says that the trn yeler who isstrolling
about the pri iclpal thorou rhfares OF
Pekin Is liable at a cros1ins OF two main
streets. 10 dnd a huge piecc Of patch.
work cloth suspended from poles In
such way ~ to obstruct the Wow fIhm
all sides, only a narrow opsning bsias
left for carts and pedestrians Pursn'
ing his way, he notices that the eu-
trance 10 all the many alleys IL barri-
caded with ruSh-mats, aud that tue
same kind Of screen IL placed In front
OF ruined temples and vacant lots which
have been used US the places Of deposit
OF filth OF rubbish. Whenever ths EN-
peror IL about TO make his exit from the
city or Is about N return sriers am
nounce that fact 10 the people who
then disappear not 10 emerge untl the
invisible monarch has passed. when
things go ON rs usual until the next oc-
casion Of like nature.
There are two main benefits supposed
10 b. attached 70 this characteristicaily
oriental procceding-it helps I, pre-
serve tho fiction OF the sacredness OF the
person Of tho emperor. and OF his being
something other than an ordinary NOR
tai, and II is valuable check upon
reckless ssSassins oi the Guiteau type,
whom China could easily furnish In un-
e..1 a I'D al ia
cidental. As the people see nothing Of
the emperor, 80 he sees nothing Of the
people lie Is probably the only man
in Chiua who il unable 10 forn nrr idea
% what the Chioess are Ike or What
they are about What Is seei IN The
imperial courts Il NJ type either of
China Or Of the Chin .se, but 1t must be
literal impnSsibiiity fT the emperor
n get anything else upon which 10
base a notion of his empire, What dcca
the emperor think. how much Dies he
know. what docs he think that no
knows. docs he think at all, what Is the
which he perpctaally ahides, and how
many bent rays of light reach him
through the opaque oyster-shells known
as "boarl~'P
This rnst-and. be.lluilt theory OF gov.
ornment Il not confined Ia the emperor,
but runs all the way thruuyh the ranks
sf OH iuldom The district mavi-trste
is supposed 10 be the maa that knows
his district, and the project ths man
that knows his prefecture; but these are
mere figures VI speech used In purely
IDEAL way. No one In q district knows
less Of what L. goiag on within its
than the chief officials; no
one would have more trouble in finding
out what ia going ON, supposing he really
desired a. know. As ruls there IN no
one who realty cares less IN know. or
who considers Il less his basinrss IN \
know, provided the taxes are paid and
the people are ''trangdiIiksd" II IL
very difficult for most Chinese officials
to eoms Ia any useful conclusion ~ to
their duties, FOR the rva-on that they
have tro little iut-r,.~t iu the
matter, aud are in reality aim'-st 49,
much pinipned Ia shaokie- ~ the pris-
on0rs M tho dODrs of thSir vAnra. wear
ing w,sdsa platforms about ,hsir
neclxs, but with this q, hsrrpca, that the
sentence os the prisoner b tW a def.
mite term aud eud, while that 90 thu OF
fetal is ITO oft.-H limited only by his
life. Chinese offi.izllom IL tarysl y shut
up in n she'll, just n, I, was a goarrstitH
Sgn. and II we hear the hsnimeriuy
within 1t IL much m,re Il 'rly 70 bc lie
tenSe against those outside " pr.vont
their brrsSi.g in than IA effort ON the
part OF the inpsisosed Ia get ont
London rime<