The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-11-23
A Mat. and. Bedquilt Government.

The North China Herald, Of Shanghai,
in a recent leading article, describes
what it calls "the mat-and bedquilt the.
ory of government in that country.
It says that the traveller who is strolling
about the principal thoroughfsres of
Pekin is liable, at a crossing of two
main streets, to 6nd huge screen OF
patchwork cloth suspended from poles
in such a way as to obstruct the view
from all sides, only a narrow opening
being left for carts and pedestrians.
Pursuing his way, he notices that the
entrance to all the many alleys is barri-
caded with rush.mats, and that the same
kind of screen is placed in front OF
ruined temples and vacant lots which
have been used as the places OF deposit
of filth and rubbish. Whenever the
Emperor is about to make his exit from
the city or is about to return cliers an.
nounce that fact to the people, who then
disappear, not to emerge until the in
visible monarch has passed, wheE things
90 on as usual until the next occasion OF
a like nature.
There are two main benefits supposed
10 be attached to this Enthusiastically
Oriental proceeding-it helps to pre-
serve the fiction of the sacredness OF the
person of the Emperor, and OF his being
somsthing other than an ordinary NOR
tai, and it is valuable check upon
reckless assassins of the Guiteau type,
whom China could easily furnish in un-
limited numbers. A third result is in.
cidental. As the people see nothing OF
the Emperor, so he sees nothing OF the
people. He is probably the only man
in China who is unable to form any idea
of what the Chinese are like or what
they are about. What is seen in the
Imperial Court is no type either OF
China or of the Chinese, but it must be
a literal i'm possibility for the Emperor
to get anything else upon. which to have
O notion of his empire. What does the
Emperor think, how much does he
know, what does he think that lie
knows, does he think at all, what is the
specific gravity of the darkness in which
he psrpetuslly abides, and how many
bent rays of light reach him through the
opaque oystershells known as "boardsT
This mat.and- -bedquilt theory OF gov
ernmont is not confined to the Emperor,
but runs all the way through the ranks
of officialdom. The District Magistrate
is supposed to be the man that knows
his district, and the Prefect the man
that knows his prefecture; but these are
mere figures of speech used in purely
ideal way. No one in district knows
less of what Is going on within Its
boundaries than the chief officials; no
one would have more trouble in finding
out what is going on, supposing ne
really desired to know. As rule there
is no one who really cares less to know,
or who considers it less his business to
know, provided the taxes are paid and
the people are "rranquillizsd." 1t is
yery difficult for most Chinese officials
to come to any useful conclusion as to
their duties, for the reason that they
eenerally have too little interest in the
matter, and are in reality almost as much
p,uioned in shackles as the prisoners at
the doors of their yamens wearing wood
en- platforms about their necks, but with
this difference, that the sentence on the
nrisoner is for definite term and end,
while that of the official is too often
limited only by his life. Chinese OIL
cialdom is largely shut up in shell,
lust as it was generation ago, and II
we hear the hammering within 1t Is mucn
more likely to be defence against
those outside to prevent their breaking
in than an effort on the part OF the In
prisoned to get out.-London Times.