Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-04-12
4 QUEER
The Chinese Mat-and ssedqullt Theory ri
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The North China Herald of Sbancha',
IN a recent leading article. DIES rib )
WHIT it calls .'tle nd1~ali sedqa t
theory Of government" in tll5 countrJ-
1t says that the traveller who Is strolling
about the pri lcipal thoroukhfares OF
rskin is liable at a crossing of two main
streets, TO find a huge piece OF patch
work cloth suspended from poles in
such a way as 70 obstruct the view from
all sides, only a narrow opening being
left for carts and pedestrians. Pursu-
ing his way, he notices that the en-
trance 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 or rubbish. Whenever the EN-
peror is about to make his exit from the
city or is about to return criers an
nounce that fact to the people, who
then disappear not to emerge until the
invisible monarch has passed, when
things go on as usual until the next oc-
casion of a like nature.
There are two main benefits supposed
to be attached to this characteristically
oriental proceeding-it helps to pre-
serve the fiction of the sacredness of the
person of the emperor, and of his being
something other than an ordinary NOR
tai, and it is a 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 courts is no type either of
China or Of the Chinese, but it must be
a literal impossibility for the emperor
to get anything else upon which to
base a notion of his empire. What does
the emperor think, how much does he
know, what does he think that he
knows, does he think at all, what is the
specific gravity of the darkness in
which he perpetually abides, and how
many bent rays of light reach him
through the Opaque oyster-shells known
as boards?
This mat-and- bedquilt theory of gov
eminent is not confined to the emperor,
but runs all the way through the ranks
of o~ficialdom. The district magistrate
is supposed to be the man that knows
his district, and the project the man
that knows his prefecture; but these are
mere figures of speech used in a purely
ideal way. No one in a 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 he really
desired to know. As a 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 ''tranquilized." IL is
very difficult for most Chinese officials
to come to any useful conclusion as to
their duties, for the reason that they
generally nave too little interest in the
matter, and are in reality almost as
much pinioned in shackles as the pris-
oners at the doors of their yamens wear
ing wooden platforms about their
necks. but with this Difference, that the
sentence on the prisoner is for a def
mite term and end, while that of the Of
fetal is too often limited only by his
life. Chinese oficialdom is largely shut
up in a shell, just as it was a generation
ago, and il we hear the hammering
within it is much more likely to be a de-
Tense against those outside to prevent
their breaking in than an effort on the
part of the imprisoned to get out
London Times