The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-07

49, a AAN<A&a q WI 49,
the world Ike a barn yard surrounded BY
low wooden stables. with heavy tiled roofs.
This court was filed with donkeys. horses
and dogs, and half-naked children s~prawled
In front of the doors TO these buildings.
which were, in fact. the offices of the de-
partment. The buildings were filled with
clerks. who wrote away at bare tables, the
light coming in through latticework walls
backed with white paper. They scowled at
me as / looked. and one of them gave me
TO understand that / had better move on.
I next visited the famous Hanlin College
II was worse than the State Department,
and everything about ii was shabby and
gOing TO seed. l tried TO get into the board
of punishments. where the horrible ~cruelties
which the Chinese government metes out TO
its rebels and criminals are passed upon.
and where torture is common. but / was
stopped at the door and was positively told
that ] could not go in. It was the Same
with all the government departments. They
could not have been shabbier had they been
knocked up out OF odd pieces of old Noah's
ark. and everything was filthy and the pic
tnre OF ruin. The only really new things in
the city seemed to be the clothes of the Off
Gals. and i laughed again and again as I
saw these mandarins bow dOwn in the mud
and 20 through the forms Of the Chinese
court amid their filthy surroundings. They
are among themselves. as far as words go,
the most polite OF all nations. and they
look upon US as Doors and barbarians. The
most Of the people believe that they will
conquer the world, and I doubt whether a
thousand out Of the million and a half peo-
pie in Picking know anything of the Jap
anese victories. he court officials dis
tribute all sorts OF lies. and they have
probably told the people that they have
whipped the Japanese on both land and on
sea. and that the Mikado will be brought to
Picking. The majority of the citizens of the
Chinese capital really believe that America
IS subject to China. They think that Col.
DENLY is sent to the capital to pay Uncle
Sans tribute to their Emperor, and this, L
am told, is their opinion as to every for
eign legation. They nave nicknamed the
street upon which the foreign ministers live
"the street of the subject nations and
they would consider il a disgrace to ask
our minister to dinner. and / venture that
Colonel DENLY has never been on intimate
terms with a dozen high-class officials.
This. / know. will seem strange to Ameri-
cans. but it is actually the truth.
SCENES IN THE STREETS.
Picking is a most cosmopolitan city. We
have in America only the Chinese of south
China These come from the hot countries
at the southern part of the empire. and
they are small and lean In comparison with
the people OF the north. They dress differ
entity. and they lave a different dialect
and different habits and customs. Peking
Is frozen up for six months of the year.
and you can have ice sledging on the Peiho
at Christmas. 1 found the people of every
Chinese state different. and the dialects are
as various as the languages of Europe.
Here in Peking you find representatives
of every Chinese state and there are celes-
tails from all the big cities. Tibet, Mon
golia, Manchuria and parts of Afghanistan
are all tributary to China. and people of
a half dozen religions jostle each other as
they wade through the streets. The
strangest sights to me at first entrance
were the nomadic Mongolians. who rode
into the city on great camels or drome-
diaries, which were covered with wool from
six TO twelve inches long. These come from
the cold regions of Mongolia or Siberia.
and during my visit to the Chinese wall I
In single file and fastened together by
sticks thrust through the thick flesh of
their noses. They were loaded with great
bundles of furs which they had brought
down from the north for the dilettante
mandarins of Picking, and were carrying
back brick tea and coal to the Tartars and
MonEol women, who, in coats, pantaloons
and fur caps. rode astride. and In other
cases by men. who were clad in sheep
skins. with fur caps pulled well down over
their fierce Tartar eyes. I saw hundreds
OF Thibetan lamas in their gorgeous robes,
and 1 met many Mohammedans from the
west part of China.
1 wish you could see some of these Pc
klngese streets and the queer sights upon
IT. They are filled with a stream of yellow
humanity OF all classes, ages and sexes.
You pass gorgeous officials on Monaghan
ponies. the backs of some of which are
decorated with arrows. and you know they
are on their way to the shooting matches
outside Of Picking. You go by s~ilk-gowned
mandarins in carts. who scowl at you as
you peep into the little glass windows in
the walls OF their vehicles. You see schol-
ars with spectacles as big as trade dollars,
and everywhere you go you are assaulted
by beggars. 1 remember one boy who fol-
lowed me day after day. The weather was
bitterly cold. and l shivered in my fur III
ster. This boy was naked TO the waist and
his arms had been cut off at the shoulders.
He held a pan in his mouth and followed
me. switching his body this way and tina
10 show me his mutilation. 1 was glad to
give him two or three cents to be freed OF
the sight. Another beggar, who has long
been in Picking, is a man who has an iron
skewer thrust through his cheek. This
skewer is a foot long, and is about as big
around as your little finger. He twists il
this way and that and keeps the flesh rag
ged and sore. He beats on a gong as he
goes through the streets. and you are glad
TO pay him to keep out of your way. There
is one gate in Peking which is always
crowded with beggars, and one of the finest
bridges OF the city, a structure OF marble
has been given UP entirely TO beggars. II 1:
full OF the lame. the halt and the blind. and
men with fostering sores, women without
eyes. and persons possessing all sorts OF
horrible diseases crowd together upon il
They push their way from IL into the city
and threaten 10 cut themselves If you dom
give them aims. Side by side with these
beggars walk the gorgeous officials, anC
poverty and wealth march together In
pairs. There is no place in the world wher,
tenthS OF the people II would seem to IN,
their condition could not be worse. Thes,
Chinese are as Industrious as any race OF
the globe. They are peaceable and easily
governed. and If the celestial officials. in
Guiding the Emperor and all his court. coulC
be wiped from the face OF the globe, III,
people would quickly grow rich and Chins
would be one OF the most Favored spots OF