New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-17
MEN AND LIFE IN CHINA
TIE PEOPLE SEPARATED FROM THE
OFFICIAL CLASS.


Putnam's Sons.
rrba sipnincant feature of Mr.. Douglas DOCK
"a the distinction 1t makes between 'he psopie Va
China and the official classes. including All 'he
,,,erat or native scholars. The people are oeh''-
cratic peaceful friendly. The othcials "rc
h,eoe5 tvranncal and inimical TO all Foreigners
Chinese riots. he declares, are mace 10 o'"e''
When the occasion is thought ht theh .he e'
saries Of the mandaIins are let loose IN ''e mum
tide Disorders follow as II by magic anu cease
as suddenly when the provincial OF CIVIL i"ie'
onas that he has gained his point. or that pro-
,onred disturbance will bring periIs on MS Wv"
head This point the author illustrates from wv
history OF all the attacks upon foreigners sil00 INV
Emnire was opened to commerce ana 10 iiissio'i-
aries. These have never been movements ol 'ie
x,opulace They have betrayed 'he'r al 'i'iN'"'
800 IN rho placards used TO awaken popular
fury and in the reluctance win WHO" inc 'a0'
,,srs investigated. When the English forces laid
Siege 10 Canton the Chinese authorizes were
,.vsr weary Of protesting that they were obliged
nv fear Of the z .ople to withstand the ehc''dO"
ments Of foreigners. But when the city was
.,or ord q certain high official had been carried
auav into exile the people became within uay
.-,o,a,, and courteous Europeans who had
,,os,,,, ,aken q step. even within their own treaty
r,ah.s excent NJ the risk OF their lives now went
i'll, ohou, tho city and into the environs' ana
-. not r,o,ested The shopkeepers accep'>i
e.. navp order Of things and adopted their ''aue
-, tho wants Of their new patrons with wohue'l"l
ain When factories were burned IN 'he GU
dsvs ~ extremely limited intercourse oi i"o'
chants assaulted or boats carrying EhsnSn''iei
eraa unon. or sportsnen mobbed the manual nus
threw the blame upon the people O'e ''''e'
sunpose from the official talk that the Ni'',cSe
sos pera more free and more powerful IMAM
their peers in any western land. II 'ne que'
+,on was of the admission Of a foreign Ni'iiS'ei
% pekjn. It was said gravely That the leop'e
would not stand II for moment. but '"e 'V'
ol,tion in Chinese diplomacy which the resue"oe
% foreign ministers in the capital oetoKeheu' at
tracted no notice on the part OF Inv P00f'e'
When II became no longer possloie VII" S'4o'
90 ornov the merchants among the foreigners
tho attention Of the officials was turned III 'ne
direction Of Christian teachers. But. says MT.
1,oua,os "Our earlier experience at Canton ana
elsewhere disproves also the assertions lately put
forward bv the Chinese Government that the
,aonsa object only TO the presence Of MISSION
araes and have never had any quarrel with mer-
chants and traders the fact being that they at
tackled merchants until they found that 'hey
were too strongly supported 10 ran an easy
prev to violence and their present hosuhN 10
the missionaries would in like manner disappea''
If the European Governments had the courage ~
protect them"
Among civilized people there are partisans OF
each side-of the European nations ana OF the
Chinese-in the long controversy respecting por's
and trade and religious liberation There are
,hosa who think that China had a right TO be ex-
elusive If she chose; while others MAINTAIN Una
The mere progress Of humanity must have forced
81 her
To both Of these parties the vital suggestion OF
Mr.. Douglass book must come with equal force
IA he outlines the conditions of the Empire. ne
makes IL certain that the China whose origin
dates from the very outset of human culture Is
not the China OF this or that dynasty not the
China of mandarinism but the China whose I'M
numbered millions are practically Indifferent 70
the pecunarities Of their rulers. The inference
&c unavoidable that the author expects TO see the
masses Of the nation yield willingly 10 new rulers
as soon as these efface the mandarins. The idea
fits in very we'll with the impression conveyed In
mora than one recent book on the East that the
Manchu dynasty is lettering to its fall Appar-
entity. Mr. Douglas. without saying 50, means 70
let his readers think that a political revolution In
China might amount 10 no more than the re-
moval Of a crazy superstructure from SOLID
building OF stone China Is now officially IN the
hands Of foreigners that is, Manchu Tartars
IT might easily, under certain conditions. fall
into the hands Of other foreigners. Of one Western
nation or another, and the life Of the people go
on Jus. as II has gone for ages. Unquestona-
bly,, II England for example. succeeded the Tar
,ars. the practice of torture in the courts and
the prisons would cease. persistent warfare would
be waged against secret societies. liberation
would be insisted on in religion the elaborate
ceremonial OF the Imperial Court would be d.
unfinished official corruption would be lessened
and probably the financial burdens Of the people
diminished. Such changes, with perhaps a sin
gle exception. would not be unwecome 10 the
Chinese populace. The individual suffers In
China AS a member OF the social organism his
place Is fixed, but when he happens TO be put out
OF his place by crime suspicion. he becomes
liable at once 10 the utmost cruelty Under the
provisions Of the penal code. he may be fogged
with a bamboo staff; he may be obliged to wear
on his neck the cangne. consisting OF "a square
frame Of dry wood three feet long, two feet nine
inches broad, and weighing In ordinary cases
twenty-five pounds: he may be strangled or
beheaded. But the code does not contain hint
OF the actual state of things. In an appendix in
struments for crushing the fingers and the ankles
are provided for in cases Of homicide and rob-
berry For treason. for triple homicide, or for
the killing OF a parent the offender is sliced
10 pieces But these limited tortures are not
deemed sufficient. I'm almost every yamun
throughout the Empire an infinite variety Of in
s.ruments Of torture in constant use. To
induce unwilling witnesses 10 say what is ex-
pected Of them. they are not infrequently made to
kneel on iron chains which the knees are
forced by the weight of standing on the
calves Of their legs. Others are tied up
10 the beams by their thumbs and big
toes. Others are hamstrung. while some
have the sight Of their eyes destroyed by
lime or the drums Of their ears deadened by
piercing This list might be extended inden-