The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-12-24
CHlllA'S GREATEST MAN.
Ii Hung Chang and His Standing with
the People.

That was strange cOllocation of
single days dispatches which told how
III Hung Chang, upon his arrival at Pc
king, had been made minister of for
eign affairs and had been reprimanded
for emitting one or more of the proper
forms in paying respects to the dow
ager empress. 1t was known before that
the lady was a great stickler for ell
Guette, though in this she does not
differ from some Christian sovereigns
of her sex. She is a great stickler also
for more substantial things and is be-
lieved to have done her full share to-
ward getting the middle kingdom into
its recent scrapes. The conjunction of
reprimand and promotion would be
very incredible anywhere else, but it is
no more incredible in China than things
that have individually happened, as, for
example, the quick succession of the
privation of the yellow jacket and its
restoration. followed by the bestowal
of confidential mission which any
where else would denote a man whom
the king delighted to honor.
1t is quite hopeless for an occidental
| tc attempt to penetrate the mysteries
of Chinese politics. The more the
kingdom is laid open by conquering in
vadcrs the less do we understand what
| is disclosed The want of apprehension
seems to be shared by men who have
| given their lives to understanding. For
a generation or so Great Britain has
been conciiating China and treating
Japan with contempt, upon the theory
| that China was a valuable ally against
| Russian aggression. When Great Brit
ain had succeeded in alternating Japan
in the supposed interest of China, and
Japan had conquered China, it sudden
" appears that it is Russia which gets
the ultimate benefit of all the proceed
ings. For there does not seem to be any
doubt that the concession of a Chinese
outlet for the Siberian railway has il
fact been made.
There is reason to doubt however
that III Hung Chang has been made min
lister of foreign affairs. In the first
| place there is no such minister and. in
deed, no such ministry; and i'll China
that is rather more than detail o.
the administrative boards which among
them mismanage the empire, not one O
them is specifically a department o.
foreign affairs, and if they were i
would be a board and not an individual
"Abroad" is as much ignored in all Chi
nese official arrangements as Mr. Nc
Kinley would like to see it in the in
Gustrial exchange, or Mr.. Bryan il
finance. In the next place the repor
does not take account of the deat
weight of inertia that the mandarin
class can and does oppose toany attemp
to assimiliate their country to the res
of the world. or to put it in line witt
modern progress. The contempt o
mere ignorance, such as the untutoret
Chinaman exhibits for foreigners, i
nothing to the contempt of ChinameI
tutored after the Chinese mode of edu
cation. ii Hung Chang is an energeti
person, but he is quite helpless agains
this inert resistance. We may be quit
sure that a Chinaman who believes tina
the isolation of China ought to be mod
fled is looked upon either as harm
less visionary or dangerous radical. l.
Hung Chang cannot be put in th
former class, and so he must belong t
the latter. In the course of his vOvaG
around the world he mas expressed him
self in favor of fuller and freer trad
with his own country, and this is to tn
mandarins a sentiment alarming an
revolutionary. Though the innovato
is an old man in the scale of human lif
he is mere boy in that of Chinese civ
ilization and its representatives. VIII
count themselves some 1000 years olde
and consequently wiser than he.-Hal
per's Weekly.