The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-25
TOMB OF CONFUCIUs.
China VIII Resist Foreign Invasion
of n Sacred Spot.

of Sacred Spot.
London Cablegram to St Louis Globe-Dem-
Ocrat.
No greater mistake could 20 sibly be made
than to imagine that the Chinese people
will ever acquiesce TO Germans occupation
of Kiaochau bay and of the adjacent ter
of any of their soil 10 TIE detested foreign
er. they would gladly concede to the Kaiser
some infinitely richer and more advanta-
geousIy situated port If he would consent
to withdraw his troops from Kiaochau bay,
for in the immediate vicinity of the latter,
and within the sphere claimed by Germany,
gard as the most sacred spot in the whole
of their vast empire. 1t is the temple IN
which lies entoInbed in a double coffin, ana
arrayed in twelve dinerent costumes, the
body of Confucius, the founder of that re-
ligion, or, rather, school of philosophy or
which the entire system OF chinese CIVIL VIZ
cation, science, literature and mode or IKE
is based 1t is spot so sacred that 70
provincial governor no mandarin, no orl-
cial dignitary Of any importance ever e en-
tiers upon his duties without having nrH
made pilgrimage to 1t, the small IOWA
in which the tomb of Confucius is locatet
being regarded with the same degree q
veneration by the Chinese as Mecca is lg
the Mohammedans, and as Jerusalem usu
to be in olden times by the Christians
The Chinese are not what can be caileda
religious people, but they have fanatic
reverence for the tombs, not only or tndr
ancestors. but of the great men or tnar
nation, and the idea that the laSt reslls
place OF the great Confucius should be O.
filed by the presence or propinquity or We
abhorred foreign devils Is exasperatlpg pep
ular feeling throughout China to such a oe-
gree against the white races in general, ald
against the Germans in particular, that FL
ropean and American massacres may %
looked for at any moment to add stlll ~
Their complications TO the situation; me
coast line of China is not hundreds MT
thousands of miles in length and II ne
Kaiser had searched from one end to ne
other thereof he could not POSSIBLY nNe
picked out a spot the occupation OF WILL
would be more likely to eXaSperate ne
Chinese than Kiaochau bay. BY care
fully tanning the evaporation and at ne
same time by training and equipplng tne
soldiers of the Emperor Kwangsu, the tus-
slams may yet find it possible TO forcetne
retreat of the Germans and klaocnau pay
without being themselves compelled TO va"
the sword. .
The family of Confucius, who died inc
years before the birth of Socrates, M,
therefore, about four centuries s, psoTIe
one in China that bears the title OF axe
or. rather, the Chinese equivalent theeo1.
the Imperial Gazette at Picking PROCLAIMED
that ''inasmuch as through wars, noodsanu
rebellions the lands granted for the SUPPORT
alienated and lost the imperial government
has decided to make to the present IKE,
and to the future bearers of the TIT an
annual allowance equivalent TO tne sum
originally yielded by the ducal estat5 az
the time when they were granted me
present duke is the seventy-seventn } III
relate. his face and figure present a trik-
ing resemblance to the portraits ina t ne
old craven stones stills present o. the
founder of Chinese civilization. Theuuke
bears the hereditary title of Yen hlng
Kung which means Ever sacred IKE.
and like all his seventy-six ancesto; be-
fore him, has lived in a palace s,tuasd IN
the immediate vicinity of the tomb an me-
mortal temple Of his illustrious ancestr.
1t must be thoroughly understood tnat
anything which can possibly be c5onrued
as proclamation of this tomb VIII .oaao t dne
hearts of at least two-thirds of the 4OoJO O0O
members of the Chinese race with sue feel
ings of horror and fury that the, VIII
he revenged for the indignity upon Il first
foreigner they encounter If callitten.
ton of the readers of the Globe-Daoerat
to this circumstance, it is because its des-
tined to become a very important faor IN
the present situation in China: Is ertaln
to influence the policy of the Chine, ana
has been entirely lost sight of until ow.