Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-02
THE LIFE OF A MANDARIN
Slow and Monotonous, According to Western
Ideas
His Amusements md the Restrictions
Imposed ON Him-Routine
of a Day.

From the Cornhin Magazine
Most ma1darins pass the whole of their
lives without taking 4 single yard of ex--
ercise. The late Marking viceroy father
OF the Marquis Tsengi was considered a
remarkable character because he always
walked "a thousand steps a day. in his
private garden. Under no circumstances
whatever is mandarin ever seen en- foot
In his own jurisdiction. Occasionally a
popular judge will try to earn a reputation
by going out incognito at night; but even
then he takes a strong guard with hin.
ard Gas happened when was at Canton)
gets mis- head broken If he attempts to pry
too closely into abuses. AS the police and
the thieves are usually copa-tners in one
concern. it naturally follows that caution
must be used in attacking gaming houses
which have bribed themselves into quasi
legality.
t" begin at pm. and continue until 8, is
spent in one or other of the following
ways: Either he reads poetry by himself,
or he sends for his secretaries to drink
VINE, crack melon seeds and compose
poetry with him; or he may shoot eff l
few arrows at a target in his garden; or
(and TINS is commonesO he may invite the
rich merchants to feed in his yamens
Or accept invitations from them But this
Is rather dangerous work, for there is a
SORT of unwritten law against mardarins
leaving their own yamens, except On off,
c1al business bent; on the other hand
merchants of high standing steer clear of
the local mandarin unless Gas happened
When l was at kewkiang) he happens 10
be a compatriot of theirs.
On his grandmother's, mothers and wifes
Dlrtnday the mandarin receives congrat-
ulations and presents-of course, on his
own, too On these festive occasions he
may give play. In China theatrical en-
tertainments are commonly hired privately,
though as often as not the man In the
street. Is admitted gratis. But even here
caution Is required, for many days in the
year are nefasti, on account OF emperors
having died on those anniversaries, and it
goes very hard with mandarin If he is
caught having music" on a dies non,
Chinese-a1ways supposing they are not
opium smokers, invalids or debauchees-re-
tire to rest as early as they rise. In most
chinese towns everything is quiet after
sunset, and by I or o'clock every one is
either in bed or is simply grooming away
the time until sleep comes on Notwitf-
standing the recent Introduction of kero-
sene lamps forbidden in many large towns),
the usual light is the common dip or the
rush. Even supposing the mandarin wers
studiously inclined, and not worn out with
the fatigues of the day, his eyesight would
soon give way if he attempted to read
regularly by such wretched illuminants as
these.
Dinners and feasts cannot take place
every day, what happens on nine even
ings out of ten is this: When the cor
respondenoc of the day has been read,
drafted, achieved, sealed or dispatched;
when the secretaries have struck their bal
ances and exhibited the profits of the day;
when the business of the judgment seat is
at an end, the mandarin gets out of his
robes, hat, collar, boots, chapiet and feath-
ers into an easy costume, in which ne looks
just ike the ordinary froWSy, greasy
tradesman, lights his pipe and retires to the
harem.