New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-03
THE CHINESE EMPEROR.

"As solitary as god" the Chinese describe
their Emperor 10 be- "Kwa Jin." the Solitary
Man. is his own description OF himself. Inc
latter IL we are TO believe the grewsome news
from Shanghai. is the more accurate. Inc En-
peror has besides his solitariness few other god
like attributes, but he has the qualities ana the
weaknesses and as 1t now seems, the helpieSs
ness and doom Of man. There can De rev
plicbts more ptifu than that Of nominal
sovereign Of a great empire doomed 10 NE
long isolation and silence, made the puppet OF
intriguing foes and finally disposed OF IN n
manner that recalls the darkest traditions OF
Pontefract Henccforth the name OF hWang-
Su NAV stand with those of Alexander III or
Russia and AbduAZiz and Amurath OF
Turkey to tell how Insecure are crown anu
throne and life itself to the most powerful anu
absolute of autocrats. The divinity that do'h
hedge king and all the walls and guards ana
bayoncts not only cannot protect nm from
the common lot of man. but they cannot save
him from the assaults Of treachery and malice
In no other important country in the world
probably would the murder OF the sovereign
NV n court cabal cause so little disturbance as
in China That Is not because II IS common
incident for it is not. Seldom before III history
has a Chinese Emperor been thus removed. II
is because. in the first place, very rev OF the
peop.e of China will ever know anything ABOUT
It. and because. in the second place, the EN-
poror does not have much influence Win the
Administration" The real rulers Of the empire
are the two Cabinets. the Nlu-koh, or Grand
Sccretariat. Of which Ii Hung Chang mas long
been the master-member. and the hluh-hl
Chu. or Grand Council, long presided over ny
the Emperor's father, Prince Chun. nominal
" these bodies are under the control OF the
Emperor. Practically they have. during the
reign which seems now just to have endeo'
been independent Of him, and themselves SUI
preme over the Tsung-li and other yamens ana
boards Of government
The murder Of the Emperor need therefore
cause no particular disturbance. 1t Is the re-
moval of one puppet to make room for announcer
The hands that work the strings remain the
same. Nevertheless, the incident ana us ac-
con,nanyinc circumstances are ominous. Inc
"removal' of a sovereign as the result OF Court
conspiracy is always an indication OF decline
in the stable elements Of sovereignty. Note'
narrower that the former Emperor was the
Arst IN three centuries or more to die without
,esue. and now his successor has done the same
II was IN such fashion that the Stuarts OF Eng
land. the Bourbons of France and other Eu-
ronoon dynasties came to grief. When IN
boritonce becomes collateral instead or llneaL
,oo,, ont for trouble Worst Of all from the
Chinese point Of view was the Violation OF
nrecedent in the selection Of Kwang-Su' Inc
rue is that the succession must always De ID
q Younger generation. but in this case tnat rule
was broken. Kwang-Su was the cousin OF MS
nrodecessor. and therefore Of the same genera
tion There were those who from that nrcuin
stance predicted for him and his reign oad
ending. q prediction now apparently verileo'
The significance Of this tragedy, then, Is III
Tho demoralized condition Of the Chnese uov-
orn,,,ont which II reveals. The dynasty is 1aii-
,ro intn decay. The Rites are ignored. Inc
constitution is violated. The Roman Empire
was secure under its tyrant emperors' even
rrdor Tlberius. 1t was when the Pr%torlah
Guard hecan to make and unmake eHPerors
=, will that the word of fate was written.
Trno the empire lasted long thereafter but
oron,s move far more swiftly in these days.
or1 China has few Of the elements or endur-
o,co which Rome possessed. Moreover Rome
WAS supreme There was no stronger Io"e,
q. hasten nor fall China X weak. surrounded
hr uncomfortable stronger States. all READY 10
,.on bor decline One Of these days they'
~ como Of them. will take hand In making
ond unmaking empprors. and then 'h'na VIII
NO No more an empire. but province