The Newtown bee., 1898-12-23
The Home Circle.
The Chinese Situation.
EDGAR QUAcKENBUsH IN THE INDEPEN
DENT.

tuluks III SuluSs
During the past few months it has been
evident that the Emperor was in earnest
IN instituting reforms In various ways.
de has shown desire for colleges or
Institutions of learning, and particular
mention has been maue of such for the
Advancement of agriculture and mining.
de has Instructed Viceroys and other
officials to consider schemes for The es-
taplishment Of colleges and report TO the
Throne, and when, in usual Chinese style,
they paid no attention TO the orders, he
took them to task severely. In addition
TO this he has ordered the esta blishment
of new University in Peking.
Official position In China Is obtained
only by those who have obtained literary
degrees at the annual or triennial exam
nations. At those examinations topics
are selected from the Chinese classics
| (the classic being 8 sentence), and essays
are written upon them. The essays must
have excellence in chirography, literary
style and in thought. The ordinary for
eigDer, however, can usually discern
little sense in either topic or essay. A
| recent edict sweeps away the old style Of
examination and orders "short practical
essays suitable to the times we live in -
and attention is called to the branches Of
Western learning.
Another edict promises rewards to
those who write practical and useful
books or make inventions.
| Another calls attention to the custom
of foreign nations to prepare and have
printed annual budgets and initiates such
q scheme in China.
| Weng Tung-ho Assistant Grand Secre.
tary and President Of the Board of Rev.
enue, was dismissed two months ago.
He had been the tutor of the Emperor,
and was credited with keeping the Em
peror in utter ignorance either of his own
empire or the outside word, except so
far IS it coincided with his own ultra
| conservative views.
| 1t is also rumOred that the Emperor
contempiates edicts allowing change in
Chinese attire, cutting of the queue, rec
ommending unbinding the feet and
| some sort of recognition Of Christianity.
| Enough has been indicated of the re-
forms proposed to show their radical ma
ture, and il might naturally be expected
| that they would meet with violent oPpo-
| sitjon from the party of conservative
ideas. In Peking has grown up reform
party, principally Of men under middle
age, and it has been through contact
with This element and cutting loose from
the old clement that the -1G-aneror has
set out on his new policy. LII E1ng
=
not been in favor of progress in such
directions.
This gives rough outline of some of
the conditions prior to the coup d'etar.
There had been also rumors that the EN-
peror was in poor health.
On the 22d of September an edict was
issued, appointing the Empress Dowager
Regent and referring 10 her eminent SER
vices in this capacity On former occs-
sions; the only explanation given was
that critical time bad been reached in
the history of the Empire, when there
were so many important subjects de-
manding the attention of the Throne
that the experience and abilities of the
Empress Dowager were needed.
AT this same time came many COZ fiict-
ing rumors that the Emperor was ill;
that he was dead that he was deposed;
that he had been murdered or poisoned.
The following day appeared eoicts, one
condemnipg kang Iu-wei and ordering
his decap apitation, and others affe citing
other high officials. 1t was said that on
this tie (23) all the nine gates of Peking
were\ losed in the afternoon, which is
done ,nly under circumstances of the
greatest gravity.
kang Yu-wei is 6 man under forty
years of age, holding the position of Sec
retary of the Board of Works, who has
been leader Of reforms, so that he was
called 1.-The Modern Sage and Reform
er." Following the edict against him
the Shanghai Teotai offered q reward of
| 81, 600 for his arrest, as IL was believed
he had left Peking(v (via Tientsin) for
Shanghai. In point of fact, il seems he
| was warned by the Empress to do this as
| there we're premonitions Of impending
trouble. Ostensibly he was wanted be-
cause of attempting to poison the En-
peror; as 8 matter of fact the Empress
Dowager and her party wanted him be-
| cause of his leadership of the reform
party. He came on British steamer
| that arrived at Shanghai on the morning
of the oath. At daylight the British
gun boat "Esk" dropped down from
Shanghai to Woosung to meet this
steamer, sent an officer to board the
steamer to warn Ksng Yu-wei Of his dan
ger, and protect him. Accordingly. he
was taken off to the English mail steam
er "Ballaarat," with a British gun boat
watching the vessel until her departure
lection of another gun boat, which will
accompany her to Hong Kong.
| At this point q digression may be
Emade to notice some of the events Of the
past thirty odd years; and to make mat
ters clearer partial genealogical tree ia
given, emitting unnecessary details.
| Emperors.
A Tao Kwang reigned ls2l-Is50.
B Hien,Feng tPFieel knng trrineel Ch.ll
1850 1861 .e.C,p.--.>-s~~
Tung chih q
T7el-isl5 DEaang Hs
HEN Feng died away from Peking
having fed when the English and French
allied forces occupied Peking in 1850
. He announced as his successor his son
Tung Chih, then six years old, and tn
supreme control was put in the hands o
half dozen men of ordinary ability. o.
o the approach of the young Emperor 9
q Peking successful coup d'etat was car
! ried out by Prince Kung and the tw
= Empresses Dowager, widows OF HE
Feng, and they were proclaimed Regent
during the minority of the Emperor
Q while Prince Kung became the chief ad
wiser. One of these Empresses was th
!, principal wife of Hien Feng, and th
other q secondary wife, but the mothe
of Tung Chih. In 1872 Tung Chih al
n nounced his assumption of personal col
i. oil, and he died in 1875. 1t has bee
asserted and believed by some that
did not die natural death, but that th
e Empresses Dowager wished TO retain Il
power and SO caused his death. IT
2, truth can never be known.
9. At this juncture a SON OF Prince Kun
might have been chosen, but that woul
D. have necessitated his retirement, as q
B. cording to Chinese custom he could q,
serve the State under his SON as suprem
Therefore Kuang Hsu Ga child four yea
q old) was chosen, and again the two En-
70 presses Dowager were Regents, the
10 being aunts Of KuAng Hsu. The primo
: pal widow of Hien Eerg died IN 1881;