The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-26

In 1881, a few months after the signature
Of tho Treaty Of Sc. Petersburg, by which
the province Of Iii was restored to Ohina,
one Of the two Regcnt-Empresses died. This
was the Empress Tsr TsH1, tho principal
widow Of the Emperor HuESFuNo, and the
nominal senior Of the two ladies carrying on
the Government. Hor illness was signi1-
cantly short and sudden, and was attrib-
uted to heart disease; at tho time Of her
death che was only AZ. Her moro capable
and ambitious colleague, the Empress
Isl AN, who had been, as we have said, only
the concubine Of HTSFUNG, survived to
carry on the administration, and she has
since been, and has Just given proof that
she remains, the most powerful parsonage
In China. In 1884 this autocratic lady
left nc doubt In the mind OF any
one as to who was the ruler OF
the realm, by diminishing Prince KUNa
from all his Offices and c~onsigning him
to obscurlty, in which he remained for
eleven years. Thenceforth she found Prince
CHUNG, the father OF the young Emperor,
KwANGsU. and LII HUNG CHANG the
most plastic and effective instruments Of
her plans. Prince CHUNG, however, died
suddenly In January, 1891, having been
preceded a few months earlier by his ally,
the Marquis TsENa, who also persisted In
the prime. OF life. The decease Of these en-
ergetic men facilitated the retention Of su-
preme power by the Empress Dowager, and
It Is said that these events have a secret
and sinister history which will one day be
made known by the implacable compilers Of
the Chinese annals.
In February, 1887, when the young EN-
peror KwANGsU was 10 years old, It was
announced that his proposed marriage
would be postponed for two years, In con-
sequence of his delicate health. The post
ponement also had, manifestly, the effect
OF assuring to the Regent Empress q further
lease Of power. At last, in 1880, KwANGsU
was married to YEHHoNALA, the daughter
Of a Manchu General. This lady had been
carefully selected by the Empress Dowager
out OF many candidates, and thus far she
has escaped the fate Of the unfortunate
AHLUTA. Upon the celebration OF the
marriage the Empress Dowager made her
resignation public In a farewell edict, but,
although she ostensibly passed into a re-
treat, she still retained the substance, Of
power, and continued to rule her adopted
son, for a time at least, with a rod Of iron.
One OF the foreigners admitted to IN audi
ence with KwANGsU In 1Se described him
as making a pleasing and almost pathetic
impression. He had an air, we are told,
Of exceeding intelligence and gentleness,
somewhat frightened and melancholy look
ing. His forehead was we'll shaped and
broad, and his head large beyond the av-
erage the eyes were unusually large and
sorrowful in expression.
From her abode outside the walls near
the old Summer Palace, destroyed in 1860,
the Dowager Empress gave frequent indi-
cations Of the influence which she retained
over the Chinese Government. LII HUNG
CHANG, in particular, was her associate and
ally, and, after his former temporary dis
grace, it was only her protection that
prevented his losing his head. The real
state Of things at Pekin was made clear
enough to outsiders in 1894, when the Chi
nese court decided to expend twenty-five
million dollars on commemorating the six
tieth birthday Of the Empress Dowager. Asa
matter OF fact, the money had to be applied
to the expenses Of the war with Japan, but
the fact that the appropriation was made
bears conclusive testimony to the lady's
power. 1t was she who, although the En-
peror KwANGsU had refused, throughout
1898, to restore LII to the post he had for
merly held in the administration, secured
for him in 1896 the Office of Special Ambas-
sador to attend the coronation OF the Russian
Emperor at Moscow. 1t was during his
%sojourn In Russia that LII is said to nave
signed a secret treaty, the provisions of
which, however, he could not carry out
until he could recover his place of authority
at Pekin. On his return to China he found
his position at court no better than it had
been after his return from S~himonoseki, SO
far, at least, as his relations with the
Emperor were concerned. Despite the sup
port Of the Empress Dowager, whom, as we
have said, LII HUNG CHANG regarded as his
Imperial Mistress to the exclusion of
the reigning sovereign, the success of
his efforts was not rapid. He was, even
tually, restored to a seat on the Tsung-li-
Yamen, and 1t was, probably, his recent re-
moval from that post which gave the sig
nal for the palace revolution by which the
Empress Dowager has recovered autocratic
power. The pretext, however, OF the coup
detat was, undoubtedly, the Emperor's
project Of educational reform, which was
certain to give deep offense to the whole
body Of Mandarins and iterati.
1t would require, as the head OF the Celes-
tial Empire, q man Of exceptional courage
and energy, invested, moreover, with the
substance n not the semblance Of auto
cratic power, to carry out a reform SO
trenchant and far-reaching as the substitu-
ton OF the study OF European science for
that Of the Confucian classics in the Chinese
scheme Of education. 1t seems but too evil
dent that the unfortunate Emperor KwANa-
sU, who has been forced to abdicate, was
not qualified to play the part.