The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-01-27
THE CHINESE EMPRESS.

n ths reports are correct the En-
pc~s OF China has ordered reforms
~ along the line. and has Instructed
the viceroys 10 begin at once and re-
sDc progress. The Chinese, as a rule,
rryesse the practices OF civilized races.
Their North pole Is our South pole.
They place a guest on the left We
place him on the right. We shake
hands with each other. The Chi
ncse shake their own hands. They
also, are fond of making noble and
xsittering declarations OF principles,
IN religious and political affairs, with
the reservation Of the right OF not in
dulging In any unhealthy or disturb
aag practice Of these principles. Will
one Empress and her people persist In
doing the contrary 90 that which we
DO, and will they live up to these
ideas Of reformation?
The world has of late been much
interested in the reports regarding the
downfall OF the Emperor Of China.
While Il IL well known, in China, that
he IL a brother Of the sun and Moon
these luminaries have neglected hin
In his distress, and dlsgraced the fra
tsrnal relation. Indeed, they have be
haved like Sneaks in allowing the En-
press 10 reduce him TO the ranks. Still
the Sun and Moon may have another
side TO the story, and judgment should
be suspended at present.
Now comes Rev. Mr.. Walker, a mis-
sionary at Foo Chow. who says tina
these stories about the dethronemen
are utterly unreliable. He makes thii
statement, based on his knowledge q
the Chinese customs and laws:
1.-THE present Emperor was cousin OF
tho late Emperor. The late Emperor
was son Of the present Empress Dow.
asor. According to Chinese laws, the
Emperor, following the principles OF
ancestor worship. must worship his
immediate predecessor, who was raised
TO the rank Of god upon his death
This worship the Emperor renders
dutifully. But the mother Of the de-
ceased. being mother OF one who is
worshiped as a god, by the very prin.
ciples of ancestor worship. Is elevated
by the fact of her sons death to q
higher plane than the Emperor. anC
she has the right to take charge of the
Affairs Of the Empire whenever shs
chooses. There is no need of force OF
intrigue for her TO accomplish her oh.
3ect. All she has to do - to tell the
Emperor to stand aside and let hel
take hold. BY the traditions OF tn,
Empire and by the popular IDEAS o
what ought TO be done, she is perfectly
right, and there Is no friction what
ever. The Emperor has no alternative
but to stand aside and let the Empress
manage public business as she sees fl
Her chief supporter and adviser Is il
Hung Chang. They represent the con-
servatiye party, while the Emperor Is
disposed 10 go faster than Is well for
the Empire. At any rate, the Empress
became alarmed at the many sweeping
reforms proposed. and told the Emper.
or to let her rule. She has done this
before. At the close Of the war with
Japan, when the Emperor's course did
not meet her approval, she set hin
aside until she had done what suited
her ideas. Then she retired, leaving
him the head, until his recent course
brought her from her retirement once
more TO save the Empire, as she be-
lieved. No political or military COM
motion attends these acts, and there
has been no basis whatever for the
stories about the Empress putting an
end to the life OF the Emperor"
The Chinese ''masheen" is evidently
o complicated affair. Naturally II
tou.u be, as II has been remodelled.
repaired and tinkered up for some
thousands of years. When a Chinese
party platform gets afoul of Chinese
ancestral worship, 1t makes a compli-
cation worse than that caused by the
mixture OF religion and politics in our
own land OF freedom.
II the Empress does succeed in re.
constructing the Chinese. she will add
another name to the list OF illustriou:
women who have been mean enough
20 accept political trusts and show tc
the brute man that he Is not absolutely
necessary to the work OF regeneratins
mankind.