The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-07-12

uEa.n ponaity, but 1T was smuggled In
all the same and they declared that
not even Buddha could stop it.
Now as to that great Buddha, nv
reading tells me that the common peo-
Pic 40 not express any great alteration
for him nor faith in him. AS DR.. John.
son remarked to Boswell, ut is neces.
sary for every nation to have some rell-
llgion, whether they understand it or
not, and hence the superstition of the
Chinese has taken hold Of Buddha as
the best they can do. But this unknown
God has failed them 80 often in great
emergencies they have no unwavering
faith in him. And yet there are over
l,0O0.OOO priests in the empire who
make u beggarly living out Of Buddha-
ism. Buddha has given them a little
god Tor everything. Everything that
concerns their temporal welfare; moth
ing Tor the heart or the immortal soul.
They 40 not believe in either. They
say that there ia no future life, but II
there s then good conduct in this life
will ensure safety in that. Ii the rice
wants rains, they appeal to the god OF
rain. If the drought continues long,
thoy drag the little rain god out on his
wheels and let him stand in the burn
ing sun until it does rain. They want
him to 500 and feel how hot 1t Ia. II
The rain comes too much and lasts too
long and the rice is sprouting in the
folds they get their squirt guns and
drench the rain god every day until
ho stops the pour down. We ought to
have had him over here this June and
put our Chinamen to work on him.
But the government-the govern
mcnt OF 100000 900 Of people does not
cost half "s much as ours, with abont
$4,000, 0O0 The per capita tax Ia about
% cents, and all taxes are paid In rice.
China has no bonded debt. No revenue
from whisky or wine for none Ia dis-
titled or drank. Nothing is in her way
OF peace and cOntontmenJ save foreign
crs and opium. do not know what the
salary OF tho emperor or empress Ia, but
all salaries are small. The prince who
Ia 10 succeed the emperor gets only
$lG, 600 per annum. Thon thore are
thousands and thousands OF officials in
every province, from the governor
down, but their pay, is small. A sold
ler in the standing army gets but 81
per month. That army is composed OF
| about l,OO0,OOO OF men. The emperor
has no abitrary power. He must con-
| form to tho laws and must advise with
his cabinet, and behind all is the great
board OF control that represents the
people and IL made up OF two or moro
learned and good mon from every pro-
vince. This board does not act often
or on tries, but when any great emer-
| gcncy arises they meet at Pekin and
their word controls the emperor and
every body else. That Is not q bad gov
crnmcnt, is it ? The emperor Ia entitl.
ed to an empress and two other wives,
VINO arc called queens. 1.-THE empress
leaves no son, then son OF @ queen Ia
takon, but nobody knows which son
until tho emperor dies, for Confucius
eald that II tho young man knew that
he was chosen it might make him ar.
rogant.
Another peculiar and democratic
PROVISION OF the constitution is that the
honillty shall not always be nobility.
Every generation is reduced in rank
ana power down to the seventh, and
then they become as the common peo-
oo"n grade and keeps the government
from oeing overrun by pampered ar.
isJocracy. That's good. Yes, 1t is
better, than the English law of primo.
gcniture, which gives all rank and the
homo estate to the eldest son and tells
the others to go to grass. | saw num-
ber OF the grass fellows in Florida.
On the whole, l like the Chinese
government and have respect for the
people. Bret Harte wrote
That for ways that are dark
And tricks that are vain
The heathcn Chinec Is peculiar"
Yes, expect Bret was trying to win
thGir money and they won his.
This is enough OF geography. I have
written 1T for Kirby Anderson and
l5crt Morgan and their sort. Paul
AKIN AKIN called our little grandchild to
come out on the verandah and kiss
MIN good night. She had put on her
night gown and said to her mother:
y Mamma, Paul doesn't know anv bet.
ter, does he ?" There are q good many
big school boys who know no mora
about China than Kirby. BILL ARP.