The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-11-16
TAUGHT CHINESE EMPEROR.
Danish ShOpkeeper Revealed Western
Civilization TO Kwang Hsu Through Toys

When Kwang Hsu was child there
were two foreign stores in Peking
which had been established without
permission from the Chinese govern
ment. AS they were on Legation
a+-4@t 4L~.- - L~--e l--~-- 80
important to attract official attention
Yet these same stores were destined to
have mighty influence on the future
of China One Of them was kept by
an illiterate Dane, who sold foreign
tops, notions and dry goods such as
might please the Chinese OR be of use
to the scanty European population of
the capital. By chance, some eunuchs
from the imperial palace bought toys
in this shop for his infant majesty.
writes Prof. l. t. Headland, in
Ainslee's.
''As the baby emperor grew. the
business of the Dane shopkeeper in
creased. His stock became larger and
more varied. And the emperor re-
NAMED profitable customer. Must
cal cats, dogs, and sheep. horns. guns,
trains of cars, striking clocks and
Swiss watches, were all bought in
turn by eunuchs from the palace AS
the emperor grew to boyhood the
Danish shopkeeper supplied toys suit
able to his years from his inexhaust-
IDLE shelves. To understand how
searching an influence these products
of far-distant lands must have had on
the growing mind of the emperor,
you must know that he was shut out
from the world, shut out even from
his own people, by three strong
walls He never left the Forbidden
Ill IL
closed cart Every side street was
barred from him by hanging canvas
or mats He was prisoner and slave
in the palace of his birthright.
IF custom forbade his going out to
see the world, it did not prevent the
world from reaching him in the
shape of wares sold by the Dane in
Legation street. These were no longer
toys. although such they seemed to
the emperor. An electric railroad
was built for him in the palace
grounds, on which he rode as our
children ride on merry -go-rounds. For
him an electric plant was built in the
Forbidden City. and the palace was
lighted with incandescent lamps He
experimental with miniature tele-
graph and telephone Instruments
Officials that sought imperial favor
secured the port cities to find new toys
for his majesty They came to Picking
university and bough our photograph.
They got for him gramophones, music
boxes. aeolians and magnificent clocks
that struck the hours with music or
with the song of birds. All the re-
sources of modern invention in the
West were tapped to procure toys for
the emperor. Kwang Hsu. Once the
assiduous Danish shopkeeper had a
sleigh made for him in Europe. The
sleigh was marvel of ingenuity with
Its foot warmers, mirrors, clocks,
cushions of yellow silk and figure
heads in the shape of golden dragons.
''As the boy grew older his tastes
changed. There were clear indica-
tions of natural growth as the years
advanced. He began to wish to know
the iteratures of the countries that
produced the fair toys and wonderful
devices of his boyhood pleasures He
had two teachers appointed to instruct
him in English. One of these teachers
was the grandfather of young man
to whom had taught English in re-
turn for lessons in Chinese. In this
way learned much of what was going
on in the recesses of the palace. /
was informed by those who had been
into the emperor's private apart
mente that they were more like q
museum than living rooms. SO crowded
were they with complicated mechan-
isms and toys