The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-21
TAUGHT CHINESE EMP EROR.
Danish Shopkeeper Revealed Western
Civilization to Quang Hsu by Toys.

"W'hen Kwang Hsu was child there
were two foreign stores in Pelin that had
been established without permission from
the Chinese Government. AS they were
on Legation Street, they seem to have
been too unimportant to attract official
attention. Yet these same stores We're
destined to have mighty influence on the
future OF China. One of them was kept
by an illiterate Dane, who sold foreign
toys, notions and dry goods such as might
please the Chinese or be of use to the
scanty European popula ton of the CAPT
tai. By chance, some eunuchs from the
Imperial palace bought toys in this shop
for His Infant Majesty.
LAS the baby Emperor grew, the bust
ness of the Dane shop-keeper increased.
His stock became larger and more varied.
And the Emperor remained a profitable
customer. Musical cats, dogs and sheep,
horns. guns. trains of cars, striking clocks
and Swiss watches, all were bought in
turn by eunuchs from the palace. AS the
Emperor grew to boyhood the Danish shop
keeper supplied toys suitable to his years
from his inexhaustible shelves. To IN
derstand 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 mis- own peo-
pie, by three strong walls. He never
left the Forbidden City except in a closed
chair or in a closed cart. Every side
street was barred from him by hanging
canvas of mats. He was a prisoner and
slave in the palace of his brthrisht.
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 rail-
road was built for him in the palace
grounds, on which he rode as our chill
dren ride on merry so-rouncis. For him
electric plant was built in the Forbid
den City, and the palace was lighted with
ncanGescent lamps. He experimental with
miniature telegraph and telephone instru-
ments Officials that sought Imperial ia
vor secured the port cities to find new
toys fo. His Majesty. They came to Pc
Kin University and bought our phonograpn.
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 resources of
modern invention in the West were tap
ped TO procure toys for the Emperor
kwang Hsu. Once the assiduous Danis
shop-Seeper had 9. sleigh made for him in
Europe. The sleigh was marvel of in
genuity with its toot-vcarners. mirrors
clocks. cushions of yellow silk and figure
heads n the shape Of golden dragons
AS the boy grew older his tastes
changed There were clear indica tons OF
mental growth as tia years advanced. He
began to wish to know the literature OF the
countries that produced the fairy toys
and wonderful devices of his boyhood
pleasures. He had two teachers appointed
10 instruct him in English. One of these
teachers was the grandfather OF a. young
man to whom | had taught English in re-
turn for lessons in Chinese. In this way
I learned much OF what was going on in
the recesses Of the palace. was inform
ed by those who nad been into the EN-
psrorss private apartments that raey were
more ike q museum than like living
rooms, SO crowded were they 18th cornpli-
Gated mechanisms and toys."-Prof. l. T.
HeOdiand, il AinSlees