The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-07-21


| palace, and WI was raised to TN
height which her ambition coveted.
But the danger was not yet WnolI9
past. The emperor was one day walk
ing in the palace near the room where
| WangShi was confined, when he nearo
the plaintive voice of the former EN-
press lamenting her captivity. lie
asked her what she wished.
Only" she replied, ito be set free
that L may look once more upon the
! sun and moon before l die"
The emperor promised that hei
prayer should be gratified. But the
| Empress Wa had already learned the
value of spies, and when one OF mel
| faithful servants brought her the news
] of this conversation she met the emer-
! gency with remedy as effective as II
was barbaric. The hands and feet OIL
both her former rivals were cut on
and the unfortunate women were then
drowned in casks of wine.
WI could now have her way without
! let or hindrance, for it was SAID that
the emperor dared not even speak the
truth in her presence if. it was in OPP
position to her will. She eXerted all
the force of her marvelously able MIND,
not only to make herself the real ruler
of the empire, but to discharge FOR the
best interests of the state the dlfncult
functions which her self-imposed duties
devolved upon her. The public offices
were filled with her family and friends;
her son was proclaimed the heir appar-
emit; the mobiles and ministers Whom
she suspected lost their offices and OFT
times their heads, and the dagger ana
poisoned cup were ever at hand TO ria
her of a real or fancied foe. 1t may De
that the Chinese historians, in their
desire to blacken her character, nave
magnified both the number and the ma
ture of her crimes, but there can be no
doubt that this daring woman did not
shrink from any act where her own
security or the welfare of the state
demanded the sacrifice, of another's life
or liberty. She is even charged with
having murdered two of her sons.
On the other hand, the empire would
have Jared but i'll under what DR.. Wells
Williams styles the ''indolent imbecil-
ity'' of Kaotsong, if it had not been for
the energy, foresight and real states
manship of the empress. Her efforts
were at first confined to assisting her
husband in graphing with the difficult"
ties of his position, but as he discovered
her knowledge of statecraft and the
skill with which she solved the prob
lens for which his duller wit was I'M
able to find an answer, the ease-loVlng
monarch left the conduct OF AFFAIRS
more and more in her hands She was
Al years of age when KaotsOng married
her, and for forty years she controlled
the deStinieS of China in a mastery
manner. During this time wars were
carried on against Thibet, COrea and
the tribes of central Asia. WI did not
appear to take a lively interest in the
Thibetan war, and the Chinese arms
met with but Indifferent success. She
threw all her force into the ten years
CT, Wit 10 ('0reA
became a Chinese possession. In this
war the Coreans were aided by the
Japanese, being the first instance on
record of the interference of the Is
landers in the affairs of China. The
allies were defeated by the forces of
WI in four engagements, and the Jap
anese ships to the number of 400 were
destroyed. The imperial authority was
also maintained over the tributary
states of central Asia, and the empress
showed her wisdom by refusing to in
terfere in the conflict which was then
raging between the MOhammedan
hordes from Arabia and the Asiatic
states which they were oVerrunnlng.
BY this preCaution WI saved China
from subsection to the followers OF the
prophet. 71t
While the empress was busying her
self in warding off danger to the state
ing the imperial sway over new terri
tory, her enemies at home were not
sleeping and perils were gathering fast
around her. In the year 6S3 kaOtSong
died and WI succeeded to the crown.
WI was not disposed to allow this
change to alter her position, while
Chongtsong showed signs of an inten-
ton to take the reinS in his own hands.
In trial of strength WI had never yet
come out second best, and she deposed
and banished her son after reign of
only few days In China a woman
cannot legally reign, although she may
rule. and the empress put forward
Prince Litan, another son of KaotsOng,
as nominal emperor. while she asserted
still more than during her husbands
life her absolute authority. Having
long possessed the substance of soVer-
eign power she now assumed the form,
in the eyes of a Chinman a much grav-
er offense. The historian Bulger says:
THE empress transacted all public
business, received petitions and dispOs-
ed of the chief offices in the empire.
She erected temples to her ancestors,
wore the robes of state restricted to
an emperor, and offered sacrifice to the
great God of all" The last three acts
constituted high treason, the last one
indeed being treason in a most aggra
waited form; the first act of a rebel who
aspires to the throne being to offer the
sacrifice which is prohibited to all save
the sovereign.
While thus offending against the let
ter of the law she carried out the Spir-
it of the traditional policy of the en-
pire. But it is the letter of the law
which kills, and those who would will
ingly have obeyed the most arbitrary
Command if issued in the name of the
refused to lend their support
to a course of conduct which, to their
notion, detracted from the dignity of
the imperial throne. WI paid but little
heed to the murmurings about her. she
even added fuel to the fame by chang
ing the style of the dynasty and giving
It her own family name while she con-
tinued to heap favors upon her kins-
men, However, when the instructions
broke out, she acted with her usual
and vigor and always de-
feated her opponents, who paid the pen
atty of rebellion with their lives. The
were usually executed in
the public streets of the capital, hun
1reds being led to the block at time
Not only was such an object lesson af- !
sorded to the people to teach them the
might of their ruler, and the danger of |
opposing her, but she caused to be
written in her praise, and ordered the
priests to recount her virtues to the |
people, while her name and titles were |
written in large characters in the |
courts and temples.
But such a state of affairs could not |
continue. Able as was her rule, her en-
emies were multiplying and her
strength declining. Her head was bow
ed with the weight of 80 years when the |
blot was formed which caused har fall. |
Being confined to her room with illness,
suddenly at midnight the conspirators |
appeared before her and with 500 armed