Lancaster enterprise. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1891-1905, 1900-07-18

dha could stop it.
Now as to that great Buddha,
my reading tells me that the
common people do not express
any great alteration for him nor
faith in him. AS DR.. johnson re-
marked to Boswell, "it is neces.
sary for every nation to have
some religion, whether they I'm.
derstand it or not" and hence
the superstition Of the Chinese
has taken hold Of Buddha as the
best they can do. But this un.
known God has failed them so
often in great emergencies they
have no unwavering faith in him.
And yet there are over 100000
priests in the empire who make
a beggarly living out of Buddha
ism. Buddha has given them a
little god for every thing. Every
thing that concerns their temper.
al welfare; nothing for the heart
or the immortal soul. They do
not believe in either. They say
that there is no future life, but if
there is then good conduct in
this life will ensure safety in
that. If the rice wants rains,
they appeal to the god of rain.
If the drought continues long,
they drag the little rain god out
on his wheels and let him stand
iii the burning sun until it docs
rain. They want him to see and
feel how hot it is. If the rain
comes too much and lasts too
long and the rice is sprouting in
the fields they get their squirt
guns and drench the rain god
every day until no stops the pour
down. We ought to have had him
over here this June and put our
Cinnamon to work on him.
But the government-the gov
ornment Of 600,000,000 of people
does not cost half as much as
ours, with about S0,000,000. The
per capita taZ is about rs cents,
and all taxes are paid in rice
China has no bonded debt. No
revenue from whisky or wine for
none is distilled or drank. Moth
ing is IN her way of peace and
Contentment save foreigners and
opium. | do not know what the
salary of the emperor or empress
is, but all salaries are small. The
prince who is to succeed the en-
peror gets only $4,000 per an
mum. Then there are thnusands
and thousands of officials in
every province, from the govern
or down. but their pay is small.
A soldier in the standing army
gets but $4 per month. That army
is composed of about 100000 of
men. The emperor has no arbitrary
power. He must conform to the
laws and must advise with his
cabinet, aDd behind all is the
great board Of control that rep
resents the people and is made
up Of two or more learned and
good men from every province.
This board does not act often or
on trifles. but when any great
emergency arises they meet at
Pekin and their word controls
the emperor and every body else.
That is not bad government, Is
it? The emperor is entitled to an
empress and two other wives,
who are called queens. IF the
empress leaves no son, then a son
Of queen is taken, but nobody
knows which son until the en-
perOr dies, for COnfucius said
that if the young man knew that
he was chosen IT might make HIM
arrogant.
Another peculiar and demo
cratic provision ot the Constitu
ton is that the nobility shall not
always be nobility. Every gener
alton is reduced In rank and
power down to the seventh, and
then they become as the common
people. This keep the nobility on
the down grade and keeps the
government from being overrun
by a pampered aristocracy. That's
good Yes, it ls better, than the
English law of primogeniture.
which gives al rank and the
home estate to the eldest son and
tells the others to go to grass. ]
saw q number of the grass fel.