The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-16
The Forbfddine and the Forbidden
City.
ARTICLE III.

City.
Now let US descend from the wall by
this inclined way, which will take US
nearest to Legation street. where we
saw<sthe green tiled voof of the British
embassy. For this also the Chinese have
their own name, ore which we should
scarcely be ready to adopt: for they call
it the Street of Foreign Dependencies
This name Illustrates a curious trait
of the national character The Chinese
have a saying that man saves his
face when he preserves the appearance
of having things his own way, no mat
ter what the fact of the matter may be.
A Chinaman will yield q disputed point
quite readily If only some opening Is
made through which ne can make the
pretense, however childish and transpa:-
ent, that he is saving his face.
In spite of the obvious fact that the
foreign legations are located in their
capital with all the powers and privi-
leses of ambassadors of sovereign
states, and in spite of the fact that they
are there by virtue of treaties which
are the result of previous defeats of the
Chinese arms, the Chinese are deter
mined to s'saye their face" by this child
ish device of pretending that the foreign
ers are there merely as representatives
of tributary states, allowed to enter the
capital simply to do homage to the King
of Heaven No doubt the object is part
ly to deceive the ignorant and con-
ceited common people, but it is also an
example of a national trait which runs
through everything, and which is the
key to many actions otherwise unintel-
1igible.
When the ladies of the legation Were
admitted, some two years ago, to q
formal reception by the empress. it was
proclaimed to the people that the Queen
of Heaven had commanded the foreign
devils to bring their women to "KotoW'
to her. It is therefore a good thing that
the foreign troops have not only rescued
the legations, but have forced their way
into the capital and have marched
through the Forbidden City itself. and it
will be very unfortunate if any steps
shall be taken by the allies which can
possibly be construed by the crafty Chi
nese as a victory for their arms or di-
plomacy.
But now we have reached Legation
street, and find that it extends from the
south wall of the Tartar city toward
the south wall of the Imperial city, and
is ordered by the concessions granted to
the foreign nations which maintain en-
bassies at the capital Most of them
rashly neglected to fortify their conces-
sions, although previous experience had
made known to them the hatred and
treachery Of the Chinese.
This is not saying that. ample cause
had not been given for their hatred In
deed. we have only to imagine foreign
power, against which resistance was
hopeless, Selling New York. Philadelphia,
and New Orleans. on any old pretext, in
order to sympathiZe with the Chinese
dislike of foreigners. And when we re-
ck.iy, Any ne
history of the past half century, it will
be rash to insist that our behavior under
such exasperating circumstances would
be very much better than that OF the
heather in his blindness.
Well. the rest of the legations took no
more preca utionS in Pekin than In any
other capital but the English showed
their usual military instinct by surround
ing their compound with a stone wall ten
feet high. This foresight saved all the
foreigners from hideous determination in
those dreadful days of August and July,
1900
Of course after two months of bonn
bardment the embassy buildings are not
very pfesentabfe, but it is easy to see
that at their best they were not only
comfortable but handsome. The street
itself IS as noiseless as most of the Pekin
streets, unpaved, unsewered and unswept,
save by furious dust storms. The for
eign residents made many attempts to
induce the Chinese authorities to Go some
thing for it's Improvement. but in vain.
They would hardly do for the hated for
seign devils that which they would not do
for themselves.
Once inside the legation walls. however,
the scene shifts like a theater stage. We
are no longer in Asia, but in Europe. All
the appliances of culture, convenience and
health are here, and the cream of Cau-
casian society, Necessarily cut off from
all real association with the natives, these
little colonies of white men and women
were forced to depend or one another for
amusement, and they succeeded in leading
a gay life, in spite of the surrounding
Chinese squalor.
Certainly there is little to tempt one
to q pleasure promenade in the city, not
withstanding the attractive view from
the walks. Pekfn is a city of extremes.
The private residences and gardens OF
the wealthy are beautiful and we'll cared
for, but they are jealousy fenced in by
high walls, and do nothing to relieve the
hideousness of the street view. For such
thing as public spirit. or even enlight-
ened selfshness, scarcely exists among
all other public interests. are as complete
ly neglected as is possible. Every pub
lie trust is a private snap.
There is no pretense of paving, sewer
age and scavengering are only pretense
filth of every kind is thrown freely into
the streets. and the stnks and offal are
awful. The accumulation has been going