The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-14

Clllud Lie culGI 10, 0O anu
commit suicide" It may be that &C.
casions arise when the Little Bob
bies" don't obey; but in China when
a mandarin is told to commit suicide
he puts. his house in order and exc
cutes the sentence of the court. Be-
cause of the troubles in Pekin two
years ago. which led up to consort
OF the Powers with coercive senti-
ments, Messrs. Tsai Hsun Prince
Chuang, Ying-Nien, President of the
Court of Censors, and Chao Shu-Chi-
40. President of the Board of Punish
ments, were condemned to commit
suicide. The edict was issued on the
2lst of February. Prince Chuang
killed himself on that day, while Wing
Men and Chao Shu- Chiao took their
lives on the path. There is a grimness
about this that appeals to the imagi-
nation. In America every man is the
architect of his own fortune with
little outside assistance), but in China
every man may be his own executioner,
am waiting for Mr.. Rockhill to tell
US more about these official suicides.
NO other country carries punishment
AFTER death quite so far as China. Pos
'humous punishment, as a matter of
fact is not at all official with modern
civilization. We have learned "de NOR
tuis nil nisi bonum." By imperial edct
pos humous degradation was visited
upon Kang vi, assistant grand secre-
tary, and Lii Pingheng, formerly Gov
ernor General of Szu-ch' uan. We are
not informed of the precise nature Of
this punishment but assume that hon
ors and decorations bestowed in life
were Cancelled and withdrawn after
death 1t is just as silly as the be-
havior of a man who, after killing his
enemy and stamping upon his face UNI
til bystanders interfere. remarking,
Let him alone; he is dead" indignant
~ cried; Let him alone? Let him
alone? Not on your life! I'm going
to teach him there's some punishment
after DEATH
Quite as silly were the posthumous
honors bestowed upon Hsu Yungyi,
president of the Board of War; LII
Shan. president of the Board of Works;
Hsu Ching -cheng. senior vice president
of the Board of Works; Lien Yuan, vice
chancellor of the Grand Council, and
Yuan Chang. vice president of the
Court of Sacrifices. These high gov.
eminent officials were put to death for
having protested against the outrages
committed in Pekin upon the foreign
legations, and their memories had to be
rehabilitated. Honors taken away had
to be restored after death.
The worst punishment of all was
melted out to Tsai-I Prince Tuan and
Tsai Ian Duke Fu-kuo, who were SEN
fenced to be brought before the Au-
tumnal Court of Assize for execution.
1t was agreed that if the Emperor saw
fit to grant them their lives, they
should be expelled to Turkestan and
there imprisoned for life, without the
possibility of a Communication of pun
ishment. Life Imprisonment in that
country is so much worse than death
that convicts invariably choose the lat
ter when permitted to make choice.
We liked Lii Hung Chang for him
self and for Grants sake. The old EEL
low is dead, and may be buried with
his peacock's feathers and yellow
jacket-or without them. He is likely
to be posthumously degraded at any
moment His full title is the final
protocol is given thus: Earl of Sui,
of the First Rank, Tutor Of the Heir
Apparent, Grand Secretary OF the
Wen-hua Throne Hall, Minister of
Commerce, superintendent of the
Northern Trade and Governor General
of Chilli. Ii was a big name in the
negotiations. standing next to His
richness Yi-Kuang Prince King of
the First Rank, president of the Min
istry of Foreign Affairs.
The famous Tsung-h Yamen is no
more, the Powers having insisted up
on it's reformation into a simple min
istry of foreign affairs, to be. styled
the Wai-wu Pu. The Wai-wu Pu taxes
precedence over the six other minis
tries of state, which are the MINIS
tries of the civil office, revenue, cere-
monies, war, punishment and WORKS
The Tsung-li Yamen, the Kitchen CAP
met that ruled China, was more pow
erful than the throne itself. It's ref
ormation means the degradation OF
Prince Chun. A memorial arcn as
wide as a street is to be erected Tor
Baron Won Ketteler. An expiatory
monument is to be erected in every
cemetery in which a foreigners grave
was desecrated The indemnity to be
Maid TO the Powers is 450, 900, 900 taels.
The legation quarter in Pekin is to be
regarded as holy ground in which no
Chinaman shall reside and which may
be made defensible. Each Power may
maintain a permanent guard over its
legation. The forts of Taku have been
RACED so as tai let in all the Powers
at will. No Chinaman, under pain OF
death, shall become member OF any
anti-foreign society. Could the utter
humiliation Of a country be more COM
plete?
Lii was only 70. by no means an old
age for a Chinaman. What was the
cause of his death?" inquired Mrs.
Partridge. liberation of the stomach
| said DR.. Snipe. Indeed! Well, am
not at all surprised. Eggs 5000 years
old are enough to destroy any ones
stomach. The wonder is they didn't
kill him years ago."
One who has spent many years in
China saws: I'VE are inclined to smile
at Lis fondness for eggs 5000 years
cid, or whereabouts, but there is
meaning in whatever a Chinaman does
which is far too deep for our reckon
| ing at times. In the opinion of the Chi
| nese the seat of the understanding is
the stomach, and that organ is more
carefully guarded than any other. To
feed it on eggs 5000 years old indicates
desire to acquire a knowledge of the
ages. Only the richest and wisest can
afford to partake of such a luxury,
which is regarded as brain food of the
finest quality. No one doubts the wis
dem of Ii. There wasn't smarter,
shrewder. keener old villain under the
sun. He probably left an estate of
500. 900. 000."