The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-17
NEWARKERSEE
AND TELLS OF
PEKIN
B. B. Webster Writes of
Tour Through the An
Gent Walled Town.

Concord, of the Asiatic squadron. lying
in Shanghai herbor, China, in which
he gives a graphic description of Pekin
as it is today, and especially of the
great Chinese wall n temples in the
city that was besieged in 1900 by the
allied armies of the world. Mr.. Web
ster says that the awful rents in the
great wall made by the guns of the
attacking armies have never been re-
paired, and stand today just as on the
day when b~ombarded in 1900.
He gives a graphic description of his
trip from longer to Tien-Tsien by
boat, and from the latter place, which
was the scene of the principal battle
of the late Chinese War, TO Pekin by
rail. He describes his visit to the i'm
perial city as follows;
1--WE arrived In sight of the Pekin wall
at about $3.50 p. M, and as hrst iooked
help wonder how many men and years 1t
took to build it. 1t peggars description,
so l will not attempt it; but imagine a
mighty wall 100 feet and in some places
1850 feet high, whose base is nearly as VIDE
as the wall is high and room for eight
horses to travel abreast; and at each gate
a colored tile-roofed pagoda rising above
the top nearly Its own height again,
"Pekin is divided, as everyone knows
into four cities, each surrounded by sepa-
larger. The outer city is the Chinese, next
coming the Tartar, next the Imperial, and
finally, in the centre of all, the Purple, or
Forbidden City. The railway enters the
city through the water gate, the same gate
that the American forces entered IN 1900,
LAS it was too late to do any sight
seeing that night, we took In a circus
(there happening to be one In Pekln),
and, while it was poor compared to the
| circuseS ones sees in the United states, IT
was a treat to us exiles, as we had not
seen anything in that line since leaving
Gods country. Having made all arrange
ments for our guide for the next day, we
all slept soundly, and were up bright and
early next morning, ready to see all that
Pekin offered us. Our guide could speak
a good many interesting things connected
with the different places we were going to
see, and it was from him | received the
information and uses connected with the
various temples that are described in this
writing.
"As we left the hotel the first place we
stopped at was the Won Kettler monu-
ment, dedicated to the German ambassa-
dor who was murdered by the Boxers. 1t
is a large arch, and spans the entire
street, will suitable words engraved on 1t
to commemorate his memory.
''There are fifteen temples in the Sama
Temple grounds, each one dedicated to
some special religious ceremony, and as these
people are outside the pale of the emper-
ors law, and are very antagonistlc TO all
foreigners, we were allowed to see very
little of the buildings, ana only d1d see
the lesser important by bribing the attend
ants. The entire temple is presided over
by a living Sauna, and this Is the only
place l saw Chinese with no queues, all the
priests being closely shaven; We saw only
one temple building, the Temple of the
War God. He is being exemplified in an
immense Josh of lakewood about 100 feet
high, with numerous Joshes of lesser inn
~portance, the tapestries being very gor-
geous and, L guess, worth thousands ofsdpl-
lars. There was a prevailing odor OF 1n-
cense, and the guide told us there was
always the two lighted candles and incense
before him. The carvings were something
wonderful. and around the walls We're 70
be seen curious and ancient implements OF
war and torture that were used before
America was even thought OF.
THE Confucian Temple-This temple was
built and furnished by the great Chinese,
Confucius. Here we were taken into the
hall of classics and saw the marble slab
that Confucius wrote on, and where each
emperor since has strived to write the
same handwriting. You can see the
marble tablets of each placed In a row, all
around the hall.
the Forbidden City; leaving the Tartar City
and Imperial City behind, we soon came
to large overs in which to sundown TO
sunrise they used to keep tom-toms sound
ing all the time as a sign that all was We'll.
Arriving at the wall of the Forbidden CITY,
we were compelled TO stop, as this IS the
limit for foreigners, all gates being guarded:
However, we had an excellent view OF
winter palace. as it doomed above the wall,
also of Cole Hill, just outside of the FOR
| DluNGl 4 10 aNA1 49,
emperors are carried to lie in state after
death, it being the law that the emperor
must be removed from the Purple CITY IN
side of twenty-four hours after ne dies.
and must be in state 100 days on Cole Hill
before being taken to the tombs OF ms an
cestors. The wall surrounding the torpId-
den City Is bounded by a moat about sew
enty-hve feet wide and flled Win water
to Il considerable depth. II was coyeree
by Chinese water lilies all IN bloom ahu
was a very pleasing and refreshing sight,
after the dust Of the morning. Inls COM
pleted our tour until after dinner, SO We
all went back TO the hotel and had dinner.
1.-THE grounds of the Temple OF Heaven
are three square miles in area and EN-
braces thirteen temple buildings. Ihese
grounds are well kept and covered with
large cypress and cedar trees, each temple
building is surrounded by a wide moat,
which is filled with waterfduring the time
the emperor is here worshiplng; lie only
comes here once each year. Inc hrst puiid,
ing Is the Temple of Abstinence. we an
sat in the chair used on these yearly visits,
and said to have been used by previous
emperors for the past $50 years. Inc
mountings of this chair are OIL IVORY anu
the carvings on it as well as on the screen
that surrounds 1t are something WONDER
full. We next went to see the bed used by
the emperor, for he remains IN this temple
for six DAVIS alone, seeing and speaking to
no one, but goes to the temple each morn
ing. praying to the Josh all day and re-
turning to his room at night, waiting ON
himself. while his entire court remain out
side. AT the end Of six days he is sup
posed TO have received enough counsel on
all matters of great Importance to enable
him to govern the empire with wisdom Tor
the ensuing year.
1.-THE Temple of Music is where his en-
ktire court remain during his six days Of
abstinence. 1t is a huge pleasure hall, and
we We're shown every kind of musical in
strument known to the Chinese.
Temple of Sacrifice IS an open air
| temple, being an immense pile of pure
white marble, circular in shape and about
three stories in height. On top at night
is held a huge feast attended by the en-
peror, one prince of each house of the
royal blood and one mandarian of each de-
gree. The menu consists of every kind OF
flesh. fish and fowl eaten by the Chinese,
two OF each being slaughtered and sacrl-
feed in huge sacrifice pits, forming a circle
around the entire temple. the burning
taking place while the feast is in progress.
The fuel useo on these occasions Is costly
silks. incense and the usual symbolicai
paper, slips used by the Chinese on all re
ligi0us occasions. We were not allowed
in the Temple Of Sealed Tablets, as this
Is only used on the occasion of ar emperor
coming to the throne. The outside, how
ever. Is something grand, being built OF
pure white marble with the usual elabo-
rate carvings and a roof Of colored tiles.
The last and most costly temple here
is the Temple Of the North After, this
being the place where the final ceremonies
OF the annual visit take place, and where
the Emperor makes his gifts. Before en-
tering this place he enters a tent of silk
made especially for this occasion, and