The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1907-08-24

Like King and Have the Power of
Life CT Death-The Aris.oeratic I'm
periaI Paupers.
In China beggars az once attract a
strangers attention. Around every
corner. along canals and creeks. in
market places. at the city gates. both
outside and inside. and especially in
the temple yards. there are teggars
here. beggars there and beggars every
where. and a more pitiable sight one
cannot meet. Many of them are Grip
pied or afflicted with leprousy and all
are dressed literally in rags
made trip in a houseboat 10 500
chow, moving through the numerous
canals in the city and stopping when
| wished TO take a view. ! landed by
a clean. fresh painted. large yamen.
spotlessly white, with blue black tiles
on the roof. and placed my camera
against the wall TO photograph a big
pagoda on the other side of the canal
The usual Chinese crowd soon came
around me. and not few beGgars. !
asked all intelligent young Chinaman
through my interpreter who lived in
this fine big mansion. so unusually
well EeTt for a Chinese house. | was
net little astonished when was told
the beggar chief of SoochOw.
This led me 10 make inquiry. about
the system of begging in China. which
is wonderfully well organized under a
scheme that works admirably and IS
Of course very ancient. like all other
institutions in the Middle Kingdom.
The chief has q fine residence. concu-
bines by the half dozen and very fine
clothing, and he is seen in the best OF
society. but only where be is not
known. As q mark of his dignity he
moves about with a long stick. which
is allowed him by the city authorities.
He also has the power Of life ard
death over his beggarIy subjects and
Furnishes all offenses committed by
them.
The beggar chief is regular at
tendant at the marriage ceremonies
and funeral professions Of private fam
lilies, in order TO get his pay for keep
ing away his hungry crowd of begg0rs,
who otherwise would hinder the festi-
val or procession in disag-eeable
noisy way. | was told that the beggar
chief of Soochow has an income CT
about $4,000 year The billet of the
one in Shanghai city is worth about
5000 Most storekeepers have an
agreement with the beggar chief to
keep his staff away. They pay about
81 year each, and in return for this
trifling amount the chief gives print
ed receipt to the storekeeper, which
the latter pastes on his door. to the eff
feet that he has paid his tax and is
exempt from the demands Of beggars.
There are different kinds of begg1rs.
Imperial beggIrs, or lao yen ting Che
words mean "old mans button') have
probably no parallel in the world. as
some of them are descendants of the
ancient Ming dynasty or distinctly re-
lated 70 the present reigning imperial
house. They are scattered all over the
country, are said TO number upward Of
IOtJJ anu Specially DuIutiOtS Az
Picking. Imperial beggars are easily
recognized because they are allowed
to wear garments of the imperial yel-
low Of different shades Characters are
painted in black on the back and front
of their robes to denote their profess
sion. They wear either q straw hat or
a velvet cap ornamented with brass
button.
When first | saw them I took them
TO be old degraded officials, for there
are hundreds of them in 'SoochOw.
They carry wooden bell in their
hands to announce their arrival AS a
rule they are over sixty years Of age
and have no family TO support them.
and they are all allowed to beg for
more money than the ordinary craft
and are furnished with license from
the magistrate They are of course.
too aristocratic TO be under the rule of
the ordinary beggar chief.
In NaEkin there is quite a select COM
pany of them, the order having been
instituted as far back as the Ming
dynasty. Hung WI, the founder of the
Ming dynasty. was once beggar him
self. The rise from beggar to emperor
probably beats the record of any dy
nasty in Europe. In picus remembrance
Of his former profession Hung WI in
stituted this order. At present they
live in certain caves or recesses that
are made in the city wall. The largest
Of these recesses is forty feet long by
twenty feet wide; the inmates are very
comfortably lodged and are decently
dressed. but they are addicted 10
opium smoking.
Besides seeking aims these imperial
beggars 90 about the country and OBJ
tain a livelihood by swearing false
oaths in court. Their Oaths are con-
sidered as binding and sacred 70 they
are often much sought after, because
for few taels one can get such
beggar TO swear 20 an oath which al
ways decides the case. The magis-