New-York tribune., 1908-11-14

the government and the court. The Emperor was
then fully under the influence of the reformer hans
Yu Wei. and his remarkable reform edicts were
promulgated through his inspiration, These IN
cuded decree for a national loan. house ana
opium tax. army reform and foreign education the
abolition of the literary essay test of fellow
ship and Office. bureau of agriculture, copyright
and patent laws and schools and colleges OF West
learning Kuang Hsu, however. went too far
in these matters, and the Empress Dowaser. In
September OF 1898 decided 20 put end TO his &C
tiyity She suddenly eonfron ed the Empefor, de-
nounced him took from him the seal of state and
put him under guard His reformer friends were
seized. and six of them were executed in PeSng
on September IS. On January "a, 1899, the En-
peror forced to sign the decree announcing his
abdication, and kept prisoner by the Empress
Dowager for two years. 1t was believed that he
had been killed. The foreign powers made repre-
sentations on the subject of his health, which
suited in his being examined by French physician
attached TO the French Legation This proceeding
was reluctantly permitted by the Empress Dowager.
Nothing then heard of the Emperor until the
Boxer uprising and the siege OF the foreign lega-
tons at Peking. He is said to have urged the En-
press Dowager to try to prevent carrying out
the decision Ito fight all foreign nations the
ground that the making of against all coun-
tries would make peace an impossibilty in the
future" On the day after the relief of the lega-
tions, April 10, the Emperor fed with the rest of
the court Sian-Fu He returned to Peking with
the court on January Z. 1902.
kuang Hsu has been described as being irritable
and childish. Since the age of eighteen he has
been frail and has suffered from general debility.
Mentally, he has appeared to foreigners un-
responsive and his pale face and large head never
conveyed expression of strength power. He
mingled with the native and foreign guests of the
throne under restraint. and appeared at all in the
presence OF company only in obedience to orders
of the Empress Dowager His court duties were
distinctly perfunctoFy. They consisted of appear
ing at sll formal audiences to natives and for
eigners. at the sttings of the Grand Council and
at certain specified religious functions In the
throne room he sat a stool or chair beside the
throne chair of the Empress Dowager and pa pers
passed to him after having been inspected
by her It is related that occasion the
presence of the Emperor irritated Tsu Hsi, and
she, in temper. called to attendant: Take that
away" referring 10 the Emperor. His ma jesty
overheard this, and when he reached his room be-
gan smashing the brc-a-b his rage
Another description of the personality of the EN-
peror ts as follows
The Emperor appeared to be q sicky person,
with a melancholy but not unattractive
gratified in the relatively harmless way OF smash
ing furniture In the seif-imposed secluson of his
side world except through the high state officials.
who approached him on bended knees present
reports public affairs in which the necessities
OF truth largely subordnated to the consid-
sacrifice in of the imperial temples the
streets through which he passed carefully
shut off with heavy hangings, the ground
with yellow saEd and everything
moved that might offend the sensitiveness OF i'm
perial eyes nostrils. Through the deserted
the stiffness of the night like ghost, borne in
a lofty palanquin.