Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-11-06
in CHINA.

The dispatches toll ussthat the pics-
ence or American bAttlesllips " Annoy
b Ghfna, is creating NerS little interest,"
In that empire Of stoics. n thf ~
I,eI,ip Is concerned tho event Is being
ignored both Officially and otherwise.
,rIic failure of the papers and oiilciais
10 take any notice Of the arrival oil tne
feet Is accounted for by the tact thds
the birthday OF the Empress DoWagef
is being celebrated these days. w nat
concerns the remarkable woman VINO
rules the destiny OF the nation Is Oh
more Importance TO the Chinese that
All the rest of the world. 1t is not
probable that any slight is Intended.
rhc chinese newspapers have given
much space lately TO the supposed c%-
istence Of an alliance between emma
and the United states and the chinese
would not knowingly alishtaa supposed
ally.
The Chinese Empress DowaSei Is ono
OF the remarkable womerFof the world
she nus ruled with despotic power. for
over half /, century, about -four hum
y
though she commenced her career as
a poor slave what d tale of intrigue
hc, life comprises! From the position
Of slave she became n royal concubine
5illthc palace Of the Manchus, ana from
Z tIis position She roac to ole OF power
and influence and when the Emperor
died she assumed full authority. Size
made and u1nade cmperors at VIII
& ana she ali the while advanced Chlna's
Interests among the nations undouht-.
eddy she had her ministers or advisers
but their names have5not been pre-
served while hers has. She has been
reactionary and strongly opposed 70
the advancement OF foreign ideas, but
she has several radical reforms to hefs
credit. one of these Is the effort TO
suppress the opium traffic; another Is
the adjustment of the Manchu privil-
eyes with u view of matchmaking the
two races that have kept themselves
apart and separated though one rs ruled
by tho other. Ever since the invaders
swarmcd IN from Manchuria In the
middle of the fifteenth century and.
rcconaucred the country over which
their ancestors had ruled 500 years
Il before, the Manchus have remained y
superior caste. Tho rulers have been
Aranchus, ard Manchus have filled the
Z offices of state and army. They have
kept haughtily aloof from the Chinese,
and have not interinarricd with them,
although they have taken many OF the
Chinese customs. All this tho Empress,
though herself a Manctu, has endeav-
ored to change and to bring about
unity.
OF late years the Empress has been
forced 10 recognize the futility OF re-
sisting the advance OF western civil z
zation and Pekin reflects the new
spirit in a striking manner. Travellers
say that the capital Of China 10 long
or tspities the moulderlng traditions Of
the Manchu dynasty, but rather the
new national instincts and aspirations
Of the Chinese people. Three rail-
ways bring their traffic ana hroaden-
ing Influences to the very gate of the
+ city. The tinllling camel bells are
3 gone, their old world music rcpluced
by the interchangeable bugling from
school parado- grounds and camps. No
longer does the mcdaeval watch pa
trol the midnight streets with noise
of rattle and drum; the new police,
with their foreign uniforms, rifles, and
sentry-boacs in every quarter. have
consigned it TO oblivion. Well paved
streets, iianked BY bricked drains, now
connect all the principal gates The pa.
per lanterns that accumulated the
darkness OF former days have been
replaced by electric light; scarenging
Is no longer left To the unaidod eff
forts of pariah dogs ana pigs brough-
ans and Jinrikshas ply in the place OF
scdan-chairs and sprlnglcss carts, and
public buildings of suitable size and
design are being provided for tho var
1ous government offices.
This is the new China, in which II
mas come to pass that Il now day with
automobiles, newspapers ana a con-
stitution has dawned. The name of
Isl An Will live in history for all
time, and be linked with the most re-
1narkableE regeneration of u nation. on
record in history.