New-York tribune., 1908-11-15
THE DEACON THRONE.

China is not subject to the rules which govern
Western or indeed, any other nations ana
therefore the result Of a change In the occu-
pancy OF the Dragon Throne, and Likewise the
manner in which that change is completed oy
the choice Of g new Emperor, are not conn
IDENTITY 10 be estimated according TO our stand
ards The rule of succession IS not altogether
definite Generally speaking, Il requires that
the new, Emperor shall be a member of the next
younger generation Of the Imperial Clan, desig-
mated by the decedent Emperor. But such
DESIGNATION has not always been made by the
decedent nor has there always been opportu-
nitv for H. and in one case the latest before the
present, the rule of generations was dlsre-
garded-if indeed, 1t was possible TO obey it
Moreover the rule Of primogenitue does not
obtain, and election may fall upon younger
son IN preference TO the eldest, or upon
nephew In preference to son. II Is under
stood that T'ung Chih, who died suddenly OF
smallpox" in January, 1873. designated no sue
cessor. At any rate, the choice of new EmPe-
ror was then dictated by the formidable En-
press Dowager, who for the third OF a century
since has been the real ruler of China, and who
but for the ine1orable ravages Of age would
probably again prescribe the succession 10 the
throne and again be the power behind and
superior to the throne.
The amiable and phIlanthrOpic but unhappy
monarch whose pathetic and futile career has
now terminated actually the ninth OF the
Great Pure Dynasty" the Manchu SOW
ereigns are styled, though the official genealogy
begins six general tons further back, and he
will therefore be reckoned the fifteenth Of those
whose names are held sacred and whose tOmbs
are objects OF yearly pilgrimage and worship.
The line began with Shun Chi the Manchu
Tartar who conquered China In 1914. He was
succeeded by his son, Kang III, the greatest of
them all, who reigned sixty-One years, and who
was succeeded by his fourteenth son, Yung
Ching Next came another great ruler, KEN
Lung who reigned sixty years, and then alb
dicated in favor of his son, kia King who after
a dissoute career was succeeded by his second
son, Tau Kwang with whose stormy reign the
modern history OF China began. Tau kWang
died In 1850 and succeeded by his son
Hen Fung during whose reign the Tai Ping
rebellion began. When he died his favorite con
cublne the present Empress Dowager. took
control OF affairs rs regent and as guardian Of
the new Emperor Tung Chih, the five yearold
son of herself and Hen Fung She remained
the actual head OF the government all through
that reign and just the young Emperor be
came twenty years old and began to think OF
reigning for himself he died suddenly OF
smallpox" leaving his mother to select his sue
cessor Tung Chih had died without ISSUE and
there was no direct heir to be named. Accord
ing to rule the choice should have been made
from the next generation, but either there was
no available person In that generati0n-possibly
It had not yet come into exiStence-or the all
powerful Empress considered herself compe
tent to change the law. At any rate, she
lected q member of the same generation
that to which the decedent had belonged In the
person Of his cousin, her sisters son, Tsai Tien,
then less than four years old, who was pro-
claimed Emperor under the name of Kwang
Hsu OF course, she remained regent and
guardian of the young Emperor and hence has
had the extraordinary record Of thus serving
through two entire regns. She Is now
ported to he seriously If not hopelessly, Ill, SO
that her dominance may not continue into a
third reign. That circumstance may also ex-
plain the appointment Of the late Emperors
brother as regent while, Of course, the rule OF
succession, unbroken save in the one case, ex-
plains the proclamation of that regents son,
the late Emperor's nephew, the new EN-
peror-
The late Emperor pathetically exempllfed the
Chinese saying that the occupant OF the Dragon
Throne Is las lonely as god" His whole life
was marked with seclusion snd-save for q