The Washington herald., 1909-01-03
Passing of a Great Empress
and a Weak Chinese Emperor

ing to him before he delivered his
soYereign's apology for Baron Won Ket-
teler's murder.
Promptly Prince Chun and his retinus
stopped at Basel, refusing 10 proceed
until It might please the Kaiser to with
draw this novel condition.
In this particular respect the Kaiser
is not 10 be blamed-as he usually is and
universally was then To-day the Chinese
court does not insist on the foreign min
isters ''kowtowing" during imperial
audiences. The kowtow is a very trying
way Of paying homage and consists of
several singular combinations Of prostra-
lions and genufexions- But it IS recorded
IN history that not q few embassies, sen;
in former days to the Chinese court, had
70 return without having accomplished
anything, because the ministers IN ques-
ton refused 10 kOwtOw with the conse-
Quence that they obtained no audience
Emperor Napoleon. when q prisoner at
St Helena. was once asked whether or
not he would have allowed any Of his am
bassadors 10 kOwtow 10 the Chinese
ruler. and he is said 20 have promptly
49, " A-1 VI NrAA-aA9 VIZ ---hA
an envoy TO q foreign land, I expect him
70 conform 10 the modus operandi Of the
country"
Meanwhile. 1t did not please Prince Chun
10 kOwtow. and he simply remained at
Rasel. I believe, more than a fortnight
Eventually the Kaiser decided thar
Prince Chun should not pay homage TO
him IN Chinese fashion and the embassy
proceeded 10 Berlin On the day the
prince was 70 be received he drove up
70 the palace and found a company Of
foot guards drawn UP in front Of the
KaiseT's residence. The prince entered,
but the garde d'honneur did not salute
When the audience was over and the
prince left the imperial castle. the guard
Of honor accorded the special ambassador
fun ho1Ors Perhaps some one might
have suggested TO the Emperor that the
guard Of honor might have put in an ap-
pearance after the prince had entered
the palace Il would have been more ef-
fectiye and more tactfuL
Prince Regent ChUn returned IN 1902 20
Pekin and in 1893 the late Empress
Dowager found him a wife, who is the
mother Of the three-yeaT-old Emperor
Of to-day. Pu VI
sci full OF contradictions The cOnSeTva-
tive and the progressive powers at Pekin
and in the provincial capitals Of the en-
pire are engaged IN q serious feud- Il is
not hard 70 say what viii be the outcome,
4or the progressive elements are gaining
ground with every sunrise and sunset.
L Is only natural that II should be so.
I e ~-l~ 4f~-.
TO reform an empire with q population Of
over 100000 than an insula- empire
with a population One-tenth thereof.
refer 10 the stupendous development Of
Japan.
The two most powerful metropolitan
politicians Of the empire to-day are the
venerable eXCeIenCy, ex-viCerOy OF Ihe
Hups and Human provinces, Chang Chi
/ Tung and his opponent. the younger and
/ imperious Yuan Shi kai, former viCeToy
and commandments OF Chill
Chang Is now q very old and feeble
man. and We DO him no injustice. n
spite OF his great qualifications as q
| statesman. when We assume that his
T saga" is soon over. # not forgotten.
/ had the pleasure 10 meet the old excel
lency in Wuchang IN August. IS07-On
[ the late EmpeTOr's birthday The foreign
/ consuls and the municipality OF Hankow,
/ on the other side q the mighty Yang-tse
/ had been invited 10 attend a reception II
I the viceregal yamen IN order TO celebrate
I the birthday OF KwanS Hsu- The Danish
consul. II Brandt. introduced ne TO tht
I vicerOy. who was already then so weak
( that he could hardly stand upright he
{ was S-ruuorted BY two bows who held hin
under the arms. When the old viCeTOy
/ heard from the consul. who acted as IL
7 terpreter. that had come for the second
+ time TO China in search Of the HISTORIAN
! Tablet OF Sianfu, ne evinced much inter
! est and told me that he always thought
that Denmark am Dane-was q grea'
I country. He would possibly have told {
/ properly introduced P7tagoDian the same
I but his manner was so very kind. and hi.
/ old eyes sparkled with such hUmor. tia