The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-19

terms, agents Of nations whose fore
most object was to barter for native
products Furthermore, it was popular
~ believed that foreign traders, who
mad brayed the scas-which the Chi
nese have never found attractive-were
hrlVen from their own countries by bar
rcnness, want and poverty These poor
ignorant men of the pigtail, reduced to
living on food that foreigners would not
touch, boa&ted of their bettcr fortune.
Gradually, by success in many wars
foreign countries succeeded in sending
their ministers to Pekin. But not till
after the war with Japan, when China
began to feel the need of foreign
friends, would the councillors round the
emperor arrange for foreign plenipoten-
tIarles to be received in audience in
any, but courtyards and buildings set
aside for the reception Of emissaries
from vasal states or for iugglers and
other show people
Even in 1900, after the legations had
been established in Pelsin, the late
empress dowager and her advisers at
tempted TO get rid of them by means
of the Boxers, or, as the Chinese term
is perhaps better translated, the Char
monious fists
An incident Of that year will serve
| TO illustrate the hostility of the court.
It's stupidity, and its desire to maintain
nm unnatural sanctity around the per
son of the ruler. At a meeting Of the
grand council the youthful emperor
who opposed the mad policy Of the dow
ager-leaned over to one of his minis
| ters, one who loved his country more
| than his coral button and his peacock
feather, and placing his hand upon the
minister s sleeve. asked If the then
popular movement to drive out the for.
eigners would not bring about the end
of China. The minister admitted the
danger. Pretending to be Mortified, the
other members of the council declared
that their fellow mandarin had laid
hands on the person of the son of
heaven, and at their suggestion the
empress saw fit to order the decapita
tion Of the man who disagreed with her
views. a few weeks later the court
had fed from Pekin, and armed in
vaders clankcd with spurred heels
while cavalrymeD grazed their horses in
| the courtyards of the innermost city,
AS to Foreign ENJOYS.
Today The foreign envoy bearing ere
| dentials from his king or president en-
ters the forbidden city by the great
Chen Men. the front gate. He is borne
is sedan chair, followed by all his
suite in attendance. and accompanied
DS du ilupclidi Sudiu VI 1BIhSSc iiOi sc
men. No longer is he made 10 leave
his legation at midnight and to wait
for hours for an audience at some un-
| fixed hour Of the early morning-it
might be one clock or it might be
| six.
He leaves the garrisoned foreign quar-
ter now at nine All the great gates,
one after another, are opened to him,
and he passes into the throne room it.
self, 10 present his papers in person to
the prince regent. who sits beside the
dragon throne, which the four year old
emperor has not yet ascended.
He is wise young man, this prince
of less than thirty years, and his ven
erable councillors are humber and
saner, if not more efficient, than they
were ten years ago. Prejudice and ig-
norance still prevail among the masses
of the Chinese, but the central govern
ment. with all its weakness and It's fail
ings. is endeavoring to lift the people
to the standards of newer civiliza-
tion-to prosperity and ability TO dc
fend their country.