The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-10-28

its portals. WherCupOn beams of re-
lief came over the faces of the curious
guardsmen and at our request they
posed annually for the picture.
The story of the entry of foreign
Ministers to Picking is very interest
ing. Within the memory of men still
living, The first British Empassador to
the Chinese court sailed up the Pei
I1o toward this capital in native
boat. which, unknown 60 him. Haunted
at her masthead a banner bearing the
insolent and, of course, untrue inscrip-
ton: "Trbute bearer from the coun-
try of England"
Only within comparatively recent
years have foreigners passed through
| the many gates of the Forbidden City
with dignity fitting % their rank and
| the countries represented. For many
years ambassadors from Russia and
Great Britain-the foremost countries
in opening China to foreign trade-en-
| deavored in vain to obtain satlsiac'
tory access to the palace of the Son
of Heaven" The mandarins, who have
always sought to preserve an absurd
sanctity to the Chinese court were
only willing to pass the ambassadors
! into the imperial precincts on one con
dition-that they should perform the
know-tow before the Emperor. But
none would submit to go through TINS
humfliating performance.
In one instance a Russian emissary
turned back at the great wall of China,
after having travelled by caravan right
across Mongolia. In another case,
British Minister was insulted and sent
back to his ship, after arriving within
a days march of the capital, because
the mandafins conducting MIN hau
falsely reported to the throne that ne
was daily practicing the approved ID
nese fashion Of kissing the earth-ahu
after such a misstatement they uareu
not take him into the Imperial pres
ence to expose their duphcity.
Some foreign ambassadors We're
willing to accord to the Emperor OF
China the same Difference they would
show to their own monarchs; Or as
an alternative, they would agree 10
perform the kow-tow on condition that
mandarins of rank equal to their own
would make the same obedience pe'
fore a picture of the rulers OF thelr
respective lands. But the Chlhese' III
the days prior to the war with japan
were most contemptuous OF the outer
world, especially Of the 'barparlahs
from Europe and America.
One reason for their contumely was
the fact that all the people Oh the
| West who had made their appearance
in the towns of the coast were traders
come to purchase silks and other prou
ucts of China, and the Chinese con
slider tradesmen the lowest class OF
breadwinners.
According to opinion in this country
the scholar ranks first in the social
scale, the agriculturist next; third
comes the laborer, the toiler with his
hands, and last of all the merchant,
Proud and unintelligent officials, ig
norant of the lands beyond the seas
had heretofore no mind to present to
their Emperor, on any but Illuminating
terms, agents of nations whose fore
most object was to barter for native
products. Furthermore, it was popu
larly believed that foreign traders, who
had braved the seas-which the Chi
nese have never found attractive
were driven from their own countries
by barrenness, want and poverty
These poor, ignorant men of the pig
tail, reduced to living on food thai
foreigners would not touch, boasteC
of their better fortune.
Gradually, by success in many wars
. foreign countries succeeded in sending