Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-24

nateVer Is 10 De the Cididel " eA'o
constitution of the republic of China;
whether Yuan Shi Kai will become the
dictator of an oligarchy; whether sun
Vat Sen will be the genius of true de-
mocracy; or whatever may happen po-
liticaliy, the revolution in China is So
cially accomplished, and it never can De
turned back.
1t is difficult for occidentals properly 10
estimate the tremendous effect that these
political changes, are having on the every
day life of the millions of Chinese. Ger
tainly they are not having the same ef-
feet that similar political upheaVal
would have on the lives of 4 western peo-
ple-Americans. for instance. Even re-
formed and republican China still Will be
topsy-turvy land and the Chinese never
will do things as we do them. or see
things as we see them. They are cere-
monial where we are informal; they are
unconventional where we are conven-
tional.
The Manchu dynasty abdicates the old
est throne in the world, and yields back
to the people the sovereign power eXer-
cised for thousands of years by them and
their predecessors. all in an edict couched
in language as informal as an American
schoolboy's letter to his chum. Negotia-
tons of state. involving the destinies or
the most populous nation in the world
are carried on by telegraph, with not
even a thought or suggestion of con-
firmatory letters, in a fashion so informal
that 1t would shock the teacher of an
American business college, instructtng a
grocer in the gentle art of ordering
case Of eggs from the commission mer-
chant. About such things as these. the
Chinese will not be formal, unless, indeed,
we remember that the edict ofssabdica-
ton might not have been legal had 1t not
been noted that it was published in ver-
million ink.
AS to wearing apparel, the Chinese is SO
scrupulously ceremonious that the occi-
dental mind is
BaffieS the baffied in it's at
Occidental Mind. n;n, lips wbon . sv
erybody knows that the characteristic
queue was imposed upon the Chinese by
their Manchu conquerors as badge OF
servitude, naturally it became the busl-
ness of the Chinese revolutionists to cut
off the queue, and in some cities, such as
the republican capital of Marking, prac-
tically every queue has long since disap-
peared. Republican China will be short
haired.
At the time WI Ting-fang was acting
as minister Of foreign affairs for the re-
publican government he devoted appar-
entity as much attention to the sartorial
aspects of the revolution as to the dip. O.
matte and political situation. He issued
a manifesto to the world asking for rec
Ognftion of the Chinese republic, and at
the same time he published fashion
plate setting forth many new styles of
hats to- be worn instead Of the ordinary
4, oh tH,v of Nnyhy Oh IN a
way or other, related to the Manchu DOM
inatiOn.
1t is In these by-products of the political
revolution that everyday life In China
will be changed. 1t is true that when
the abdicatioa of the throne was an
nounced there were no public celebrations
and Examinations such as would have fol-
lowed similar events in a western coun-
try but because the effects are not those
that would be reasonably expected by
westerners it is a mistake to assume
that there are no effects at all.
). ):
When DR. Sun Vat Sen whose status
as an American citizen has been officially
determined by the
Chance to Buy authorities at Wash
-, ington, arrived in
Cneap AUTOS. China he was at
once elected president of the republic by
the provisional government at Marking.
Just before proceeding from Shanghai to
the republican capital lie picked up an
American paper, published i'll Shanghai
by American Journalists in the English
language, and in that paper he saw the
following want ad:"
Motor Carl EMF Studebaker 30.
Model 1912-new. 1 EMF Flanders.
Studebaker. 20 horsepower: nearly new.