The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-12-02

ace grounds. A day IaIer the EMPRESS
dowager came back. She d~ethroned
til her death she was supreme. When
she died the emperor suddenly took
sick, and it Is supposed that ne was
poisoned by her orders Some say he
killed by Yuan Shin kal Tor rear
Of his revenge should he again be-on
the throne.
In this way Yuan and Yung LID
really saved the empires dOWager S
life. and it is no wonder that h was
grateful. 1t was as a kind OF thank
Offering to Yung III that she had his
grandson, the little Pu vi, elevate to
the throne, and it vas not her fault
that the boy is not Emperor today
She also rave Yuan Shih Kai many
high Offices and showered him with
commissions of one kind or other.
am told hat some Of these COM
missions would have resulted in
Yuan's ruin had he carried them out,
but, just as he refused to obey the
emperor. so his good showed
him that he would have to disobey
the empires dowager. One OF these
cases occurred during the BOxe re-
bellion. I was in southern China at
the time and one of Yuan Shin kaiS
foreign advisers told me the story.
ne 0HlpIcSS uOWdSCI ~dS supreme
at Picking. The Boxers were rampant
at all the chief centers, and here and
there they were slaughtering mission
aries and demanding that all foreign
| ers leave. The empress dowager sent
word to Yuan Shih Kai to take his
troops and move forward to Tientsin
| and kill all the foreigners there. Yuan
delayed on the plea Of other business
until the siege of Picking occurred,
| after which the old dowager got a
| holy fear Of all outsiders. h was
forced to leave the h I'M capital,
| and only came back to power under
| the most bitter humiliation. She then
realized that had Yuan carried out
her Instructions as to Tientsin, China,
Yuan was never called to account for
his delay. He made himself popular
with the foreigners by his protection
of them during the Boxer rebellion
and at it's close vas found to have
great influence with the foreign pow
ers. AS 10 as the troubles were set
tied he came to the support Of the
empress dowager and took his place
as n strongest and most progressive
nan OF the progressive movement
which was then inaugurated.
/ was in. China at the line that thu
en- dowager died, and Yuan wa:
then h viceroy of China, and wa:
h greatest man in the empire
side he government. He had intro
duced modern schools and industrial
the army and instituting all sorts O
reforms.
After the empress dowager's dealt
he had much to do with the govern
ment under the baby emperor, unit
the Manchus and others who wer,
l bossing the administration conclude,
he was getting too powerful, and the;
sent him into retirement On tn
ground that his legs were too sore TO
him to perform his duties. Then tn
9 last great revolution came on, an
Yuan again sprang to- h 'front.' Tn
empire was shattered, and the repuh
lie arose. I doubt not he could hav
: taken an army n gotten possessio
( Of the throne himself. Many though
: he would do SO, but he was conteT
to let China be a r%euublic, and he
e now it's president n practically :,
y dictator.
y This, very briefly, is the outline
e the career of a republican presider
e who is the ruler of four or fiv time
Is as many people as Woodrow Wilso,
q 1t is only the outline. His whole G.
reer has been full of romance, Al
l. the story would make a book of SUI,
- passing interest. Yuan Shin Kai W.
= only thirty-One years old when I fir
saw him in Korea, and he is on
~ about fffty-fve now. He started Ii
as a poor boy, was given enous
or schooling to allow him to pass the e
ID a~minations and get into the army. +
rose so rapidly that he was reside
lie general of Korea before he reach'
thirty. and from then on he has be-
al in the thick Of things and maki1
h history.
re During his stay in Korea he ";
ng dictatorial and insulting to n K
can and the foreigners. The Chimes
japanese war made him a dipforni
ed ' and ne is nov n OF h most co