The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-02-02
CONTIGUOUS on the Ascendant


through his administrative council, has passed a
law making Confuciansm the prescribed religion
of China According to the edict, the Governor
and his assistants are to worship once year IN
the Temple of Heaven and the code of ethics and
the religious principles as taught by the old sage
of Kong $500 years ago have been made COM
pulsory on citizens of the erstwhile "F1owery
Kingdom
Inasmuch as the constitution adopted by the
Chinese Republic guaranteed religious freedom
to every man and woman living within its bound
aries and since China has entered into number
of treaties with other countries in which liberty
of faith guaranteed, this recent action of the
administrative council comes with shock of sur
prise to all those who have been watching with
confidence and expectancy the development of
free government in that great nation.
But those who have been familiar with the
inner political changes of the last two or three
Years and especially those who know something
of the character and career of the so-called
President, Yuan Shih-Ka, are not much sur
prised. This is just such an action as a man like
Yuan might be expected to do
It seems that Yuan Shih-Kai is "a man who
would be king Foreign consuls and representa-
tives at Pekn have come to call him the "Napol-
con of China He styles himself the "Washing-
ton of China But his actions have given the
lie to his words
Yuan was protege of Ii Hung Chang. Like
so many Cinnamon of his class, he was sensual,
arrogant, dictatorial and very cruel. Judged by
our standards. his character was most disspated
and lascivious. Mercy was left out of his vo-
cabuary.
Spite of these moral deficiencies, he has al
ways been man of great political power and
with a Yankee kind of ingenuity in dealing with
perplexing situations Once while governor of a
southern province, delegation of Boxers called
On him and solicited his support for their move
ment. They made much Of certain charms which
they carried about their neck for which they
claimed the power of stopping bullets. Without
any discussion of the matter, the willy Yuan had
the Boxers file into a court and line them
selves up along a wall. Suddenly he had group
of soldiers march out and shoot every Boxer
where he stood There" exclaimed Yuan, that
shows how bullet proof their charms are"
At the death of Ii Hung Chang, the only real
statesman lost in China Yuan Shih-kai
was Immediately called in to take his place but
found himself in a midst of tottering and de-
crepit court vacant of power After the death of
the Emperor and the Empress he was ousted
from his place by an unfriendly clique and COM
1aNNoiNiiiiSo ~
edict, Yuan was made to suffer from 'rheu-
matte leg which ncapacitated him to serve.
1t was not long, however, before he was re-
called and placed in charge of the court. His
plan was to re-organize the Manchu dynasty and
put it once it's seat But he discovered
that republicansm had made such strides that
this could not be possible. His Golfers were
empty, his supporters were fools and idiots and
his army was demoralized. So he quietly turned
about, in willy Chinese fashion, and by means of q
number of intrigues and plots, had the whole
monarchcal system thrown overheard.
1t was into his hands that the surrenderne
Manchus placed their writ of abdication and ii
was on his shoulders that responsibility was
placed for the organization of republic govern
inent in China.
But the Southern provinces did not like Yuan
Shih-Kai. They dreaded his arbitrariness and
his dictatorial power. They did not approve OF
the way in which he disbanded the Chinece Con,
gress and gathered all the regns Of government
into his own hands. Therefore, during the past
few months, China has been torn asunder by q
civil war very similar to our and fought out
on the same principle of State Right versus Fed
eral Right But Yuan Shih-Kai is no Abraham
Lincoln His people not intelligent Americans
And he is finding himself day by day driven tc
become more and more despotic until now by this
most recent arbitrary dictum he tacitly declares
g himself Emperor of the Chinese.
It is probable that Christian missions and
mission workers will not be seriously interfered
with because this recent so-called law has a
notical rather than religious significance. II
nrobably means nothing more than another at.
n achieve 2 more cOmpact and rierid or