One of the strangest, strongest characters in history passed from the
stage when the Dowager Empress of China, best known to us as Tsi An,
yielded to Death—her only conqueror—some time in November last.
Born a slave, the story of how her wit, beauty, determination and
utter unscrupulousness placed an empire boasting at least 400,000,000
subjects at her feet, is well known. For fifty years she reigned
an absolute despot, while other nations rose and fell, maps were
changed, the tide of Occidental civilization began to beat down the
ancient barriers of her realm. Knowing that the summons had come to
her, did she yet stretch out her still powerful hand and remove the
weakling Emperor, whose demise preceded her own by so short a time?
A physical wreck—a virtual prisoner and perhaps the victim of some
brain stupefying drug, there were still dangers to be feared to the
dynasty she so long upheld, and all her record shows she would not
have hesitated at any step necessary to preserve the reign of the
Manchus and repel the efforts which reformers might make, through
Tsai-ti’ien, to hasten forward a foreign type of government. Much
evil is said of the Dowager Empress—and much evil perhaps she did,
according to some standards; yet she selected her ministers with
some wisdom and can scarcely be censured for refusing to let herself
and the Chinese masses—both intensely conservative—be harried into
“reforms” for which they were unprepared. The national and racial pride
of such highly informed Chinese as had received not only the education
appropriate to their class at home, but who had enjoyed foreign
advantages, is in nowise typical—and it must be remembered that Tsi
An was dealing with “teeming millions” indeed. She was not stubbornly
unprogressive, as various Imperial edicts issued within the past decade
demonstrated. Indeed, it was not long since that one assurance was
given that a Constitution would be granted within nine years.
Prince Chun—named recently as regent, will link the ideas and methods
of the ancient Pure Dynasty with those which must prevail long ere
little Pu Yi, his baby Emperor, who toddled into the Manchu succession
the other day, can take the reins of government for himself. The people
have accepted the tiny monarch designed to continue the present dynasty
with no ill will. Chinese discontent has been constant for lo! these
centuries, for the Manchus are a foreign Mongol race, but the almost
simultaneous deaths of the nominal ruler and his iron-willed aunt, and
the installation of a three-year-old as puppet king, made comparatively
slight impression. Indeed, it is not likely that all China knows even
yet that there has been any change, so slowly does news travel in some
parts thereof. Under such torpid conditions, there may be uprisings
against Viceroys in certain provinces, but anything like a general
revolution will not in many years threaten the peace of the empire.
The emancipation of China will come through enlightened rulers; or be
deferred by intrigue within the Court. Three uprisings have taken place
against the Manchu rule, but they were all before foreign interests
and influence had intervened to give the yellow race a common cause
against white aggression and patriotic Chinamen and Manchus will prefer
a government by all the people rather than a mere change in the throne.
Unless signs speedily fail, no real “crisis” is imminent.
[Illustration: “THE DONKEY IS A PATIENT ANIMAL.”—_W. J. Bryan._