October 29 1808.1
youareqnite mistaken, too in the view that there is no such thing as patriotism in China. There are many patriots, men who see that reform is vitally necessary, and who do not mind risking all for the good of their country."
But they are crushed for the time being, are they not "
12:
Yes, but only for a time. They are bound to win in the long run: they must either do that or the other Powers-like Russia-will force themselves in. The Manchus cannot sland. As for us, we are a very large and in- fluential party, and, as I say, there are many patriots among us. Some of us may lose our heads, but what of that?-those who follow will win.
“But in what sense has this celebration a political significance ?"-
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT,
"The Japanese are with you to some extent in this delebration, are they not ?" asked our representative.
357
Yes, we have had much halt them. The give below our correspondent's list(1) L
Japanese are in sympathy with us as reformers, for we are trying to do in China what they have done in Japan. Many of the higher and more intelligent classes in Japan are Confucianists, and we have had much help from them in money and other ways. A good part of the 3,000 yen for this celebration in Yokohama, has been sub- scribed by Japanese, and we are expecting many Japanese visitors from Tokyo and Yokohama.”
A casual remark as to Li Hung-chang and his party provoked the placid Chinaman from his ordinarily gentle tone of voice.
Li Hung-chang," he said, "is a very bad man. If I were near him I should want to put Well, you see, the Reform Party in China some dynamite under him. He is hopelessly and nearly all the intelligent and enlightened behind the times. Look at the questions he put men of the century, are followers of Confucius.to Marquis Ito, according to the interview in He is the great philosopher of the Chinese. the papers. They show what little conception He formed Chinese ideas, gave us letters, and he has of the state of things in Japan, or indeed, founded a philosophy which even now wo find, anywhere but in Peking. It is a bad thing for as we think, the best in the world. For a long China that he is in power again." time past he has been neglected. No feasts have been held in his honour, and the great of the Chinese have fallen into worship of idols and other barbarous kinds of religions. We, the Reformists, are reviving the cult of Confucius. The ma- jority of us do not believe in supernatural religion; we are what you call free-thinkers, | and are more concerned in making this world better than in thinking of the affairs of another. Confucianism has no hold on the Manchus, who have many different kinds of religions, and generally regard Confucianism with distrust and dislike.”
mass
He expressed great satisfaction at the action of England with regard to securing the safety of Kang Yu-wei, and this led to a remark as to the kidnapping of Sun Yat-sen by the Chinese Legation officers in London two or three years ago.
"Sun Yat-sen," he said, "had nothing to do with us. We do not know anything about him. I believe, however, he is in Yokohama now."
You speak English well," remarked the re- porter, who had been fairly astounded to hear such easy flowing periods in his own language from a gentleman wearing a queue.
*Then this is a Chinese celebration purely?" Yes, there are a number of Manchus in Yokohama belonging to the Russo-Chinese Bank, and they hold themselves altogetheration there."-Japan Mail. aloof. They have nothing to do with us,'
"No, not at all well," was the modest reply, "but I ought to know something of it. I studied at the Victoria College in Hongkong, and I passed the Senior Oxford Local Examin.
"How do you Reformists view the Manchu dynasty, since there is such a wide distinc tion between your objects and those of the Manchu P"
"Well, the Emperor, though he was a Manchu, was also a reformer, a friend to our party. What will happen now I cannot say. But I do not think that the party at present in power will be able to stop the march of
progress."
"What is your Party programme ?"
In the first-place and this is most import- ant-we wish to put a stop to the system of giving all administrative posts to literati. That is a most important reform, and must be carried into effect before anything can be done. Then we wish to establish newspapers all over China. We regard them as the only means of instruct ing the people and giving them an interest in the affairs of state...That is the secret of what you call Chinese apathy. There are plenty, as I said before, of patriotic men in China-men who are willing to risk all for their principles-but the mass of the people know nothing of politics; they are ignorant of everything that, is going on outside their own village, and consequently it is difficult to awaken in them any sense of national, questions.. Then, of course, we are pledged to advocating the abolition of foot-bind- ing for women and things of that kind. We are opposed to opium smoking also, which wo consider a fearful evil, and one of the greatest bars to progress;? Mert
Our representative delicately hinted that the teaching of Confucius, however valuable, might be as little fitted to form the gospel of a modern reform party as Plato's "Republic" would be to become the text-book of political economy for present-day Europe.
But the Chinese gentleman would not have it; Confucius was great, and Confucius only was great, in his opinion. He claimed that the Sage's doctrines formed the system of morals and philosophy most suited to the Chinese character, and he hinted that modern Europe had no more practical or common-sense belief. He seemed anxious to make it quite clear that Confucianism involved no superstition, though it was not inconsistent with the profession of religion.LOG ZNA
Of course we do not worship that, he said, pointing to the shrine of the God of War in the Guildhall. Some women do, and some gnorant men, but not educated Confucianists."
THE IMPERIAL COUNCIL OF TEN.
credited with being members of the Council Ten which was to depose her from power and strengthen the hands of the Emperor.
- Tuan-fen (2) Hea Chih-ching), (8): 1 Yu-wei; (4) Yang Shen-hsiu (5) Kang Kuang, jen; (6) Liang Chi-chao; (7) Tan Tze-tung; (8) Lin Haio; (9) Yang Jui; and (10) Liu Kuang-ti. The last-named four were Metropolitan Officers of the 4th grade, equal in rank to a President of Minor Boards or
or Director of one of the slot the Grand Courts, Council. Of these ten men, Nos. 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 composed the Martyred Six executed on the 28th of September last. Of the remain- ing four (1) Li Tuan-fen,' (2) Hɛu Chih- ching, (3) Kang Yu-wei, and (6) Liang Chi-chao, we already know of the escape Kang and Liang, but as for Li and Han, the first and second of the two liste given abov their place would also have been by the side the martyred six on the fatal evening of 28th ultimo, had they not been aged men, high in rank, and servants of the State for over twenty years. These considerations ́coupled with the remonstrances of Jung Lu and Prince Ching alone saved their lives, but only for them to suffer, the one banishment for life, and the other imprisonment for life in fact living deaths.-N. C. Daily News.
THE JAPANESE CONVENTIONAL TARIFFS AND CONSULAR CER- TIFICATES.
in the Official Gazette of the 11th October, an- An Imperial Ordinance No. 249 is published nouncing that the Imperial Ordinance No. 885, dated the 29th October, 1897, shall be put in force on and after the 1st January next. The Ordinance in question reads as follows -
Art. I. When the Conventional Tariffs come into force, goods imported into the Empire shall be accompanied by a certificate verifying the place of origin.
Art. II.-On the certificate of the place of origin shall be given the mark, number, and class, the number of packages, quantity or weight of thegoods, the name of the place of manufacture or production, the port and date of shipments.
ment (or, at ports where there is no consulate, The certificate must be endorsed by the Japanese Consul or Commercial Agent at the port of ship- by the Customs or other authorities concerned); The certificate shall be valid for one year from its date.
The following is the list of the proposed "Council of Ten" who were to have assembled daily in the Maoching Throne-hall to advise the Emperor on reform measures, as given by the Sinwênpao. The words in brackets are Board of Rites, to be President of the Council); ours:-(1) Li Tuan-fen (President of the
(2) Hsu Chih-ching (Senior Reader of the Hanlin Academy and at the time of his dis- grace acting Vice-President of the Board of Rites); (3) Kang Yu-wei (Junior Secretary of the Board of Works and a Secretary of the
Art. III-In cases where the goods are not Taungli Yamen); (4) Yang Shen-hsiu (Censor accompanied by a certificate of the place of ori- of the Kiangnan Cironit); (5) Sung Peh-lugin, or if the particulars in a certificate are in- (Censor of the Shantung Circuit); (6) Hsu Jen-
complete or do not correspond with the goods chu (Literary Chancellor of Hunan); (7) Chang themselves, or if the certificate is considered im- Yuan-chi (Hanlin Compiler); (8) Liang Chi-chao proper by the Customs authorities, the duty will (M. A., ex-Editor of Chinese Progress); (9) Kang be imposed on the goods according to the Japa- Kuang-jen (M. A, and younger brother of
nese Statutory Tariff. If a proper certificate Kang Yu-wei); and (10) Hsu Jen-ching (Hanlin is produced within six months after the importa- Bachelor, son of Hsu Chih-ching and brother tion of the goods, the duty paid thereon shall be of Hsu Jen-chu).
With reference to the punishments meted ont to the above-noted ten: (1) Li Tuan-fen was cashiered and banished to Kashgaria for ever; (2) Hsu Chih-ching, imprisoned in the dungeons of the Board of Punishments for life; (3) Kang Yu-wei, proscribed and ordered to be sliced to pieces at moment of capture; his family to suffer death, together with his uncles, aunts and cousins, and their ancestral graves to be razed (4) Yang Shen-heni, one of the Martyred Six; (5) Sung Peh-la, disappeared the day he was cashiered and dismissed for ever-23rd Septem ber--but who is reported to have been captured, lately while travelling overland for the South; (6) Hau Jên-chu, cashiered and dismissed for ever; (7) Chang Yuan-chi, a man of great wealth, also cashiered and dismissed for ever. (8) Liang Chi-chao, proscribed and now a refugee in Japan; (9) Kang Kuang-jen, one of the Martyred Six; and (10) Hsü Jen-ching, also cashiered and dis. missed for ever.
The list of the Council of Ten sent us by our native correspondent is however slightly dif. ferent and in the light of recent events and in view of the punishments meted out to the ten men mentioned below it appears to be more cor- reot. For although the original list has been seized by the Empress Dowager and rigorously kept by her, the hatred with which she pursued her victims appears to show clearly whom she
reduced to the rates of the Conventional Taring
FORMOSAN DEVELOPMENT.
devote a sum of 60 million yen to the develop It is alleged that the Cabinet has decided to ment of Formosa. The figures, as detailed by
the Kokumin Shimbun, are these:
30 millions. To railway construction. To the purchase of lands To harbour improvement at Kelung 10 To public buildings.
Total
10
60 millions.
the_isaning
total issue ot
This money will be raised, we loan bonds. If that be so, bonds (during the next few years will be 260 millions, of which the greater part will doubtless be placed abroad. We admire the financial courage of the present Cabinet. Thirty-two millions are to be devoted to the extension of the telegraph service, and sixty millions to Formosan development, and there is to be no delay in carrying out the programme of rail way construction and improvement in Jap proper. That is the way to make the co try wealthy and prosperons. Japan ances are thoroughly sound and her nations liabilities are quite insignificant. Thin a country with forty millions of inhabitan with industries rapidly growing, with good
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