[86561] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Search Alcohol Rehab Options
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Alcohol Rehab)
Thu Aug 11 02:16:07 2016
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2016 02:07:12 -0400
From: "Alcohol Rehab" <alcohol.rehab@kuzmann.com>
To: <mit-talk-mtg@charon.mit.edu>
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<p>Search Alcohol Rehab Options<br /> Of the personal history of the ill=
-fated boy who has thus been prematurely cut off just as he was entering up=
on manhood and the actual government of four hundred million souls, we know=
next to nothing. His accession as an infant to the dignities of a sensual,=
dissipated father, attracted but little attention either in China or elsew=
here; and from that date up to the year 1872, all we heard about His Majest=
y was, that he was making good progress in Manchu, or had hit the target th=
ree times out of ten shots at a distance of about twenty-five yards. He was=
taught to ride on horseback, though up to the day of his death he never to=
ok part in any great hunting expeditions, such as were frequently indulged =
in by earlier emperors of the present dynasty. He learnt to read and write =
Chinese, though what progress he had made in the study of the Classics was =
of course only known to his teachers. Painting may or may not have been an =
Imperial hobby; but it is quite certain that the drama received more perhap=
s than its full share of patronage. The ladies and eunuchs of the palace ar=
e notoriously fond of whiling away much of their monotonous existence in wa=
tching the grave antics of professional tragedians and laughing at the broa=
d jokes of the low-comedy man, with his comic voice and funnily-painted fac=
e. Listening to the tunes prescribed by the Book of Ceremonies, and dining =
in solemn solitary grandeur off the eight precious kinds of food set apa=
rt for the sovereign, his late Majesty passed his boyhood, until in 1872 he=
married the fair A-lu-te, and practically ascended the dragon throne of hi=
s ancestors. Up to that time the Empresses-Dowager, hidden behind a bamboo =
screen, had transacted business with the members of the Privy Council, sign=
ing all documents of State with the vermilion pencil for and on behalf of t=
he young Emperor, but probably without even going through the formality of =
asking his assent. The marriage of the Emperor of China seemed to wake peop=
le up from their normal apathy, so that for a few months European eyes were=
actually directed towards the Flowery Land, and the /Illustrated London Ne=
ws/, with praiseworthy zeal, sent out a special correspondent, whose valuab=
le contributions to that journal will be a record for ever. The ceremony, h=
owever, was hardly over before a bitter drop rose in the Imperial cup. Barb=
arians from beyond the sea came forward to claim the right of personal inte=
rview with the sovereign of all under Heaven. The story of the first audien=
ce is still fresh in our memories; the trivial difficulties introduced by o=
bstructive statesmen at every stage of the proceedings, questions of etique=
tte and precedence raised at every turn, until finally the /kotow/ was triu=
mphantly rejected and five bows substituted in its stead. Every one saw the=
curt paragraph in the /Peking Gazette/, which notified that on such a day =
and at such an hour the foreign envoys had been admitted to an interview wi=
th the Emperor. We all laughed over the silly story so sedulously spread by=
the Chinese to every corner of the Empire, that our Minister's knees had k=
nocked together from terror when Phaeton-like he had obtained his dangerous=
request; that he fell down flat in the very presence, breaking all over in=
to a profuse perspiration, and that the haughty prince who had acted as his=
conductor chid him for his want of course, bestowing upon him the contempt=
uous nickname of "chicken-feather." These are--bears' paws, d=
eers' tail, ducks' tongues, torpedos' roe, camels' humps, monkeys' lips, ca=
rps' tails, and beef-marrow. Subsequently, in the spring of 1874, the late =
Emperor made his great pilgrimage to worship at the tombs of his ancestors.=
He had previous to his marriage performed this filial duty once, but the m=
ausoleum containing his father's bones was not then completed, and the whol=
e thing was conducted in a private, unostentatious manner. But on the last =
occasion great preparations were made and vast sums spent (on paper), that =
nothing might be wanting to render the spectacle as imposing as money could=
make it. Royalty was to be seen humbly performing the same hallowed rites =
which are demanded of every child, and which can under no circumstances be =
delegated to any other person as long as there is a son or a daughter livin=
g. The route along which His Majesty was to proceed was lined with closely-=
packed crowds of loyal subjects, eager to set eyes for once in their lives =
upon a being they are taught to regard as the incarnation of divinity; and =
when the Sacred Person really burst upon their view, the excitement was bey=
ond description. Young and old, women and children, fell simultaneously upo=
n their knees, and tears and sobs mingled with the blessings showered upon =
His Majesty by thousands of his simple-minded, affectionate people. The nex=
t epoch in the life of this youthful monarch occurred a few months ago. The=
Son of Heaven had not availed himself of western science to secure immu=
nity from the most loathsome in the long category of diseases. He had not b=
een vaccinated, in spite of the known prevalence of smallpox at Peking duri=
ng the winter season. True, it is but a mild form of smallpox that is there=
common; but it is easy to imagine what a powerless victim was found in the=
person of a young prince enervated by perpetual cooping in the heart of a =
city, rarely permitted to leave the palace, and then only in a sedan-chair,=
called out of his bed at three o'clock every morning summer or winter, to =
transact business that must have had few charms for a boy, and possessed of=
no other means of amusement than such as he could derive from the society =
of his wife or concubines. Occasional bulletins announced that the disease =
was progressing favourably, and latterly it was signified that His Majesty =
was rapidly approaching a state of convalescence. His death, therefore, cam=
e both suddenly and unexpectedly; happily, at a time when China was unfette=
red by war or rebellion, and when all the energies of her statesmen could b=
e employed in averting either one catastrophe or the other. For one hundred=
days the Court went into deep mourning, wearing capes of white fur with th=
e hair outside over long white garments of various stuffs, lined also with =
white fur, but of a lighter kind than that of the capes. Mandarins of high =
rank use the skin of the white fox for the latter, but the ordinary officia=
l is content with the curly fleece of the snow-white Mongolian sheep. For o=
ne hundred days no male in the Empire might have his head shaved, and women=
were supposed to eschew for the same period all those gaudy head ornaments=
of which they are so inordinately fond. At the expiration of this time the=
Court mourning was changed to black, which colour, or at any rate somethin=
g sombre, will be worn till the close of the year. Such terms as "=
Brother of the Sun and Moon" are altogether imaginary, and are quite u=
nknown in China. For twelve long months there may be no marrying or giving =
in marriage, that is among the official classes; the people are let off mor=
e easily, one hundred days being fixed upon as their limit. For a whole yea=
r it is illegal to renew the scrolls of red paper pasted on every door-post=
and inscribed with cherished maxims from the sacred books; except again fo=
r non-officials, whose penance is once more cut down to one hundred days' d=
uration. In these sad times the birth of a son--a Chinaman's dearest wish o=
n earth--elicits no congratulations from thronging friends; no red eggs are=
sent to the lucky parents, and no joyous feast is provided in return. Merr=
ymaking of all kinds is forbidden to all classes for the full term of one y=
ear, and the familiar sound of the flute and the guitar is hushed in every =
household and in every street. The ordinary Chinese visiting-card-- a pi=
ece of red paper about six inches by three, inscribed with its owner's name=
in large characters--changes to a dusky brown; and the very lines on lette=
r paper, usually red, are printed of a dingy blue. Official seals are also =
universally stamped in blue instead of the vermilion or mauve otherwise use=
d according to the rank of the holder. Red is absolutely tabooed; it is the=
emblem of mirth and joy, and the colour of every Chinese maiden's wedding =
dress. It is an insult to write a letter to a friend or stranger on a piece=
of plain white paper with black ink. Etiquette requires that the columns s=
hould be divided by red lines; or, if not, that a tiny slip of red paper be=
pasted on in recognition of the form. For this reason it is that all stamp=
s and seals in China are /red/--to enable tradesmen, officials, and others =
to use any kind of paper, whether it has already some red about it or not; =
and every foreigner in China would do well to exact on all occasions the sa=
me formalities from his employes as they would consider a matter of duty to=
wards one of their own countrymen, however low he might be in the social sc=
ale. Mencius. Book v., part ii., ch. 4. Certain classes of the people w=
ill suffer from the observance of these ceremonies far more severely than o=
thers. The peasant may not have his head shaved for one hundred days--incon=
venient, no doubt, for him, but mild as compared with the fate of thousands=
of barbers who for three whole months will not know where to look to gain =
their daily rice. Yet there is a large section of the community much worse =
off than the barbers, and this comprises everybody connected in any way wit=
h the theatres. Their occupation is gone. For the space of one year neither=
public nor private performance is permitted. During that time actors are o=
utcasts upon the face of the earth, and have no regular means of getting a =
livelihood. The lessees of theatres have most likely feathered their own ne=
sts sufficiently well to enable them to last out the prescribed term withou=
t serious inconvenience; but with us, actors are proverbially improvident, =
and even in frugal China they are no exception to the rule. Officials in th=
e provinces, besides conforming to the above customs in every detail, are f=
urther obliged on receipt of the "sad announcement" to mourn thre=
e times a-day for three days in a particular chapel devoted to that purpose=
There they are supposed to call to mind the virtues of their late master,=
and more especially that act of grace which elevated each to the position =
he enjoys. Actual tears are expected as a slight return for the seal of off=
ice which has enabled its possessor to grow rich at the expense too often o=
f a poor and struggling population. We fancy, however, that the mind of the=
mourner is more frequently occupied with thinking how many friends he can =
count among the Imperial censors than in dwelling upon the transcendent bou=
nty of the deceased Emperor. We sympathise with the bereaved mother who has=
lost her only child and the hope of China; but on the other hand if there =
is little room for congratulation, there is still less for regret. The nati=
on has been deprived of its nominal head, a vapid youth of nineteen, who wa=
s content to lie /perdu/ in his harem without making an effort to do a litt=
le governing on his own responsibility. During the ten years that foreigner=
s have resided within half a mile of his own apartments in the palace at Pe=
king, he has either betrayed no curiosity to learn anything at all about th=
em, or has been wanting in resolution to carry out such a scheme as we can =
well imagine would have been devised by some of his bolder and more vigorou=
s ancestors. And now once more the sceptre has passed into the hands of a c=
hild who will grow up, like the late Emperor, amid the intrigues of a Court=
composed of women and eunuchs, utterly unfit for anything like energetic g=
overnment. The splendid tomb which has been for the last twelve years in pr=
eparation to receive the Imperial coffin, but which, according to Chinese c=
ustom, may not be completed until death has actually taken place, will witn=
ess the last scene in the career of an unfortunate young man who could neve=
r have been an object of envy even to the meanest of his people, and who ha=
s not left one single monument behind him by which he will be remembered he=
reafter. THE POSITION OF WOMEN It is, perhaps, tolerably safe to say that t=
he position of women among the Chinese is very generally misunderstood. In =
the squalid huts of the poor, they are represented as ill-used drudges, dra=
wers of water and grinders of corn, early to rise and late to bed, their pa=
th through the vale of tears uncheered by a single ray of happiness or hope=
, and too often embittered by terrible pangs of starvation and cold. This p=
icture is unfortunately true in the main; at any rate, there is sufficient =
truth about it to account for the element of sentimental fiction escaping u=
nnoticed, and thus it comes to be regarded as an axiom that the Chinese wom=
an is low, very low, in the scale of humanity and civilisation. The women o=
f the poorer classes in China have to work hard indeed for the bowl of rice=
and cabbage which forms their daily food, but not more so than women of th=
eir own station in other countries where the necessaries of life are dearer=
, children more numerous, and a drunken husband rather the rule than the ex=
ception. Now the working classes in China are singularly sober; opium is be=
yond their means, and few are addicted to the use of Chinese wine. Both men=
and women smoke, and enjoy their pipe of tobacco in the intervals of work;=
but this seems to be almost their only luxury. Hence it follows that every=
cash earned either by the man or woman goes towards procuring food and clo=
thes instead of enriching the keepers of grog-shops; besides which the perc=
entage of quarrels and fights is thus very materially lessened. A great dra=
g on the poor in China is the family tie, involving as it does not only the=
support of aged parents, but a supply of rice to uncles, brothers, and cou=
sins of remote degrees of relationship, during such time as these may be ou=
t of work. Of course such a system cuts both ways, as the time may come whe=
n the said relatives supply, in their turn, the daily meal; and the support=
of parents in a land where poor-rates are unknown, has tended to place the=
present high premium on male offspring. Thus, though there is a great deal=
of poverty in China, there is very little absolute destitution, and the fe=
w wretched outcasts one does see in every Chinese town, are almost invariab=
ly the once opulent victims of the opium-pipe or the gaming-table. The rela=
tive number of human beings who suffer from cold and hunger in China is far=
smaller than in England, and in this all-important respect, the women of t=
he working classes are far better off than their European sisters. Wife-bea=
ting is unknown, though power of life and death is, under certain circumsta=
nces, vested in the husband (Penal Code, S. 293); while, on the other hand,=
a wife may be punished with a hundred blows for merely striking her husban=
d, who is also entitled to a divorce (Penal Code, S. 315). The truth is, th=
at these poor women are, on the whole, very well treated by their husbands,=
whom they not unfrequently rule with as harsh a tongue as that of any west=
ern shrew. In the fanciful houses of the rich, the Chinese woman is regarde=
d with even more sympathy by foreigners generally than is accorded to her h=
umbler fellow-countrywoman. She is represented as a mere ornament, or a sou=
lless, listless machine--something on which the sensual eye of her opium-sm=
oking lord may rest with pleasure while she prepares the fumes which will w=
aft him to another hour or so of tipsy forgetfulness. She knows nothing, sh=
e is taught nothing, never leaves the house, never sees friends, or hears t=
he news; she is, consequently, devoid of the slightest intellectual effort,=
and no more a companion to her husband than the stone dog at his front gat=
e. Now, although we do not profess much personal acquaintance with the /gyn=
ecee/ of any wealthy Chinese establishment, we think we have gathered quite=
enough from reading and conversation to justify us in regarding the Chines=
e lady from an entirely different point of view. In novels, for instance, t=
he heroine is always highly educated--composes finished verses, and quotes =
from Confucius; and it is only fair to suppose that such characters are not=
purely and wholly ideal. Besides, most young Chinese girls, whose parents =
are well off, are taught to read, though it is true that many content thems=
elves with being able to read and write a few hundred words. They all learn=
and excel in embroidery; the little knick-knacks which hang at every China=
man's waist-band being almost always the work of his wife or sister. Visiti=
ng between Chinese ladies is of everyday occurrence, and on certain fete-da=
ys the temples are crowded to overflowing with "golden lilies"=
of all shapes and sizes. They give little dinner- parties to their female =
relatives and friends, at which they talk scandal, and brew mischief to the=
ir hearts' content. The first wife sometimes quarrels with the second, and =
between them they make the house uncomfortably hot for the unfortunate husb=
and. "Don't you foreigners also dread the denizens of the inner apartm=
ents?" said a hen-pecked Chinaman one day to us--and we think he was c=
onsoled to hear that viragos are by no means confined to China. One of the =
happiest moments a Chinese woman knows, is when the family circle gathers r=
ound husband, brother, or it may be son, and listens with rapt attention an=
d wondering credulity to a favourite chapter from the "Dream of the Re=
d Chamber." She believes it every word, and wanders about these realms=
of fiction with as much confidence as was ever placed by western child in =
the marvellous stories of the "Arabian Nights."</p>=20
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