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7 M HÜNff CHANG.
CHINA'S GRAND OLI/
MAN.
'In some respects -a' fascinating hook (or
Western readers is tho volume oí ¿1'Hung
Chang's VMemotr»,". edited by "W.F.M '*
vrith anflntroduction by Mr. .lohn W. Kos
ter. Boroetimo. United »tates Secretary of
State (London ; Constable). It reveals
with a nalyottb that ia quito delightful the
character and' view« ol the astute Viceroy
Wfto WBB for BO «nany years tho cblof sup
port of tho-Dowuger Kmpress'iVu Hal, in
her BtrugKle to defend the Mnnchu dynasty
against <; foreign aggression and domestic
disaffection. From tho time of the Tulplrig
rebellion in .the «arly Blxtlos of last century
until tho negotiations which brought the
Boxer troubles and the foreign occupation
of Peking, to on «nd In 1 l)(KI, he wa» ac
tively' engaged. In nearly ult tho great
events of ¡ Chinese history. Again und
again he was' degruded by the irascible
"Old lluddhn;," as the KinprebH was called,
but ho was Indispensable to tho throne In
all emergencies; and never [altered in lils
allegiance. According to the Chlncso stan
dards I of his. day, he WUH undoubtedly a
patriot, hui. Judged by Western standards,
his patriotism wu» marred bv inordinate
ambition, Intense 'greed, cold-blooded cruel
ty, drop-grained contempt tor tho "com
mon herd of his countrymen, ami nn titter
unscrupulousness In the moans which ho
used for- .tho; furtherance of his personul
and political purposes, lie amassed enor
mous wealth In ollie«, and his slireu/l mind
. Baw groat profits tor himself aa well ns
benefits to China in tho encouragement of
such Western enterprises ns cotton mills,
railways, and a mercantile marine. H's
youthful ambition was In the direction of
literary fame, and nil his life ho v]as proud
of his scholurshlp. Not only did ho win
with high honors all tho degrees open In u
Chinese llleratus, but he wrote many
works in proso und verso. Throughout his
long carter, he kept a diary, the manu
scripts of which contain enough wards to
All more thun a dozen good-sized novels.
Bather over a tenth ot this voluminous au
tobiogrutdiy, hss boon translated by two
Chinese scholars ..nnd an American Bina
logue. Tho present volume consists of se
lections from these truusluted passages. Wo
are) not told nf tho principio which has
guided the editor In lils choleo of material,
hut ho indicates that tho .manuscripts »ere
placed ut tho disposal ol tho translators
hy tho family of tho lute Viceroy, with tho
consent of tho Imperial Oovcrnment.
Though ho nover lost lils dislike of for
eigners and their religion, l.i modlllcd his
ideas of thom hs hq became better acquaint
ed with them. 'Ino first menllon of Christi
anity In hi« dlury occurs when he was
studying for his linn! degree ut thu Hanlin I
College In Peking In 1 HID. Il
Christians
"It ls a part of their teaching that Hit
Tion-fu (Heavenly I'utheri let His son come
on earth and die for wicked people. Such
touching I If they nunki say thal He esme
unit died for tho good people it would
sound sensible, oven lt tho rest of tlieir
doctrines aro too absurd for any man
brains ta give a serious thought to. If tho I
gods arc good and want men to bo good
will they allow members of their families |
to bo killed Uko criminals for tho suku
criminals ?"
.iVcnt.v-Hevon yours later lie remarks, ,ufi sr
years of careful study, he bus como lo thu
conclusion that thu rollgioii of tho Wost is
not in conllict with Chinese phllnsopliy.
"Tho touchings of Confucius and tho doc
trines of .lesus appear," ho says, "to be un
ono exulted plune, conceived nnd promul
gated for tho betterment nf nil mankind,
heathen and Christian." lt his lot wons cist
in Kngland, Frunce, or Au erlca, li« would,
ho confesses, want to call hijnsolt n Christ
ian ; but, Just as tho Knglishutun, Frer>»'h
lnan, or American hus no need for Confu
cius, so I.I felt that ho hod no need.' for
Christ n" ho would but follow "our ,'ewn
great stu^o und philosopher," but ho wyuld
not opposa Christianity, because t'
might bo many in China who would
bonoflitcd by a knowledge of Jesus, "esp-cl
nlly as they trouble not'ut all to "tolow
in tho wuys directed by Confucius." Ailcr
admitting that ho found Europeans ireVor
ally straightforward lu their dealings with
Jilin, Iii goes on to observe '
"Hut this inny be moro because ot tl.elr
prrîlo thun their hontsly, for, as I unil.T
Htand lt, tho citizens ol most of tliose
lCuroiiean nations toko n pretended delight
' In evincing a superiority over tho Asiatics,
and un,-'therefore, opposed to doing IQ.my
thing« when they ure away from jl.eir
homelands . which they would not hcKlt.ito |
- at nil to do in the places of their blub.
In this 1 do not seo unv true moral p ill-1
osophy, hut rather n weakness, in tl .dr
attempt to impress grundh' what theV I«
Iluve to lie weaker nutlons." \
He would not light against the comlrk ut |
the foreigner, btcutise be is hound to Ç' iiie
anyway, even if ht must ride bellini u
liayonet or sit upon the big gun ut n »>.ir
flhip." S
Very quaint ls the Vlce-rcgul common] on
tho Tientsin massucro nf 1H70, whan -a
number of nuns wore lunong tho victims :
"Of course, most of our people timk
.that a Chinese young womnn who wjj.ild
wish lo go into a loreign nation iim-iig
strangers deserves to bo killed by a bub,
or havo some fatal accident befull her < i.ut
the views of thc Kugllsh and Amerituis
and other Christian nations ure vcrylilirf
«ront. Whilo our people think the putt mi:
out of tho way of tho nuns a lienotit t
latter-for they havo no husbands, nm
their looks do not cat much-as well i
tho world at large ; in Prance, us the]
Hui Bays, those women ure looked upnj
great und holy saints in tho next worhl J
In spite of his well-known quarrels
<lordon, who commanded the V'A'or-Vii
ous Army under IA' Hung Chang's noi
direction during tho Taiping Hobtllloi
Pays tho ? galluut British olllccr mi
high tributo ofpraise In Ills dlury- '
constantly harping upon Cordon'!
ney In domtindlng pay for his trooj
course of conduct very objectionable
eyes of tho avaricious Chlncso Govi
Hero is a characteristic outburst :
"With his mnny taults-his pride
totrpor, his tongue, and lils novcr-efilin
demand for money-Gordon ls a noble
and, in spite of lill I have said of hil
about him, I. will over think most "
of him. If he would only sc«rn t
any attention to, what Ching might!
- und forgot about the cursed pay tor
troops I llumn them I They will dil
thing without pay now, but cat andi
and sleep ; yes, and Insult innocent
plo,"
Amusing, too, are some of thc rch ..
to the tantruirs of tho "Old lluddhn
not a few of tho frank confessions ol
ty amt, double dealing aro simply ns
tobiography is one of tho strangest c
man documents"-a reid "Htornr
suffused- with unconscious humor.
A Hoedy-loo!;ln.j mun applied to lbj
Mr. d'Ovly Curto, In the cloys of hlsj
ngrmcnt ut tho' Savoy, for a Joli,
Carle.wns Junt then ming some
dates for the chorus, uni!, ns tho mnj.
very persistent, he turned to the
and nsked him- to piny nn accompar]
for him. With some hesitation tho
grr rn sod his voice.' "What, do yoi{
hy this tomfoolery?" shouted Mr.
Cnrtn. "Von huvo tho Imnudencu I
me for n job ?" "I nln't no sln-rcr
Plied I ho. mnn. "I don't want tc
I'm a n'n-re carpenlor, and only sn
IiiT-.. vou J"
While ? working In a market gardi n
OlenfHii, li"icestcrshlre, a man i
Frank M-Mire wus savagely attacked
boar, which knocked him down andi h
so Biropdv that he hnd to be treal'
the hosnltnl.
A Crl-ncnn voternn named Hy.
formerly nf tho' Olnucestcnmlre flieg
was hurled nt Newport,- Islo of Wight!
Jury honors being accorded uv tho hayal
Fusiliers. ' . 1
irinn
Mr.
indi
nas
nist
'ment
'ran
iiiean
Oyiy
' rc
cvls,
lent,
mill
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