The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 21, 1906, Page 14

happy their 2 2 mission nations In ur- gently to know how she may mod those anclent institutions t have lim- fted her progress. She plans a new scheme of finance w nal sys- industrial th and, most all because affecting all, modern i utions of government. the head of her special imperial ion, therefore, was selected Tuan Fang, & Vieeroy who has had occasion in ] ALY AR O AN the forty-two years of his life te prove himself receptive of Western ideas, an executive of force and power. and a scholar of important attaluments. He'ls entited special Intercst from Amer s since “his firmn nd fo: ight ented th liing of all- foreigners were under jurisdiction at_the of the Boxer uprising. Disregarding the v rial erder for their slaughter, an order that was afterward repudiated by the Emperor, Tuan Fang saw:to it that eatened -missionaries and " mer- s were conducted 16 a piace-of and there maintained until peace was restored. « Among his assoclates; after Tal Hung the ch; safety Chi, vice president of the Peking Board of Finance, are numbered physiclans, ed- ucators, business men and lawyers, all of whom intend for -the next ‘twelve months to give themselves to study ‘of our own and European governments, for the purpose. of adepting to Chtha's need the principles here exemplified. It is a splendid thing they’ plan, ‘and because “in the gain-er loss of pé race all the rest have ‘equal . elaim™ “official authority will.make.available’ any infor- mation they may, seek. v They are, in:no‘uficertain. sense, the nation’s guests, and {rom the Chicago’s welcome salute of ‘nibeteen -guns” unitil thefr departure from New Yotk for lands beyond the: Auantic ‘official dignity will ark their visit It is o empty bonor that is pald them. urtesy “of this port extended the ioners. Ly ‘Collector. Stratton in depuly, Mr. Stephens, tdle phrase, for it meant that. the States wuived inspection of the Lonite baggcge of theii retinue; that the trunks, boves and rulls, to.the number of v s, might -contain what = they there should be no customs leyied, ervision of any Fert. At this their excellencles beamed appre- ciation, as for & kindness unexpected, ané every plan ‘for their entertainment brought renewed assurance of their pleas- ure with the attention they recefved. To Consul General Chung Tao Hsl and:. Vice Consul ‘Ow Yang King, who, with | T thelr secretaries, boarded the steamer the custums tug, the distance be- een Meiggs wharf and the dock was traversed all too quickly. What a crowded, busy time fi was! Ihcre were so many otd friends to meet, a myriad of things to suy and hear so much happiness to be expressed, nall wonder they were sorry when the playing of a band--two bands, in truth, each blaring forth a different tune as if friendly ' relations between the United States and China would be broken did not outplay its noifsy rival—an- ounced that the dock was reached and the time arrived fur the approac¢h of the formal reception committees. Frem the deck.to which they moved at the first sound of the music—may they not condemn the American sense of harmony from that one exRibition?—the distin- guished travelers met with evidences enough that their arrival had been long awaited. Mijor General Sumner and Brigadier General Funston, With their staffs, wuui- formed police, mounted and on foet, and a Chinese deputation, the meinbers of which were as gayiy garbed as the High Commissioners themselves, combined to make a picture so bright that in at Jeast one place the gloom of clouds and rain was overcome. Keeping. time to the thump, thump, thump of the bass drums fluttered hun- dreds of yellow flags bearing the fearsome dragon. They were carried by the mem- bers of the Six Companiesiand by a band of Chinese school children, who, quivering with . the day's excitement, alternately bobbed about and looked sternly up and down the line to make sure that their. fellows presented a right and proper ap- pearance. Some of them were tiny togs, surely not more than 4 or 5 years of age, and they were the most solemn of all, seeming to remind us that not every day was it given to meet a mandarin face to face. 1 thought that to these little people were oftenest turned the cyes of those scores of coolies on the lower deck, as if they envied with all their hearts children so fortunate as to grow and learn in this home of opportunity. For themselves, though many had ‘peered between the rafl bars on other days, they might learn no more of America than is possible from such a viewpoint and from the stories told Ly friends who have here lived a time. Only one umong them laughed and pointed to the people on the dock, and he even danced a few steps, for all the world like a Southern darky, Keeping up his fun in spite of the stoic disapproval of these around him. To him alone the ocea- sion seemed as truly a fete as to his no- ble countrymen on the deck above. Leond As soon as the gangway was in place ’ the pictured welcome lost its brightest touch of color, for, led by Professor Jenks of Cornell University, who came as Presi- dent Roosevelt's personal representative, Generals Sumner and Funston and their stafls hastened aboard to present thelr compliments in person. If ever any thought of formality had N\ i / Leen entertained it was ‘quite forget in the unaffected simplicity of the two dis- tinguished guests. Professor Jenks they greeted as a friend. Tal Hung Chi remembcred him from his work on China's monetary system, and Sao Ke Alfred Sze, a Cornell graduate and one of the secretaries of the commis- slon, has been associated with him both in America and in China, so an iutimate note was sounded in the very beginning. The President’s greeting, - extended threugh Professor Jenks, ed merely to accent this sense of acquaintance. Swiftly the remarks of the professor vere interpreted to Tuan Fang by Woo Kwong Kien and brought from his Ex- cellency a short response. that the President’s welcome gave him “hearty happiness,” and as the words were con- veyed in’ English by Woo Kwong Kien the Chinese Commniissioner’'s swarthy visuge was illuminited with a smile that was truly Oriental. All reference to our (overnment's pol- fey of excluding Chinese laborers the Viceroy avoidcd by saying that the ques- tion’ would be discussed by the proper authorities. “‘Our misslon.” he continued,-“is purely non-political; we come to study, and we hope the information we receive will be of benefit to both countries:’ On China’s future the commissioner at first seeed disposed to dilate, But when he rcalized the difficulties attend- ing hid attempt to make himself thor- oughly understood, through the medium of his interpreter, who was being pressed on ull sides. by other duties pertaining to the Chinese party, he ex- pressed, with a bow and a smile, his determination to defer, the talk to “sonte other time.” ‘This much I did get from him: That China s rapidly rising above the ob- golete system of education which has prevalled In the empire for centurics and centuries, L “You have no doubt heard a great deal lately,” said he, “ot the educational reforms our Government is instituting; of the building of new colleges and schools and of the general awakening of the Chinese people to the necessity of instruction for their children as a means of keeping the country apace with the world’s rapid progress.” Heading this movement, said bis Ex- cellency, is Viceroy Yuan Shi Kal, one of the most influential and ablest men in China. = Alding him are a number of powerfu! men of the different provinces, v-ho. have entered into this work with an enthusiasm that bodes a wonderful change In China. After Major General Sumner's, brief ad- dress, in which he welcomed the commis- sion on behalf of the Department of War and the United States:army, there fol- lowed a general presentation of his staff, during which the Commissioners shook. hands so cordially as to.make one forget the custom in their eyes is an absurd and ridiculous one. . X They ‘wentthroughit: 'with. enthusiasm and Tuan Fang himself proved equal to D any moditication of the standard Ameri- can grasp that was offered. Did an officer raise his hand to the level of his chest? Up went the commis- sfoner’s to meet it. Was a back-and-forth movement sub- stituted for the up-and-down that holds first place of favor? Without surprise, almost with eagerness, his wxcellency accepted .the amendment as if it repre- sented his preference, and to every one he gave, with his hand clagp, mute as- surance that he felt it was good to be there. A word from Adjutant General Lauck, representing the Governor and the State National Guard, and greetings from the city's commercial bodies removed all doubt. If any doubt there was, that San Francisco and California and the whole Uiyjted States felt honored by their pres- enfc and determined to make their visit a cpuspicuous success, All this whilé there hovered about the salocn in which the reception was held a young Chinese boy, who bowed and smiled to every one whose eye he caught, seeming so cager to be sent on errands it was a pity that for the moment there was nothing for him to do. In a day when servants are characterized by a general disinclination to all labor that can be avolded, ‘the air of determined industry worn by this youth set him in place apart and I wished to know more of him. His elation, for it was nothing less, was soon explained. Lcaving China as a pantry boy on the Siberid; he bad no prospect but to make the voyage to San Francisco and return, as' he had done in the past, but as if to prove that wishés may come true, even when they are so wild as to be opposed by the laws of a great nation, the boy found such favor with his Excellency Tuan Fang that he was attached to the suite of that distinguished man and so gecur»d admission to the land of his heart's desire. In all the tra'n of his new master there was surely no hanpier follower than this Ching Hung Moh. Wiih the passengers leaving the vessel and the newspaper men, with whom he had become friends, he shook hands cordially and made his faréwells, saying, “I am Ching. Will you remember?”’ and he did not dream but that all were as charmed as himself over the good fortune that had befallen him. Governmental care enveloped the High Commission from the moment the ship ‘was left. Without ostentation but very effectively a speclal detail of po- iice undertook responsibility for their safety and until the few days allotted t0 San Francisco In the imperial plan of travel were past this vigilance was not relaxed. The dignitaries were the wards of the state in a very practical way. 5 Though thelr mission had naught to do with war. as the secretaries never failed to point out, and though mili- tary equipment interested them less than. the . methods of civil procedure il L Ll 7 4N Chinese army was an important mem- ber of the commission. Encouraged by Japan's success in the fleld, China's Ministers foreses a brilliant future for their own army, once it is thoroughly modernized, and not the least of the reforms now con- templated are those relating to the mil- itary organization. By thelr provision the empire will be divided into twenty military dis- tricts, each with four regiments of in- fantry, one regiment of cavalry, an engineer corps and artillery in proportion. All the men will be en- listed for nine years. By 1310 China expects to have half a million tralned men ready for service in the fleld. The informal reception to the publie held by the commissioners and .their receiving hosts at the St. Francis Ho- tel being over there followed a brief time for rest and (ea and cigarettes, for all of which the party seemed quite ready. They were willing to be photo- graphed, to visit among themselves or with any one who might be presented, and, in a word, they paid their hosts the compliment of being thoroughly at home. # Through War Bing Chung, the busi- ness manager of the commission, who was educated in America. Tuan Fang said. that neither he nor Tal Hung Chi had ever before traveled beyond the boundaries of their own country, but that they know the United States from study, and welcomed an opportunity to perfect acquaintance in person. ‘“Iravel from one province to another and in foreign countrles as well Is rap- idly increasing in China,” he sald, “and is encouraged by our Government. Of the United States we can learn that every one should work: that there should be no class that is idle through tradition that work Is unworthy.” Particularly I inquired regarding the political parties that are moving China in her comprebensive campalgn of de- velopment, but on that subject. as on the called reports of renewed hostility shown by Chinese merchants to Amer fcan dealers and American products, his Excellency would make no comment. It will bé seen from the following classification of the political divisions of the empire that the Chino-Jdpanese alliance is advocated by a majority as a basis from which to perfect the re- construction which practically all desire. First—There are the extreme Conser- vatives, represented by the Peking court and a fhajority of the officials. To live from day to day: to move with every wind, be it toward Russia or to- ward Englagd: not to touch the worm- eaten state edifice. except for the most necessary repairs; to make no plans with reference to the future and to move with the tide of events—these are the dominant traits. Second—One in favor of the Chino- ese alliance. The party in no- Japan here perfected, it was evident that wise desires to overthrow the imperial Brigadier General Yao of the imperial Government, but wishes resolutely to 2 D ’ QOMMISSTON take up the question of reforma The Japanese, brothers of the Chineses In race and'traditions, are clearly the ones to bring both the educational and mill- tary reforms to a successful lssue. Third—The Republican party, whioh dreams of remodeling China into a re- public similar to the United States. The programme of this party is: China for the Chinese; away with the foreigner: away with the Manchus. Fourth-—The Constitutional party represents peaceful evolution. This party does not wish revolution, which ‘would disturb the country and furnish foreigners a pretext to get a foothold in China; it desires to keep at the head of the empire the Manchu dynasty, but I8 also demands that delegates, slected by the people, shall have & voice in the af- fairs of the empire. Fifth—The party of the “Great Man™ thinks that only some great man can save China from her present predica- ment and they are always expecting the appearance of this deliverer. The idea, it appears, has a much larger following than one might suppose. Sixth—The Dismemberment party, which is the most remarkable of all, demands that in the same way that the city of Shanghal was divided between the French and English, China itself should be divided into concessions to the different nations. Thus Shantung should be given to Germany, Yunnan should be given to France, and so on. If this be done, the partisans of th movement contend, the people will live happily and in a short time all neces- sary reforms will be granted. Seventh—The last party is the Ed: cational party. This camp thinks that before considering reforms the people must be educated, for nothing can be done with an ignorant people. The attitude of the Government to- ward evolution is made plain in the sending of this commission and the character of the representatives select- ed is warrdnt that thelr wo; well done. v 2 cas Every suggestion, ew which they come in mn'?m”a‘?&‘mz{ phases of the life of our People, is wel- comed so sincerely that the problem of their visit disappears: there remains anl“},'ulhe pleasure of it. en the commissioner I was govetnor of the provines or e but when the Siberia arrived at Honolulu. a cablegram that was awalting Tuan Fang conveyed to him the pleasing in- formation that he had been advanced by his emperor to the rank of governor.gen eral to the provinces of Fukien and Chekiang—an honor conferred on him in recognition of his diplomatic services Y at home. No honor will be omijtted from the progranme of their regepjiom. In this TS [tself w - ognizing their claims, for as mm]. r::d n:vuo::h!ph&nhom:mror enlightenment must win and help. ey