380 THE FAR EAST. 



of the imperial desire for reform. " If we wish to make 

 ourselves strong once more, there is no other way than 

 to cast away from us the old regime and inaugurate a 

 modern one," or again, " China's weakness really lies in 

 her lazy officials and the deep-rootedness of all ancient 

 vices,' are but instances of the admirable tenor of the 

 imperial decrees. 



But if these edicts sounded like glad tidings of great 

 joy to the amazed onlookers from the West, there was 

 one near by upon whose ears they fell with all the 

 jarring force of a harsh cacophony. And that one 

 waited but her time to strike. On September 21 came 

 the dramatic coup d'etat by which the reformer was 

 relegated to the poisoned influences of forced seclusion 

 behind the prison bars of the hareem, and the Dowager- 

 Empress Tze-hsi-tuan-yu emerged once more as the 

 dea ex machina to guide her erring Government back 

 along the dark pathway of reaction. The young shoots 

 of incipient reform were rudely crushed beneath the 

 reign of terror that immediately ensued, while a par- 

 alysed world looked on appalled. Six of the ministers 

 most closely connected with the movement of reform 

 were led out to execution by the notorious Kang Yi, 

 who marched triumphantly into the court of justice 

 where it was supposed the prisoners were to be tried, 

 and hilariously read out the sacred contents of a decree 

 which doomed them to instant death. There was 

 nothing more to be said, and decapitation followed 

 without further loss of time. Keform was at an end 

 and reaction in full swing. ^ 



1 The decree of September 21, 1898, framed by the Dowager-Empress 

 to acquaint the people with the abdication of the Emperor, is worthy of 

 reproduction : "Our empire is now labouring under great difficulties, and 

 therefore it is necessary to delay the question of ordinary reforms. We 

 have worked energetically and laboriously at our duty, day and night, so 

 that after attending closely to a myriad of matters we have often felt much 



