Certain high officials were notortously corrupt, "and unscrupulous office-seekers did not hesitate to try and gain their favour so that they might get recommended to some remunerative post or other. Such methods were known as "tuan kou Tung" '(image), "to bite a hole through which a' dog goes in and out," and of course varied greatly accordance with the character of the official concerned and the cir cumstances under which his assistance was sought.
Some of these great men, especially those who were addicted to" opium smoking, could only be approached through' an intermediary such as a secretary or head servant, while in other cases some relative or intimate friend was the all important medium.
Others were known to be under the influence of a favourite concubine or some female "butterfly" or other, and the lady in question would be courted by those who wished to gain the good-will of her lord and. master. Some even. went so far as to buy concubine for tie one whose favour they wished to gain, and the lady inher turn would be expected {0 help the interests of those who had placed her in such an important household.
Where it was not possible to offer 4 large sum of money as a_ bribe, the expedient was sometimes adopted of playing "mahjong" or some other gambling fame with the official in question and purposely losing a large} sum of money to him. He in turn could not possibly refuse to help anyone who had been so untortunate as to lose so much money, while at the same time hi face would be saved, and what he did would appear on the surface as an act of generosity.
Ability and Tutrigue In spite of so much intrigue and corruption it must be admitted that anyone possessing high literary skill or outstanding ability had asa rule! Mitle difficulty in' securing the favour of those in authority, Chang Chi Tung, for instance, who at one time was' Viceroy. of' Hunan and Hupeh, came into' prominence account of his brilliant record in the examinations and was at once marked out for high office Li Hung Chng is another example of one who, though originally without special' influence, yet rose to the highest positions in the land, and who, by his cleverness and diplomacy, fained many victories against those who intrigued against him, Amongst those who showed conspicuous ability and who rose to high positions under the Ching Dynasty were the famous Hunanese statesmen Tsung Kuo-fan, who came into prominence during the Tal Ping rebeltion, and Tso Tsung-tang, who help~ ed {o crush the second Mohammedan uprising in the province of Kansu, Modern Usige 'The Revolution swept away much cof the pomp and ceremony of the old foMelal' system, while the gorgeous robes were discarded for the Chungshan uniform, which is simplicity Itself, and even discards such respec-{able modern appendages as the collar and. tie, However, owing to the multiplicas Vion of Universities and. technical leges, to say nothing of the military academies and the return of those who have studied abroad, the number of candidates for office has become more numerous than ever, and though the conditions are somewhat different human nature changes little, and the old-time intrigues and struggles for power are by no means things of the ast. It is true that a considerable umber of returned students and gradtuates from the universities are turn-Ing their attention to the professions, and entering the banking and other businesses, "and this relieves the situation somewhat, yet it is. atill serious, and the discontent and unrest amongst those who are unemployed provides a great opportunity for com~ munist' and anti-Government. pro-
Case of the "Christian General"
Some, of the high perst were by no means easy to serve, and those who enlisted under their bane! though partaking of the honours and good fortune that came to. their masters, had also to share their vicissitudes and go with them Into retirement, whenever fortune went against them. The most remarkable case of the willingness of followers to share the trials and mis~ fortunes of their master occurred in 1925 when Feng Vu-hsiang retreated from the Nankou Pass and began his Jong trek into Kansu. Though they vuflered incredible hardships and were often on the point of starvation owing to lack of food, yet not only the soldiers, but many civilian officials and followers remained faithful to the end, and took part in the remarkable revival when he marched into Honan and once again took possession of the province, The policy of the Nanking Government during the last few years has been to try and weaken the authority of the warlords, who looked upon their armies as their personal, pro-snd increased their forces never an opportunity occured, Infernal jealousies and rivalries have worked their part, and the revolt of Kuo Sung-ling, though quickly suppressed, greatly weakened the morale of the Fengtien Party, which, however, in spite of its losses and misfortunes still possesses considerable political influence, The spirit of dissension spread even to the ranks of Feng Vu-hsiang's army and broke down the iron discipline that had brought them through 50 many desperate struggles and camalgns.
The Pei Yang Party died with the elimination of Wu Pel-fu as an important, military factor, while the Anfu Clique, once a strong political force, has faded away, and its veteran leader gone into retirement.
Through skilful manipulation by the Nanking authorities most of the troops in North and Central China have now come under Government of weaken ideal military commanders is still being rigorously pursued. The followers of the old warlords have been dispersed and are seeking other patrons and means of advancement, though many of them are finding the struggle hard, and ong for the return of what was to them the good old days.
Another policy of the Central Government which is to be commer is the attempt to ina! manent civil service, £0 will have security of tenure, and not be dependent upon every change thet may" take pla: good example of the Customs has been followed by the Postal, the Telegraph and the Salt Administrations, and is gradually being extend-fed in other directions. Until this has been completed many of the evils connected with the old mandarin system will still be in existence, and he policy of the Government Jowards eliminating them commends itself to every good citizen,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.