Page:James Hudson Maurer - The Far East (1912).pdf/41

 we find that the abolishment of the Chinese pigtail and modernizing their clothing is now in order:

Peking, January 8, 1911.—The Prince Regent of China, who is practically head of the Empire during the little Emperor's infancy, intends to bring about the modernization of Chinese dress and the abolition of the traditional pigtail. The Prince already has discarded the national costume when receiving Ministers from Western Powers. He wears instead a military uniform which is modelled on those of the "foreign devils."

There is a tremendous discussion on this question of the pigtail, the modernists arguing that it is unsanitary, ridiculous and antiquated. The conservatives defend the queue on the grounds of dignity and sentiment. Along with this pigtail agitation is the question of adopting Western costume without which China cannot make progress toward the ideal that has been set by the reformers and so follow the example of Japan.

At present the conservatives are in the majority, but the Prince Regent is determined to make an effort to bring about the change next year. Whether he will be able to detail and betrouser the millions of Chinamen by issuing an imperial edict remains to be seen.

[Literary Digest, November 11, 1911.]

"Additional concessions wrung from the throne but not yet announced by edict include the cutting off of the queue, the ancient badge of servile loyalty to the Manchu dynasty, as forced by the conquerors; the disbandment of the 'Eight Banners,' the old Manchu military organization, long useless save on pension rolls; that the Manchus be compelled to adopt Chinese surnames, thus being completely absorbed into the Chinese population, and that the pensions paid to all the Manchu families be abolished."

Chinese tradition said that the queue was necessary to enter heaven, but the queue has no commercial value to the capitalists—they know that to the wage slave it would be a hindrance; so the Chinese idea about heaven, dignity and sentiment will change to suit the new economic forces.

Man can hold in biology rudimentary survival organs; so in sociology he may hold rudimentary customs and habits: he may hold all kinds of ideas about spirits, witchcraft, etc., but when he enters the work-