Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 14.pdf/512

 Landmarks of Chinese Law.

467

testamentary power, the position of women conquered. Manchus and Chinese may not and slaves, and the absence of a written law intermarry. 3. Freemen and slaves. 4. The of contract. Even Roman law, he notes, is honorable and mean, who cannot intermarry anterior to the publication of the Twelve without losing the privileges of their class. Tables, 2,200 years ago. Here belong aliens, slaves, criminals, execu The Emperor's Cabinet Council is com tioners, police, runners, actors, jugglers, beg posed of four ministers — mighty princes in gars, etc. " They must pursue honorable deed. Beneath them are six supreme boards and useful employments for three genera called Loo-poo. The first (Lee-poo) has four tions before they are eligible to enter liter branches, which select officials for the whole ary examinations. Membership in the eight Empire, affix seals to edicts and proclama privileged classes is secured only by persons tions, and enrol the names of the good and of imperial blood and connections. It should the great. The second board (Hoo-poo) be remembered that rank is entirely distinct cares for the revenue, the third (Lee-poo) from title. . . The mass of the people are keeps up the ancient religious rites, and pre further subdivided into clans, guilds, soci serves the temples endowed by the Govern eties, professions and communities." 1 The eighteen provinces are governed by ment, the fourth (Ping-poo) controls the officials who play a clever game of chess army and navy, the fifth (King-poo) super vises criminal proceedings, and the last or parcheesi. The people do not count; they (Kung-poo) is a Board of Public Works. are not so much as pawns. Sons and relatives Over each tribunal is placed a chairman who of the Emperor may not hold office in the reports to the Cabinet. The main business .provinces, nor may an official serve in his na of the Too-cha-yun, or Board of Censors, is tive province; consequently Peking is " be to scent out plots against the government at sieged" by eager office-seekers from whom the meetings of the Cabinet and the Boards. best may conveniently be picked. Moreover, The Too-cha-yun also send out spies to the an officer is forbidden to marry a wife from provinces. What a " spotter " is to railroad the province to which he is assigned (great employees in the United States, such is a gossips are they of the bound feet!) or to own land therein, or to give a fat appoint censor, or his deputy, to the provincial man ment to a brother or near relative; and after darin. Oppressed though they are, at least the three or four years the official must " move Chinese are not troubled by that Hindoo on." Manchu1 and Chinese officials work nuisance — caste. To be sure, one emperor together. The system of espionage is so tried to introduce it. The ancient distinc exact that every officer reports upon those tions in the Middle Kingdom were : scholars, under him. Officials on trial are obliged to agriculturists, craftsmen and tradesmen. The accuse themselves and request punishment, legal classification to-day is : 1. Natives and and many of them help to swell the list of aliens. In the latter group are included un 500,000 suicides credited to China in a year. subdued mountaineers, aborigines, and boat The officials are a shrewd lot, many of them people. Perhaps the To-min of Ningpo upholders of the proverb : " It is equally crim ought to be counted as a separate class. inal in the ruler and the ruled to violate the They are musicians and sedan bearers, de 1 The Middle Kingdom. 2 The Manchus (Tartars) overthrew the native dy scendants of. those traitors who aided the nasty of Ming in 1644. Kwangsu is the ninth Emperor Japanese in 1555-1 563. 2. Conquerors and of the Tsing dynasty.