The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-02-27
Ths Emperor Of Uhina.a wives.


At all the great religious festivals in
the year the Empress, attended by
bevies of her inferior rivals, plays q
prominent part. She holds levees, at
which the court ladies attend, and
pays visits to the wives Of the chief Off
GERS Of state. On the death Of minis
ter she either goes herself to oondole
with the widow, or sends one Of the
three junior wives of the first rank 70
represent her. She exercises iurisdic-
ton over the Imperial concubines, and
examines with care the work done by
them in the year. On all state occa-
sinos, when the Empress is unable to be
present, the three senior wives act as
her deputies, and on her disease they
play the part of chief mourners. To
the lot of the wives of the second rank
falls the duty of instructing the nine
troops, into which the twenty-seven
wives Of the third rank, and the eighty
one concubines are divided, in the vir-
tues, languages, deportment, and work,
which are fitting for them They at
tend on the Empress at all State funer-
ais, and add loud waiIings to her la
n5antations. They superintend the fe-
nla1e servants of the palace, and they
prepare the objects to be offered at the
great sacrifices. In each and all these
various services the eoncabines play
inferior parts. Their special duty is to
assist the wives of the third rank, and
in managing the servants and in prepar-
ing for the religious services. Some
of them also help the thirty-two en-
much tailors to make the clothes Of the
court, and others find employment in
similar company as dressers to the En-
press and junior wives. These, and the
numerous other duties expected of
them, are quite enough, il faithfully
performed, to keep the hundred and
twenty-one pairs of little hands bnsily
engaged. The Rituals" declare that
there shall be no drones within the
palace. and let Us hope that her Majes-
/ ty Ah-Iu-te and her hundred and twenty
one rivals, who are now assembled
round the boy-Emperor, viii prove
/ themselves as dihgent as are said to
have been the model ladies of days
gone by. II to the performance of his
/ public functions we add the duty of his
becoming acquainted with all these fair
/ daughters of Ham, it is plainly impos-
sible that the Emperor can pass his
days in idleness; and down to the
ninutest detail the !" Rituals prescribe
the part he is to play in all and every
capacity, whether as king upon his
throne, as priest before the altar, or as
paterfamilias in the midst Of his do
nestle joys. And this illustrates the
peculiar position which the Emperor of
China occupies among the nonarchs of
the East. As temporal sovereign he
is obeyed, and as a spiritual ruler he is
worshipped. In his double claim 10
supremacy he somewhat resembles the
Kings of Hebrew history. and finds his
approximate counterpart IN modern
times in tho Pope of Rome The
sacredness of bis person throws a rel-
gious halo around every action OF his
life. His meals are so arranged rs TO
svmbolize sacrihcial feasis. When he
partakes of vegetables ne is invited TO
reflect on the work of the Chinese
Adam: and when he tastes the six kinds
of grain, his thoughts are carried back
to the first turner Of the sod. Soft
music is played TO encourage his hppe-
tite. and the dishes are removed from
the table to the tune Of fifes and drums.
The maxim that {" the King can do no
wrong takes rather the form IN China
of whatever the King does Is holy,
righteous, and pure. and hence many
Of the Imperial doing7, which woald be
frowned at in Europe, receive in China
the sacred sanction Of religion. To
this circumstance we owe it that in tho
Rituals" we find 50 many details of
the private life of the Emperor and of
the ladies Of the palace. We learn that
in every fifteen days the Emperor re-
ceives visits from representative of
each rank Of wife and concubine. On
eael, Of the frzt nine days Of the month
one Of the nine eonoubines selected from
the eighty-one pay their respects to
him: on the next three succeeding days
three of the wives Of the third rank
have that honor then follows one Of
the second rank then one Of the two
superior grades; and ct every full
moon the Empress, and she alone, IS his
companion. During the last half Of the
month the order Of visits IS reversed,
and in this way, in the course of about
| four months, the Emperor enjoys the
society OF every lady Of his haresn.--
The Ck,rnbfE Magazine