The Russellville Democrat., 1880-04-01
A CHINESE BEAUTY.
The Wife of Chinese Embassador at a
 Paris Ball.
Paris Cor, New York World.

" blinking in the gas-light as bats are said
 to blink ill the sun. She tottered through
 the room, on her small, mutilated feet,
 wondering even more than she was
 wondered at. Never before in Chinese
 history bad the wife of high official
 been seen even by her own countrymen,
 much less than by the foreigner. An l American may take credit for the con versasion of his Excellency to common l sense.
 When first the Chinese Embassadore came his wife lived in the strictest seclu- sloa. He made great step even in 1 bringing her, but he could go no further than that. Frenchmen said she had been packed for the journey in trunk double l locked. But to all appearances the Min ister never opened his boxes, for his precious commodity of a small-footed
 lady did not come to light. But at length at the great fete of the republic two years ago, feminine curiosity proved too l strong for national prejudice and a rap was heard from the inside of the trunk.
 Mime. PAmbassadrice giving it to be un- derstood that she would like to come out l and see the show. Such a request was not to be refused by a considerate hus- band, and the Ambassador asked a friend to give his wife window commanding view of the procession. The friend was Mir. Hit, First Secretary of the Ameri- can Legation in Paris and at present, in the absence of General Moves, charge d'aflaires. MT. Hit lives in the Champs Elysees and his windows, consequently, commanding view of the whole fun of the fair. He expressed his perfect will ingness to comply with the Ministers re- quest. The whole matter, should say, was discussed as solemnly as treaty, not between the principals themselves, but between intermediates, the Embas- sador sending messengers to Mir. Hit and MT. Hit sending messengers in re- turn to the Ambassador. The first prop osition was of a general nature-would the Secretary lend window of his house to the Ambassadors wife? The reply was of the same char lcter, Mir. Hit would be delighted. The Ambassador then prefer red second request-wouldM Mir. Hit lend whole room? Mir. Hit returned, that he could hardly do that, but he would like to know the Ambassadors reasons; he was going to have party of friends at his house, and if the lady chose to take her place among them his wife would be charmed to receive her The Minis ters envoy returned with an answer that that would unfortunately be impossible. The lady must not be see by any human being. She was to be conveyed in close carriage to MT. Hitt's house, to en- ter private room; at the end of the show the closed carriage was to fetch her home again. Mir. Hitt's reply was that-the thing could not be done, and this closed the negotiation. Subsequent ly the matter was reopened in an inform al, friendly way in his occasional meet ings with the Minister. His Excellency went so far as to admit that his condi- tions were rather absurd according to European notions, and he did not know what to do. He would not have minded the lady being seen. He was not so much disgraced in that as III the fact of his knowing that she was seen. It IS not the unveiled women who IS dishon- ored by this revelation of the human countenance, but rather the man who owns her-as the Minister put it in the most candid way. How was that diff culty to be overcome? He was not a stralght-laced man, he was not narrow minded, he was willing to look the other way when people were looking at his un- yelled wife. All that he wanted was an excuse for the pretense of seeing nothing. Mir. Hit was then glad enough to undertake his conversion by argu- ment. Everything he said was to be judged according to the standpoint of lo- cal usage. If he, the First Secretary, were in China, he would take care that all the ladies of his family were as close ly yelled as the Chinese. This, it must be supposed was polite concession to Chinese prejudice rather than state ment or deliberate conviction, but let it pass. On the other hand, MT. Hit contended were he q Chinamap in Eu- rope. where the most exalted ladies were habitually unveiled, he would make it point of honor to conform to that usage. These conversations most frequently took place at the Presidential entertain ments, and the Secretary was not with out telling case in point in the pres ence Of the wife of the President of the French Republic at these entertain ments. You will hardly pretend" said he to his Chinese friend, "that your wife IS of a more exalted position than Mime. La. Presidente and yet you see she shows her face to all the world without the slightest dishonor to her husband" The noble envoy pondered these things. He is initiative or notking. He has come here to learn, and the presence of his wife at last weeks fete was a sign of his conversion. Still the old leaven was strong in him, and it was funny to see him trying to look the other way so as not to incur the disgrace involved in the knowledge of her presence. One corner of an almond eye was fixed on vacancy the other was watching the wife to see that she did not stumble as she walked about the rooms. The result must have | been far more reassuring than the Elm bassadore expected. Nothing happened. China was not scandalized, Europe was not convulsed. The sight of the Chinese
 beauty was little disappointing. She
 was very handsome or the reverse accor- | ding to your way of looking at it. have heard the most contradictory verdicts from different people. Her olive skin was covered with powder laid on as thick as if it were a clowns face at pan 1 tomine time. She toddled about the rooms for q short time on her poor mu- | tilated feet and then went home, no doubt to dream of what the sun and moon and morning stars would say the next day on the awful inovation of all the Confucian nroprieties. Europe said nothing, but sand tres droke, and life went on in the usual way. The great anxiety | of the Minister here is to do as the rest | do, to follow immemorial custom Sit- | ting at dinner the other day he was ob- served to do precisely what was done by | The gentleman next to him. He ate of | fba catna digbps in t,raclgplv tba aauna