Morning journal and courier., 1880-03-10

 lady did not come to light. But at length at the great fete of the republic two years ago feminine curiosity proved too strong for na- tonal prejudice, and 8 rap was heard from the inside of the trunk. It was Mime. Fam bassadrice giving it to be understood that she would like to come out and see the show. Such request was not to be refusedby con- siderate husband, and the Ambassador asked friend to give his wife a window command ing view of the procession. The friend was Mir. Hit, First Secretary of the American Le- gation in Paris, and at present, in the absence of General Moves. charge daffaires: MT. Hit lives in the Champs Elysees and his win dows, consequently, commanded view of the whole fun of the fair. He expressed his perfect willingness to comply with the Minis ter's request. The whole matter, l should say, was discussed as solemnly az treaty, not between the principals themselves, but be- tween intermediates, the Ambassador sending messengers to Mir. Hit, and MT. Hit sending messengers in return to the Ann bassador. The first proposition was of gen. eral nature-would the Secretary lend win dow of his house to the Ambassadors wife :? The reply was of the same character, MT. Hit would be delighted. The Ambassador then preferred second request-wouid MT. Hit lend whole room Mr. 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 re- ceive her. The Ministers envoy returned with answer that that unfortunately would be impossible. The lady must not be seen by any human being. She was to be conveyed in a closed carriage to MT. Hitt's house, to enter a private room, and at the end of the show the closed carriage was to fetch her home again. MT. Hitt's reply was that the thing could not be done, and this closed the negotiation. Subsequently the matter was Ii occasional meetings with the Minister. His Excellency went so far as to admit that his conditions 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 in the fact of his knowing that she was seen. It is not the unveiled woman who is dishonored by this terrible revelation of the human countenance, but rather the man that owns her-as the Minister put it in the most candid way how was that difficulty to be over come? He was not straight laced man, he was not tnarrow-minded, he was willing to look the other way when people were looking at his unveiled wife. All that he wanted was an excuse for the pretense of seeing nothing. MT. Hit was then good enough to undertake his conversion by argument. Everything he said was to be judged according to the stand point of local usage. If he, the First Score tary. were in China, he would take care that all the ladies of his family were as closely yelled as the Chinese. This it must be supposed was polite concession to Chinese prejudice rather than statement of deliberate con- viction, but let it pass. On the other hand, MT. Hit contended were he Q Chinaman in Europe, 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 entertainments and the Sec retary was not without telling case in point in the presence of the wife of the President of the French Republic at these entertain
 nents. ''You will hardly pretend,' he said to his Chinese friend, 'sthat your wife is of 8 more exalted position than Mime. La Presi- dente, 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 nothing. He has come here to learn, and the p, ,esence of his wife at last weeks fete WAS sign of his con- version. Still the old leaven was strong in him, and it was funny to see him trying to look the other way, go 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 Am- bassador expected. Nothing happened. China was not scandalized, Europe was not convulsed. The sight of this Chinese beauty was little disappointing. She was very hand some or the reverse, according to your way of looking at it. I have heard the most contra dictory verdicts from different people. Her olive skin was covered with powder laid on as thickly as if it were clowns face at pantomime time. She toddled about the rooms for short time on her poor mutilated feet and then went home, no doubt to dream of what the sun and moon and the morning stars would say the next day on this awful innovation of all the Confucian propri- eties Europe said nothing, but said tires drole," and life went on in the usual way. The great anxiety of the Minister here is to do as the rest do, to follow the immemorisl GUS toms. Sitting at dinner the other day he was observed to do precisely what was done by the gentleman who sat next to him. He ate of the same dishes in precisely the same pro- portions, and when the other asked the servant for another piece of bread he made sign to have bread too. The European, something of an amateur in porcelain, st length turned up one of the dessert plates, just to see the mark of the fabric. The Chinese Minister immedi- ately did the same.