Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-03-30
A LONELY LADY.
The Wife of the Chinese Minister,
Who Lives in Seclusion at Washing

The Wife of the Chinese Minister
Who Lives in Seclusion at Washing.
ton.
Washington Letter.
just at the time when American
women have succeeded in causing each
house of the national legislature to
appoint a committee whose special
duty it will be to consider the question
of admitting the women to all the
privileges of citizenship enjoyed by men
it is little singular that there happens
to be in our national capital a woman
whose condition fairly represents in its
least barbsrous phase that from which
the sex have gradually risen to their
present independent condition. Al
the Chinese legation, one of the hand
soonest residences in the city, lives q
lady of rank in that country, the wife
of the present minister-Cheng Tsae
Ja. She lives in as strict seclusior
here in the national capital of our free
country as if still in the capital of hel
native land. Even here she must obey
the national law which compels women
of rank to keep within their homes
She has never been out since she re.
moved from the Arlington hotel. where
her husband and his suite were until
the legation was made re Idly for their
occupancy, which was before the mid.
die of January.
While the names of the wives OF
other gentlemen of the diplomatic
corps who are married, and the names
of the wife and daughter of Mr.. Bart.
lett, the American secretary of the
Chinese legation, appears always on the
official diplamatic list published by the
state department, the name of the Chi
neSe minister's wife is not thereon.
She receives no company at all, and
must not be allowed to see any man
except her husband. Consequently, she
being alone with her Chinese women
attendants, has no opportunity to learn
English. She is the fourth wife, 1.-THE
other three, hear, are living in China),
and she, it is said, was permitted to
accompany her husband on his travels
because she is the youngest and come
lest of the number. hear they have
not been married long. She is under
twenty-five years of age.
The Chinese Minister visits and at
tends parties daily, and although he as
yet knows no English, no one seems to
enjoy society more than he. Through
his interpreter, who always accompanies
him, he talks merrily with ladies. He
thinks Miss West, the British minister's
young daughter, very bright, because
she has memorized some Chinese phras-
es taught her by the interpreter, and
repeated them to him. Two Philadel-
phia ladies at a recent reception kept
up an animated conversation with him
through the interpreter, and he laughed
heartily over some of their sallies.
AS no one below the grade of a min
lister of charge d'affaires is ever invited
to dine with our presidents, the Chinese
interpreter could not accompany the
minister to the dinner at the white
house, and thus, where all the Language
es of the civilized earth were spoken,
he was the only one present who did
not understand any of them. The
Japanese charge d'affaires who attend
ed there being no minister here now
to represent that nation) communicate
ed with the Chinese gentleman in
writing on this occasion, though he
could not speake his language The
Chinese minister did not appear to fee!
lonely at the dinner, but ate and drank
heartily, and as he closely watched the
others about him committed no faux
pas. He afterward told the president
that he thought the wine very fine and
enjoyed it.