The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-03-27
A BOY RULERS NUPTIALS,
HOW THE EMPEROR OF CHINA'S
BRIDE WAS SELECTED.
The Dowager Empress's Selection
of Manchu Maiden-Presents
for UnsuCcessfuI Girls

All Peking is excited to-day over the
boy Emperor's marriage, says Frank 9.
Carpenter in a recent letter from China
to the New York World. The bride
was selected a few days ago, and the first
Official announcement appeared in the
Peking Gdzeite. 1t comes from the
innermost recesses of the imperial circles,
and it was dictated by the Empress
Dowager herself. ! quote it in the trans
lation which the Chinese writer Of our
American Minister has prepared for the
State department at Washington. 1t
requires only one page of the Peking
GdseIe to print it, aud this means
space not longer nor wider than the
back Of a long official envelope. 1t
reads:
Special edict of the Empress dowager.
The Emperor having reverently succeeded
to his exalted Inheritance and increasing day
by day in maturity. it is becoming that he
should select virtuous consort to assist in
the administration Of the palace, to contro
the memuers of his household and to encour-
age the Emperor himself in upright conduct.
Let therefore, Tet- Ho-Na La, a daughter of
Deputy Lieutenant. General Kuei Hsiang,
whom we have selected for her dignfied and
virtuous character, become Empress.
Further edict.
Let Ta-Ta- La, aged fifteen years, daugh-
ter Of Chang Isii, formerly Vice President
of a Board, become the secondary consort OF
the first rank and Let Ta-Ta-La, aged thir-
teen, also daughter of Chang Hsii, formerly
Vice-President Of q Board, become imperial
concubine of the second rank
Respect this
Thus Is settled a question which has
been agitating the Chinese Court for the
past year and has cost the families of the
Nanchu mobiles months of trouble, hun
dreds Of thousands of cash and au in
calculable amount of bitter disappoint-
ment. China has been ruled for more
than two centuries by Manchurians.
Peking has its Chinese city and its Tar
tar city and the Emperor is a full
blooded Nanchu. 1t is prescribed by
the laws of the court that he shall wed
no one but Manchu maiden, and during
the past year the distinguished Manchu
papas, having daughters between the
ages of twelve and eighteen, have been
required to send them to Peking in or
der that they might be inspected by the
Empress Dowager with a view to the
selection OF such as seemed good for the
imperial harcm. The first inspection
was held last spring. The maidens came
/ by hundreds from Peking and from other
northern parts of the Empire. They
were conveyed in carts from their homes
to the palace ana their delicate frames
we're joted like Jelly through the ruts
Of the Peking streets on the springless,
heavy, box-like vehicles.
Each girl was dressed in all the ex-
travagance of Chinese costume. Her
hair, rich, black and lustrous, was
combed out over bar foot long at
the back of her head, so that it stood
out for six inches on ca h side. Her
face, originally of deli ate ream, erg-
ing upon the bloom of the large yellow
peach was overlaid with rouge and
paste, and her eyes, coal black, were
heightened in color by artificial means.
The Manchu girls are the most beautiful
in China, and an unadorned maiden with
her soulful eyes looking out of their mar
row, almond shaped slits is enough to
stir the blood of the coolest Caucas an.
She is plump, and has not the disgust
ing compression of foot which is always
associated with her thinese sister
There are no mutilated feet about the
palace of the Emperor of China, and the
Empress will probably wear No. ,
shoe.
These hundreds of mandarins' daugh-
ters were Manchus, and they were the
prettiest Man hus in China. Their carts
were led through wall after wall through
the great city of Peking, and they ar
rived at the palace at : o'clock in the
morning. Nlu h of the work of the
Chinese Court is done in the night, and
it was dark when they were carried
across the little lake inside the palace
grounds, and they ate their breakfast at
3 \. ", when the rest of Pelling was
still sleeping. After this they were
given little time for primping and
powdering, and they were then ushered
into the presence of the Empress
Dowager in groups of four and five.
Each girl carried a tablet bearing her
name and age, aud these were handed
to the Empress, who put questions to the
young ladies and passed upon their
beauty. The only men present were the
court eunuchs, of whom | will speak
further on, and the unsuccessful candi-
dates were passed over to these with
orders that each should be given piece
of silver in the shape of shoe, which
weighed exactly one ounce, and be sent
away. The great ma ority OF the maidens
were discarded at this first inspection.
The remainder were asked to come again.
At the second inspection a closer eX-
animation was made, and there was
further wedding out of the least beauti-
full of the maidens. AT this time the un.
successful candidates were each given
roll of silk, and at the third inspection,
which took place in the latter part of
last month, the hundreds had been re
duced to fifteen, aud it was from these
fifteen that the above three were finally
chosen.
The marriage preparations have been
going on for months The Board of
Rites and Ceremonies have decided that
it shall be as economical as possible, but
they agree that it must cost at least
s,OOO,OOO taels, which is considerably
over $4,000, 600.
A Queer Ola Piano.