The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-23
STARTLING INNOVATION.
Chinese and COrean Ladies Attend a Theate
Performance in Washington.

Chinese and Corean Ladies Attend Theater
Performance in Washington.
Nine. Tsni Kwo Yin, the wife of the
Chinese Minister appeared in public
to-day for the first time in her life. 1t
was very much in public, too, for though
it was the first time in her life, it was
with all the freedom and publicity of an
American woman.
Nine. Tsni was accompanied by the
wife of the first secretary, Mrs. Pung
Kwang Yu, and two other Chinese
ladies, wives of attaches. The four
were escorted by Mr.. Lew, the inter-
prefer. and three secretaries. There
was delightful mystery about the first
appearance of the Minister'S wife be-
cause the Minister himself was not with
the party. The party filled the two
lower boxes on the left of the stage, the
four ladies by themselves in one box and
the four men by themselves in the
other. But the boxes were separated
only by the open-work screen, so there
was much sociable smiling and nodding
throughout and occasional bending for
ward to talk over the front rail.
Hardly had the fiutter of the Chinese
ladies subsidized when another stir
rustled over the audience and the Core
an charge d'affaires and secretary, with
their wives entered the lower box on
right of the stage. The Chinese inter-
prefer was there to receive the Coreans,
and there was much bowling and smiling.
Then it came out that the Chinese were
giving box parties and that the Coreans
were their guests. The Corean men sat
in the same box with their wives, the
little ladies sitting directly in front,
quite after the American fashion, dis
playing toilets to the best advantage, and
it was an Oriental display of gorgeous
suits and shining silks, making the
boxes far more picturesque than one
often sees them. The combination of
colors in the gowns of the celestials is
much beyond the most daring of Worth's
experiments. Nine. Tsni and the three
ladies with her wore long wraps of blue
brocade, lined with fur. When these
were laid off their full skirts and tunics
were of blue mauve and maroon bro
cades. Their shining black hair was
done up in coils at the back, and bands
of jewels were worn around the head.
Mrs. Ye Wan Yong wife of the Corean
charge d'affaires, wore short waist of
bright blue silk, with skirt of wine
colored silk. Mrs. Ye Cha Yann's short
waist was of bright lemon-colored silk,
with blue silk skirt.
The Coreans are much younger than
the Chinese ladies, very much smaller
and very much prettier. Indeed, Mrs.
Ye Wan Yong is very pretty.
1t did not appear that the ladies were
acquainted. From their use of the opera
glasses it looked very much as though
feminine curiosity in China and Corea
was very much like feminine curiosity
in America. The Corean women were
trying to make out the Chinese women,
and the latter returned the polite inter-
est by curiosity equally polite. There
was no interchange of visits in the boxes
other than the visits of the Chinese in
terpreter and one of the secretaries, who
paid their respects to the Coreans.
Nine. Tsnis debut at the theater was
not, it seems, hasty step, but had been
seriously considered beforehand, and
was the subject of diplomatic CORE
pondence.-Washington Letter.