Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-07


men and women mingle; she receives men
who call with their wives at the Chinese le-
cation; she accompanies her husband to the
| theater and goes driving with him; and,
finally, when 1t is necessary to do any
walking she has not the slightest difficulty
in doing it-for, if Mrs. Yang JUS feet are
small. II Is because nature intended that
they should be small.
Mrs. Yang Ju has furnished a new diver
| sion to Washington society this winter
She was the third woman who has presided
over the Chinese legation; but her prede
cessors were kept closely within its walls
They were SO little known that their APP
pearance on the street was the signal for
display of interest which must have been
a little embarrassing to them. They re-
ceived no visitors, as rule. Once or twice
this rule was relaxed in favor of the wives
! of gentlemen who had business with the
legation; and as the minister's wife cannot
sit at the table with the attaches of the le-
cation they led a very lonely life When
Mr.. Yang Ju came to this country last
summer it was whispered about that he had
| more advanced ideas on the social question
than had his predecessors 1t is altogether
likely that the Chinese government, real
izing the justice of the criticism passed on
the Chinese people in this country-that
they never became assmilated to the peo-
pie Of the United States, and that they as
ISOLATED with them as little as possible
| suggested to Mr.. Yang Ju the Idea of max
ing the legation more popular and of prov
ing to the people of Washington how thor
oughly agreeable the Chinese could be-
There was an example for Mr.. Yang Ju to
follow in the Chinese minister at London,
whose wife for five years past has made
social calls and received them. So it was
not entirely an innovation, though 1t was
wholly new 10 Washington when the Chi
nese minister took his wife TO entertain
ments during the past winter and gave her
permission to receive visitors like the wo-
men who preside over other foreign lega-
tons in this city. Very few people in
Washington knew of this London precedent,
and many were astonished at Mr.. Yang JUS
temerity. Some of them almost expected
the big dragon which flies at the mast
head above the legation building to come
down and swallow Mr.. Yang Ju. AS moth
ing unpleasant has happened to him, how
ever, 1t Is safe to assume that his conduct
meets with the entire approval of his home
government Perhaps the new treaty re-
Gently negotiated between the minister and
Secretary Gresham is the first fruit of Mr.
Yang JUS policy.
Her Life I'm Washington.
Mrs Yang JUS life in Washington is not
SO very different in many respects, from
her life In China. Although she was not
permitted to receive any but intimate
friends or relatives there, there was no
prohibition on her receiving men If they
came within that classification. There was
no rule of Chinese life violated when Mrs
Yang Ju adopted American social customs
She simply departed little from the ways
Of her own people. The people at the Chi
nese legation say that it is no crime or sin
for Chinese woman to do what Mrs. Yang
Ju has done-that she needs no special dis
pensa uon-and that the seclusion of Chi
nese women is .heir own act and is due en-
tlrely to their modest and retiring DISPOSE
ton. Mrs. Yang Ju still follows the die
tates of her oriental nature in this, that she
Fever receives men who are not accompa-
MED by their wives. No other Chinese wo-
man of distinction in America has ever re-
ceived any but women. But when men ac-
company their wives to the Chinese lega-
ton they have the privilege of seeing Mrs.
Yang ju in company with the minister and
or holding conversation with her through
the interpreter. Neither the minister nor
his wife speaks English. But before the
legation gives It's first ball--it is promised
for the season of 1S9i-95-Mrs. Yang Ju will
probably be able to hold some slight con-
versation in our native tongue. She is
studying English now. She has no regular
Instructor, but a neighbor, Miss Mants
whose father is the proprietor of the lega-
ton building. comes every afternoon 70 give
the minister's wife a lesson in English.
Miss Mants speaks no Chinese, and Mrs
Yang Ju knows no language but her own;
so the primsry lessons were given with the
aid of an interpreter. But when Mrs Yang
Ju and her instructor had come to an IN
Outstanding. the Interpreter was diSpens ed
with and her instruction Is now going on
by object-lesSons. She finds no difficulty in
pronouncing English words, and she has
learned the names for a great many Ameri-
can things. She knows a few phra ses COM
mon to the polite world-not the 'IIave-you-
the green umbrella of my -un Gle Thomas POT
French school literature; but the Good
morning" of practical social intercourse.
1t was reported when Mr.. Yang Ju started
for America that he would bring two grown
daughters with him; and great was the dis
appointment of curious Washington to find
that the oldest of his children was only five.
The little ones are too young to begin the
study of English but II they remain in this
country long enough, our language will, no
doubt, be made a part of their education.
1t has been customary for the younger
members of the legation to study English.
The older ones have never attempted it. be-
cause they have felt that they were too old
to learn. There are six attaches of the le-
cation now who are English scholars, and
some of the younger members are busily
pursuing the study of our tongue Mrs
Yang Ju is only thirty years old, and her
youth, in part, accounts for her enthusiasts
tic interest in everything American. She is
not too old to learn and she is picking I'D
great many American ideas. That she will
Introduce many of them into the social
customs of Hong Kong is extremely doubt
full. The legation people say, with a shake
of the head, that the Chinese are slow 20
adopt new customs 1t will probably be
long after Mrs. Yang JUS day when card
calling and afternoon teas are recognized
social features in the Chinese capital.
No Dwarfed Feet.
1t is the common understanding among
Americans that the women of China have
dwarfed feet. From the time that China
was opened to explorers, books Of travel.
and especially school text books, have been
filed with descriptions of the dreadful
agony to which Chinese women were SUBJ
jected to make their feet small According
to these stories, and according TO the popu-
lar belief in America, the feet of Chinese
girl-babies are put in congresses until their
growth has been stunted. Travellers in
China have described the attempt Of Chi
nese women to walk as something very pain
full. No one would be shocked al Mrs. Yang
JUS pedestrian style. 1t is true, the inter-
prefer Of the legation tells me- that IN the
southern provinces of China women's feet
are dwarfed. But it is only in the south
ern provinces that small feet are consider
ed a mark of aristocracy. Mrs. Yang JUS
feet were never put through the dwarfng
process. Neither are the feet of her chill
dren undergoing that painful operation. The
little tots run about the lega ton halls free
ly; and on the day, last week, when 1 was
there one of them took a long peep at me