The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-25

n queen Victoria, upon WHOSE
" u wide bounds of empire the
sun never sets; not the En-
press consort of all the Rus
sias: not any leader of an acknowl-
edged salon; not the wife or adviser
Of some strong statesman; not any
great worker in the cause of women
in that most open of all fields to wo-
men, America. The most powerful
woman in the world is neither young
nor beautiful nor good. She is no tray
eler, God she has never gone to col
lege. She is old and ugly, wrinkled
and i'll tempered, but she controls MIL
lions of people with an iron hand; she
dictates the policy Of a nation and
makes or mars destinles. She is the
DoWaEer Empress of China.
The Empress Dowager of China was
in TO wise born 20 greatness; neither
was it thrust upon her. She achieved
it in the face Of what would seem 10
you utterly insurmo untabie difficulties.
She was an ignorant little slave, with
a good deal OF what goes for beauty in
China, and an intellect sharpened by
adversely. Her parents were obscure,
her life hard. Yet for over twenty
years she has practically ruled vast
empire, and this very month, when the
eyes Of the world are fixed upon the
Chinese dynasty, it has been openly an
nounced that the Empress Dowager
has assumed the entire rights of the
reigning monarch, a step unexpected
by even those who knew her to be the
real power behind the throne, for that
she should actually occupy it and all
Ministers take their instructions from
a woman is marvel in that far-off
land. 1t is a terrible thing for the Ce-
lestials TO realize that a woman is their
HfEar V.Tr-f 4 Slow
and a servant, woman cruel as the
fire and pitiless as fate. The story Of
Tuen-Tson-Hsi reads like a romance,
and an impossible one at that.
In China ii is believed that only souls
undergoing punishment are born into
The bodies OF women. If a man lives
eVilly and dies in his sin, he is born
again as a woman. But If he under
goes sufficient eXpiation of his wicked
ness he is suffered to be a man the
next time he travels back to earth.
With belief like this as q basic prin-
ciple, 1t is easy 10 see why girl ba
bies are not welcome, and are often
drowned at birth like SO many help
less kittens. So when little Tuen-
Tson-Hsi was born it was hardly sur
prising that her disappointed father
thought it might be just as we'll to
drown the mite there and then, espe-
cially as he was poor, and it is a waste
of good food to feed girls. But the
mother pleaded. and being a good sort
Of fellow, in spite of his poverty, the
father relented, and her pretty name.
meaning good luck" was given to her
instead of a costly layette or a chris
tening mug. Names are cheap, and
in this case the title was prophetic,
though for her first childhood there
seemed nothing but drudgery and hard
living for the little Tuen, except that
she grew pretty.
Not pretty according to Western
ideas, perhaps, but round and piquant,
with bright, sharp eyes, set in slant
wise, and a firm little red mouth. Like
her father who had calculated how
mucn extra rice it would take to feed
THIS new chick if it were let live. Tuen
was OF a practical turn of mind, and
When rebel uprising burned the
Iatner hut and ravaged his plot OF
land, when Buddha seemed to have
grown deaf TO prayers and had not
even handful Of rice for a miracle to
Keep them from going hungry, it was
she who solved the problem of how to
hVe. she suggested that her father
sell her.
Horrifying though # sounds. there
was Oriental good sense I'M the propo-
sition. she was young; she was ca
pable. When fairly well fed she was
certainly good looking She knew that
young and pretty girls command a good
price in China and that their purchas-
ers generally provide plenty Of food.
If a good bargain could be struck she
thought they would all be better off.
and much less hungry than they were.
After all it was little worse than the
average marriage, where a girl goes
away from her people to live among
strange relatives, and Tuen was too
practical a girl TO mind a small thing
or to sentimentalize over it.
This was the first instance of her
ability to lead. Her father acted upon
the idea, and he made good bargain,
as she advised. He sold TO no less a
parsonage than the viceroy of Luz
Chang. The deal showed him to be
possessed of good business ability, and
this quality had the daughter inherited
in good measure.
Luck" went into the viceroys kitchen
as a scrub girl and general maid Of