The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-06

Women are the same all the world over
and they exercise quite as much infiu-
ence in the East as they do in this coun-
try. Indeed their influence is probably
greater. For. whereas in Europe and es-
pecially in America, pretty faces and
comedy figures unsettle and distract a
mans attention al every step. in the ORR
ent his infatuation is restricted 10 the
inmates of his own harem, who have
nothing 10 fear from the Wiles or charms
of their friends or acquaintance. In
fact, he is amenable to no influence save
their own, and, inasmuch as their main
object in life is 10 win his affection. and
to devise means for the retention of his
obedience TO their every caprice and fan
cy, an aim which they generally manage
TO attain, it naturally follows that the
harem is far more important factor in
the course of events in Asia and in Afri-
ca than the people of the West have been
willing to believe
1t was with the object of availing them
selves of this harem influence for poiiti-
cal purposes that the Russian government
has just organized at 81. Petersburg a
special school for the training of female
students for secret diplomatic service in
the seraglios of the Orient, and il is prob
able that other foreign nations having
Africa will shortly follow suit In deed
they will have no alternative but to do
so. For, male diplomats being forced to
remain outside the gates of the harem,
Russla's female agents will have, diplo-
matically speaking, an altogether free
hand and an unhindered course within
the seraglio until they are called upon
to cope with political rivals of their own
sex who enjoy the same means of ac-
cess as themselves to the zenana. The
students of this new government school
at st. Petersburg are being instructed
not only in the turkish, Chinese, Siamese,
Persian and japanese languages. but like
wise in the various dialects spoken in
India, which naturally leads to the in
ference that in beginning this novel de-
partment the Russians have in view polIt-
ical intrigue and propaganda in the great
Oriental empire of Queen Victoria. by
means of the harem. Emperor William,
too, has become alive to the possibilities
of this species of diplomatic negotiation.
since there is every reason to believe that
his dispatch of his sister-in-law, Prin-
cess Henry of Prussia, TO the China seas
is not so much for the purpose of spend
ing Christmas with her husband at Hong
kong as with the object of making the
acquaintance and securing the good Will
of the Expresses of China and Japan
These two great women of the Orient
constitute by no means isolated instances
of women playing predominant role at
Astatic courts. Thus the present Queen
of Siam is a remarkable woman and ruled
her husbands kingdom with the utmos-
sagaeity and craftsmanship during his
long visit TO Europe In Egypt, too, the
mother of the present khedive, a strong
minded and in every sense of the word
remarkable woman, has frequently been
the power behind the throne during the
somewhat stormy events which have sue
ceeded one another in Egypt since the
time Of her marriage. Her husband, the
late khedive Tewfik, was altogether sub
ject to her rule. Whether this was owing
TO his appreciation Of her intellectual
superiority or due TO fear 1 have never
been ableO TO discover.