The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-11-19
AMfENlHIiiHNTElnli1f ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iifn1L
China and Der Emperor. :
: An Audience With the Rich Monarch of the :
Flowery Kingdom. :


Busy preparations are under way at
the American and other embassies at
Pekin for the annual audience with
his Imperial Majesty, Kuang Hsu, the
emperor of China, which is to take
place within a fortnight. The occasion
Is always n of great momen in dip
lomatic circles of the empires capital,
n is particularly important this year
In view of the possible partition of the
empire in the near future. In the
present contest for concessions which
the European ministers are conduct
ing, an effort will be made by each to
make an impression on his Majesty
at the audience, sc that the most gor-
geous pageant the empire has ever wit
messed Is likely to be seen.
h audience will probably not differ
IN other respects from it's usual lines.
though once a year only does Kuang
Hsu deign to shed the light of his
countenance on the barbarian" rep
resentatives of foreign countries, he
rarely permits the interview to last
longer than ten minutes. This is
doubtless due to a proper respect for
N~ SHiLO VI Iut ulDlOIldIlC COl DS,
Ihey could not be expected to endure
with comfort a longer association
with the dazzling e~ffulgence which
emanates from the presence of the
Son of Heaven" For this brief peri
Cd, however, weeks Of preparation are
necessary to perfect the glory Of the
diplomatic uniforms for the ~eventfui
day.
When the morning arrives there is
a great run on sedan chairs Git would
be deemed highly indecorous to travel
to the palace in any other convey
ance), and frequently those used at
weddings are brought into requisition.
On the windows of a bridal chair are
inscribed the characters "Shuang Hsi."
n when these c~onveyances pass
through the streets considerable
amusement is created among the spec
tators, the more waggish of whom.
with the pertinacity of a London street
boy, inquire of the occupant whether
he expects to obtain a wife from the
palace.
The annual audience is the only oc-
casion when foreigners are permitted
to enter the sacred precincts of the
forbidden City," the punishment in
t1lcted on intruders at other times be-
ing instant death. From a pagoda on
the south wall of the Tartar City the
yellow turrets Of the royal buildings
can plainly be distinguished beyond
the capacious court yard, while In the
latter there may be seen on any fine
day the Imperial Guards summing
themselves in various pastures. all I'M
mindful Of the fact that they have in
their keeping the Ruler of the Uni
verse.
Inc members of the foreign lega-
tions, on arriving at a side entrance in
the palace walls, are received by some
two thousand mandarins, gorgeously
appareled in silks and furs, their re-
spective degrees being denoted by the
color of the button on their hats and
the square decoration on their breasts.
The English and American legations
are usually arrayed in sober evening
dress, unless the minister happens to
be a military man, when he wears his
uniform. The Anglo-Saxons are COM
pletely outshone by the French, Rus
sian, German, Holland, Austrian.
Spanish, Italian and Japanese lega-
tions, whose display of gold lace. gold
embroideries, medals, ribbons, insig-
Mas, plumes, spears, swords and he'll
NETS look for all the world like an
Alhambra ballet, and, of course. make
a most profound impression on the
mind of the tinsel-loving Oriental.
The waiting room into which the
diplomatic corps is shown can best be
compared to a waiting room on the
London, Chatham and Dover Railway.
1t is a wretched apartment, sparseIy
furnished, and the walls are decorated
with a few scrolls on which are in
scribed Confucian proverbs, more hon
ored in the breach than in the OBJ
s%ervance. The room Is not half big
enough to accommodate the ministers
and their suites, numbers of whom
have to wait in the hall. To fortify
them against the trying ordeal await
ing them, tea is served in cups of dirty
china, and Japanese cigarettes are dis
tributed. While waiting here the min
listers are visited by the chief officers
of state, the commanding figure of Ii
Hung Chang being conspicuously
prominent as he passes from one group
to another, INDUCING in that species
of mental horse-play for which he is
so noted, and greeting everyone with
a genial smile. Rival ministers, for
getting for the nonce national jeal-
ousies, mingle as freely as the consular
students at the club, and all seem to
bear up bravely in face of the impend-
ing strain upon their nerves.
Prince Kung, the emperor's uncle, in
a short time that the re-
ception is about to take place; cigar
cites are thrown away, white kid
gloves are put on, and, headed by the
ministers, the entire body emerge into
the open air, whence, through a pas
age between lines of blue tents, they
proceed to the audience chamber, a
yellow tiled building with a courtyard
in front. The emperor is seated be-
hind a small table, which is covered