The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-14
A Chinese Portia

DdAhed ali their efforts.
If the weak, young emperor had been
lett in control of his country, Europa
would have succeeded, for the reforms
that he had established would have open
ed the way to the dissolution of the en-
pre-, but this fact was not more appar-
ent TO the European diplomats than il
} was TO the Dowager Empress Of China.
and with a firm hand she has turned the
tide for that country. How long she can
mold the world in check is quite another
matter. Time in all probability. viii see
the downfall OF China, but it is extremely
doubtful If that time comes during the
life Of the little woman who now rules
the land with all the power of a Bis
marck.
Those who have been most intimate with
the story OF the life of the Empress have
compared her to Catherine IL, and the
! comparison is an apt one. Catherine was
born servant. and Tuen Tson Hsi was
born a slave. There has not been another
instance in modern history in which a
slave has attained 10 imperial power, ex-
cept in Hayti, and Of course what happens
in Rayti does not count.
In China however, the lines Of caste are
so distinctly marked that the advance
ment of this woman from her humble
origin to her present position of power is
most remarkable. Her life reads more
! like fairly tale than a sober fact. and 1t
certainly stamps her as the most remark
able woman of the age.
Tuen Tson Hsi was born in an obscure
province OF parents who were so poor
that they were compelled to sell her into
! slavery. She fell into the hands of a pow
erful viceroy. who listened to her prayers,
and had her taught far above her station
Her brightness Of mind, however, repaid
him for his trouble, and as she grew more
beautiful every day, he finally sent her to
| the emperor, hoping in this way to win
favor Of his master
Her loneliness of face and form soon
won the heart of the ruled and her
brightness of mind enabled her to hold
the affections of the tickle monarch. He
made her the favorite of his harem, and
| day by day her powers over him increas-
| ed. Forty-five years ago the one-time
| beggar maid was brought as a present
from the viceroy Of Lu Chang to the Son
! OF Heaven, and from that day her life
in the Palace of Earth's Repose was one
long triumph
! To say that her rise has been due to
the power of fascination alone would be
foreign to the fact. Like all great rulers,
she could be cruel If the exigencies of the
case demanded; and many are the crimes
| who have pposed her wishes have never
been safe, and all, irrespective of their
station in life, have gone to their ances-
tors. In addition to having killed scores
! OF the powerful politicians Of the ma
ton, she is also charged with having
caused the death of Emperor Tungche,
the son OF the first emperor; Empress
| Ahluta, his wife, and the Empress Dow
ager Tshi, his mother. who, at the time
OF her death, held coordinate power with
the present empress.
By the removal of these persons she
paved the way for the elevation of the
present emperor, who, she realized, would
be but wax in her hands. Even before
the death Of the first emperor she was a
power in the government of China, but
since his death she has practically con-
trolled the nation. That she was the pow
er behind the throne has long been rec
ognized in the diplomatic circles of E1-
rope. 1t has been written of her: "She
has created government policies, placed
crowns on several brows, made vice
roys, outwitted diplomats and caused
kings to tremble."
1t has been known that It was her
shrewdness that wrested the fruits Of vic
tory from Japan; it has been realized
in her hands as the emperor himself. and
the great men of Europe have been com
PEELED TO admit that in diplomacy and
statecraft few, if any of them, were her
equal
All this has long been an open secret
among those who were in a position TO
know such things, but no one realized
that she would ever have the splendid
audacity to undertake. the final coup thar
hTac- To- L
empire. The weakness of the emperor
opened the way, however, and with the
instinct of true greatness she seized the
opportunity to bring her long-cherlshed
plans into execution.
The emperor was always an effeminate
character. From the Chinese standpoint
he was also reformer, and that was
worse. Those who have met him say
that he is a charming young man, bur
one Of most ordinary mental caliber TO
influence him was not difficult and ne
quickly turned a willing ear TO those who
had reforms to propose.
1t has even been said that he has a
leaning towards Christianity, and that he
has been seen to wear European clothes.
All this. however, was all right so long
as he cOntented himself with scheming
When he put his schemes into practice and
proceeded TO inaugurate reforms, not one.
but scores of people help up their hands
in horror. Was it possible, they said. that
the traditions Of their ancestors were 10
be overruled in this manner? Was the
nation to be turned over to the Euro
peans without struggle?
In China woman has always been re-
garded as an inferior. Female children
are protested at birth. and are often
drowned in infancy like so many kittens.
but when the empress came forward and
boldly denounced that she had relieved
the emperor of all power and that in the
future she, and she alone. would rule
they We're willing TO overlook this tradi-
ton to save those that were more sacred
TO them.
This. then. IS the story OF the rise Of
Tlen Tson Hsi
Fifty years ago she was the child Of a
family OF beggars. whose chief concern
was where the next bowl OF rice was 70
be found. Today she IS the ruler OF over
100000 people
She has proved that circumstances a-e !
nothing and that woman may rise 10 |
power in any land. While Il is true that /
her rule has been one long reign Of plot (
intrigue and blooGshed. and that no single 1
act q hers has aided IN the civilization /
OF China, it IS unjust 70 judge her from an 4
Occidental point OF view. and TO condemn I
her for having failed to bring about ne (
much-nee6ed reforms.
To her the traditions OF the country have +
been sacred. and she can see no room fo- !
Improvement While It Il true that from 4
our standpoint she has been an lncalcI- I
liable power for evil 70 the nation -liz 4
fact does not detract from her glory as 4
the mos brilliant diplomat among women /