The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-20
Recent Letters From Mrs. Conger to Des
MOines Friends of Unusual In
terest Now.
Visits to Princess Ching and Mrs. Hung Chang Described
Interest in and Sympathy for the
Chinese Expressed.

! theater at its hest. After about one hours
stay, the interpreters explaining the plays
and we being served tea all the while, we
were escorted back 70 the banquet hall
and seated "a before AZ loaded table of
much food. Agaia We were taken to other
rooms and the tables cleared away.
Ono. more we We're permitted to see
the Empress Dovager. She was very
cordial. and when tea was passed to us
she stepped forward and tipped each cup
OF tea 10 her own lips. she took sip,
then lifted the cup on the other side 20
our lips and said again. one family. all
one family Here she presented us more
beautiful gifts. all alike. After this wonder
ful cream-day, So very. very unreal even
to the seeming. We reached home at )
o'clock
Only think. China. after centuries and
Centuries Of locked doors, has now opened
them little No foreign woman ever saw
the ruler of China before. and no foreign
ruler ever saw a foreign woman before. De-
cemher IL, 1885 was "a great day for China
and the world. Think of this: English was
the first language spoken 10 them by foreign
women. Ensiish Is the commercial language
OF China. and woman took English into the
forbidden city and TO the very throne Of
China and gave it in an English woman's
thought"
Praises Her Native Servants.
Repeatedly in Mrs. Conger's letters she
speaks of her Chinese servants. She praises
their strict attention to duty and wishes
that her friends in Des MOines could know
them She repeatedly states that. while the
Chinese are heathens. we are all heathens
and perhaps II we could but understand
them we would realize better their good
qualities Of rlind and heart. One letter con-
tains the following:
China is such a strange land. but each
day ! see more tina: count OF value TO me-
Chinese 10 o.
we're. Srieved. anxious. ergeful, unre-
signed. unhappy expression on their faces as
q class. No. their faces do not have lines
that indicate these feelings. They take
everything that comes to them a matter
of course.
II am told that they are ungratefu,. but
may It not be that they take the good
things that come 10 them as matter OF
course as well as the ilisc II they are not
to grieve over their misfortuues. they are
not TO rejoice over their successes. Our
houseboys 90 not seem like married men
with families. but they are They are SO
quiet ard careful and tasty and exact about
their work that they seem more like we'll
bred girls than men.
Il wish that / could understand their
feelings. What do they Think They wear
long gown. sleeveless jackets. broad white
cuffs velvet hats and boots They look
real nice. I have become much attached
Elaborate New Years Greeting.
"On New Years day the three houseboys
come to the drawing-roorn before break
fast. and with Chinese courtesy from all
at once. the first boy said: Happy New
Year. eThfs was done 10 each member OF
the family. IL seemed very nice. After
breakfast the first cook. second cook wash
erman. first. Second and third coolies first
Inatoo cart rlafoo and little naf0o.' gate
keepers. gardener and little gardener and
hrst and second messengers, came, all
dressed up. into the large hall. The first
boy sal! to US: Servants want to wish
you we'll We went TO the hail and each
cuurtes!ed With the r.Shc hand to the floor
10 each OF u. This was done in quiet
cisnitied manner. but with smiling faces.
After this was over the first boy came
again, and said: Mrs Aquires. servants
want 10 wish you we'll Then their four
boys. three mafoos. three cooks. five
coolies, etc, came into the hall and did
the same thing. Later, the first boy came
oEce more AID said: Soldiers want 20
wish you we'll We stepped to the door.
and In front of us stood twenty Chinese
soldiers. They saiuted aad courtesiei.
These soldiers have been guarding the
United States Legation at the gate Of the
compound since the trouble IN the fall"