The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-05
CHINA'S ROYAL SPHYNX.
Tsi-An. Most Conspicuous of the
world's Female Rulers.

wOGidS cnhote
With all the desperate efforts OF the fem
| mime portions of civilized humanity to
exploit themselves in these closing days OF
| the century, with all the advances in
| woman's education, with all the women's
clubs for the intellectual awakening Of the
time contented sex, and with some
thing actually accomplished in the evolu-
| ton of new species OF mankind known
as the new or progressive woman, 1t is
rather remarkable that the only woman
| who has in recent times attained the posi-
| tion Of a real force in the political affairs
| of the world is Tsi-An, ex-concubine Of
despised Eastern potentate, and daughter
| OF unnumbered centuries of what from
the Occidental point of view is called
dense barbarism. The Empress Dowager
Of China is the one conspicuously great
woman in the world today; and it is at
| least matter OF curious interest to note
that she is quite in the class with Boadi-
| cea, Cleopatra, and he other most prom
| inent women Of history, none of whom has
possessed either the intellectual or the
moral qualities that are commonly con-
sidered desiderata for the women of Chris
! tendon.
Tsi-An. however ones sense Of propri-
! ETY. may revolt at the fact. is the foremost
Of the worlds women today. measured by
any of the common standards OF greatness.
| The civilized world has stopped its bust
ness and suspended its desires to look with
amaZement and alarm On what she has
done and to await with fear and trembling
her next move: Napoleon himself did not
more imperatfvely command the worlds
attention. She is in every way a remark
able woman: and the mere fact that she
is doomed to failure in her enterprises in
| the long run does not detract from the
worldwide fame tlat she has won for her
SELF thus far. She is remarkable by reason
OF her unprecedented and self-caused
! ascent from the position of common con-
cubine to the throne Of an mmemOrial en-
pire; she is remarkable by reason of her
present distinction Of virtual sovereign OF
quarter of the earth's population. and
she is remarkable by the splendid audacity
she has shown in defying the military
establishments OF all Christendom and in
undertaking to cause as great an overturn
in the affairs Of mankind as followed the
flight OF Cleopatra from the Bay OF Actium.
We should all, Of course, be glad to
know more of the personality and methods
OF this imperious woman, who, without
any OF the aids Of modern education, or
any of the impulses supposed to be in
herent in a liberal civilization, has made
more OF a stir in the world than any other
woman of her time in any country. But
the desire is vain. Outside the palace
eunuchs. few living Cinnamon have eve:
seen her face, and only one living white
man. The latter is Prince Henry OF Prus-
STA. and he has frankly confessed that the
inscrrtable Tartar empress completely baf-
fed his curiosity and turned back his ques-
lions upon himself. Her personality has
been effectually hidden behind the pink
walls of the Prohibited City, and even
her one-time favorite, the shrewd and |
powerful Lii Hung Chang. at the moments
of his greatest intimacy with her was |
allowed to converse with her only at in
frequent intervals and then through |
screen impenetrable to the eye.
At this critical time there is nothing |
of so profound concern in the chancel- |
tories OF Christendom as her moods and |
whims; yet she is to all of US almost as |
being from some other planet, whose |
character is hopeless enigma and whose |
mental processes and moral views are as |
sealed books. Only fleeing glimpses oi her |
personal traits may be seen in her acts
and her edicts We may fancy that We see
outlined character of splerdid vigo- and
barbaric resolution in the sncceszt.c epI !
of force or intrigue b. which Tsi-A1 10.
raised herself from the head OF the hsroa.::-
of Hienlung to sovereignty on The Dragon
Throne. her upward progress marked BIZ !,
the ruthless overriding OF every obstccle !
and the easy submerging OF successive
emperors and the strongest men among
their followers: but we can only infer
what it was that caused the precipitate
flight of the reform leaders from the juris-
dieticn OF the Pekin Government after the
coup d'etat of 1888. One thing only is
perfectly clear that Tsi-An has been the
marvellous possessor Of a personality that
las been strong enough to r.7ke her the
leading figure of three suecf ssive reiSns
and one of the leading figures, If not the
very foremost; one. in the world today.
To say that her career mas been disas-
trous one for all who were brought into
contact with her is only to say that there
Is another Kind OF greatness besides that
Of world benefactor No person who has
stood in her imperious way has long sur
vived 10 trouble her Her hls' nd. Hen
lung; the succeeding Emperor. TuIgche:
mis- widow, Ahluta who was about to bear
an heir to the throne; the associate re-
gent. Tsu-Tchi: Prince Chung father OF
the present EmperOr-all these died sud
ienly and in the prime of life. while all
he iieutenants and friends of the reigning
sovereign have enc after another lost their |
reads on the block. The direct connection
-hich Tsi-Ar undoubtedly had with these
md other bloody deeds makes. of course.
record on which she cannot appeal to
he human sympathy moral admiration
II mankind. But an intellectual admira
ion cannot be withheld from the remark
lble force and masterful executive ability
hat she has shown in superlative degree
rom the time forty years ago when she
led with her consort to the hunting lodge
It Jehol. on the advance of the Arglo-
french expedition to Pekin. to the CJrern-
nent-instigated Boxer Outrages o. this
asst year OF the century. That so master
III a spirit should have been developed in
woman and in woman Of a race that
las studiously kept itself out of the cur 6
ents of modern intellectual life, is one
Il those marvels Of history that suggest
he possible need OF amending some of the |
most commonly accepted conclusions OF
ur self-lattering Observation-Disclosures
ourHal