The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-08

but when looked at among other portraits
Of the same parsonage a correct idea
may be had of the moral and physical
traits of the Chinese female ruler.
1T has been said" writes Father Col
Dire, that the empress was born from low
parentage. and that 1t was by cunning
ness and intrigue that she had raised
herself from the ignominous condition
of a slave to the rank of empress. Well,
the father of Tsou Hsi was a Tartar
marshal, without wealth. but of good
nobility. He gave his daughters such a
perfect education that two Of them were
chosen as brides for imperial princes.
Tsou Hsfs sister married Prince Chouen,
the father of the present emperor. The
dowager empress Is therefore the aunt
of Kouang Su, after having been the
mother Of his predecessor, who died in
1875.
'tShe was born in 1884, and is therefore
sixty-sfx years old She entered in 1855
the harem Of the new emperor, Hen
Fong, not as empress-the place already
occupied by the empress Of the east
but as secondary wife, and she Fad been
chosen especially by the mother en-
press. The legitimate wife had the mis-
fortune not to give any male child to
Hen Fong during the five years which
followed his elevation to the crown. This
blessing was reserved To Lhe other wife,
the daughter Of the Tartar marshal By
this stroke Of fortune she saved her
master from the decheance, being ousted
from power, for any emperor who during
five years does not have a male heir is
compelled to designate himself, or let
be designated, his eventual SUCCESSOR
that is, to abdicate a portion of his rights.
From the day she was the mother Of
the future emperor, the young Tartar
princess received the title of 'MercifuI
Benefactress,' and was installed in the
Palace of the West. Still, her child did
not belong to her oficially-the sterile
empress Of the East was proclaimed as
being his legitimate mother. But both
women contributed to his education, or
rather the official mother surrendered
her power to the real mother.
''Tsou Esi was then very beautiful
woman. It is Impossible to find any
authentic portrait Of her. for the face
of the far East sovereign is not popular
ICED by photography, as in the Occidcnt
But a poet has depicted Tsou Hsi as
follows in his verses: Her body is grace
full and supple like the neck Of the Cyg-
net on the waters, the oval face takes
birth on the rounding form Of q ca
the harmonious arch Of a wide forehead
the nose is Of line, pure, coquettish,
straight, thin, singularly movable, ac
cording to mental Impressions The
face is lighted by dark and sparkling
eyes, etc. Does this Tartar Venus pos
sess the masculine and s2ortive tastes
attributed to her by British chroniclers?
The dowager empress gives too mucn
time to state affairs to be able to re-
serve large portion of it to gymnastic
exercises.
"Still, it can be affirmed that her heart
has not remained inactive. The great
expresses, like Catherine IL, have known
ir many women politics IS always asso-
ciated with the movements OF passion
and directs them most often. 1t is thus
that the first favorite of Tsou Hsi was
Prince Kung, her husbands brother, an
intelligent man and a refoTmist, whom
she always supported, until his recent
is quite probable that she had somewhat
similar relations with most OF the states-
men whom she made state ministers, like
Ii Hung Chang.
This ardent woman never hesitated TO
use all means, even violence, in order to
execute her will. The first of her coups
d'etat followed Immediately the death OF
her husband, the emperor. Hen Fong.
He had instituted a council of regency,
excluding the two Expresses from the d.
reetion of public affairs. On TIE very
return from the funeral of Hien Fols,
Tsou Hsi had, all the regents behe4ded,
with the exception Of Prince Tc.-oa-s.