Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-26
VISITED CHlNA'S RULERS
MRS. CONGER's IMPRESSIONS OF THE
EMPRESS DOWAGER.
Account by Wife of American Minister
of Visit to Forbidden City
at Pekin.

dispatch from Des MONIES, Iowa, to
the New York Sun says:
Mrs. Conger. wife of Mai. Edwin H. Con-
ger. United States minister to China, de-
| scribed In a letter written to a friend here
the visit made by her and the wives of the
other foreign ministers at Pekin to the en-
| press dowager last winter. She says:
There is one more thing I must tell you
about, because think you will see much in
it. 1t is of a visit that the foreign minis
| ters' wives made to the empress dowager.
| 1t is stated, and said to be true, that she
| had never seen a foreign woman and that
| a foreign woman had never seen her. The
| idea was conceived that the empress dow
| ager be asked that she allow an audience
| to the seven foreign ministers wives. They
wished to pay their compliments to her On
her sixty-fourth birthday. The audience
was granted after some delay, and Decem-
Der ID was decided upon.
"At 1890 mounted escorts, sent by the
Yamen, went to each legation and escorted
the ladies to the British legation. Lady
Macdonald being doyenne Each lady was
in a sedan chair. having five chairbearers
and two mounted maffoos. From the Brit
| ish legation We started at IL O'Clock for
the Forbidden City to see the empress dow
ager. Can you see the picture? Seven
chairs with five bearers and two maffoos
each. and from fifty to sixty mounted Chi
nese escorts sent by the Yamen!
when we reached the gate of the For
hidden City had to leave our chairs.
bearers. maffoos, escorts all. Inside the
gate were seven red upholstered chairs in
line with six bearers each and many es-
corts on foot. We were taken to another
gate, where inside, we found fine rail-
road coach, given by France. We entered
this fine car and many eunuchs, dressed in
black. pushed and hauled us to another
stopping place. where we were received by
officials nffnra1 Be
road passed through beautiful city, clean
| and imperial. After tea serving we We're
| escorted to the palace. Our heavy gar
| ments were taken and were ushered
into the presence of the emperor and en-
| press dowager We stood according to rank
and bowed. Or first interpreter presented
each lady to Prince Ching, and he In turn.
| presented us to the empress dowager- Then
| Lady Macdonald read little speech in
behalf of the ladies. The empress dowager
| responded through Prince Ching. Another
| bow on our part. Then each lady was es-
| corted to the throne. where she bowed and
| courtesied to the emperor, who reached out
| his hand to each. Then a bow and courtesy
| to the empress dowager. She reached out
both hands and stepped forward to her.
She took both of ours. then placed upon
the finger of each lady a beautiful heavy
| chased gold Chinese ring. set with a very
| large fine pearl.
| throne and took our places below as before
| From here were escorted by many,
| many richly dressed, highly painted dec
| GRATED young Chinese women and Chinese
| officials to the banquet hall. where a large
| table was filled to Overlooking with Chinese
and European food Prince Ching. Princess
Ching and five other princesses sat at the
| table with u.s. The empress dowager and
Princess Ching were dressed in most ex-
quisltely embroidered rich satins and Silks
with large pearl decorations
They were not painted and their hair
was not extended to the extreme. The
young princesses were beautifully and care
fully dressed in rich. fine. embroidered sat
ms in bright colors: They had painted
faces. hair extended and deliberately orna-
mented. and had long gold finger protec-
| tors. They were pictures. The empress
dowager and all Of her court have large
feet They are Manchurians. The binding
highest classes. Everywhere with us were
and French well.
| After this meal we were invited into
other rooms and offered cigarettes and tea
The table was cleared away and we were
| invited into the hall again. There sat the
empress dowager; and We gathered about
her as before. She seemed bright and
| happy. Her face was aglow with good
| Will. There was no trace of cruelty to be
seen. In simple expressions she welcomed
us. but her actions were full of freedom
and warmth She arose and wished us
Well She reached both hands toward each
! lady. and then to herself. and said, with
much enthusiastic earnestness:
]
Everything she said was in Chinese She
| presented to each lady the empress the
emperor's wife, who gave her hand to each
Inc empress is young and what is called
| Deautiful Chinese woman. She wore the
decorations, paint, ETC., Of the young wo-
men.
| The empress dowager babe each lady
good-oy and then went to the theater. We
soon followed with our large and beautiful
| escorts. and listened to and saw Chinese
theater at its very best. After about one
hours stay. interpreters explaining the
| plays and tea being served all the while
we were escorted back to the banquet hall
and seated as before at loaded table of
| much food. Again we were taken to other
| rooms and the tables cleared away. Once
| more we were permitted to see the empress
dowager. She was very cordial. and when
| tea was passed to US she stepped forward
and tipped each cup of tea to her own lips
She took sip. then lifted the cup on the
other side to our lips and said again:
"One family, all one family
| here she presented US more beautiful
gifts, all alike. After this wonderful dream
day, so very unreal even to the seeming
we reached home at o'clock In these
| foreign countries Americans and English
are almost. If not quite. one people Il is
OFTEN, very often, said by the English,
Americans and other foreign countries that
English and Americans are all the same
| Only think. China after centuries and cen
turtles of locked doors has now opened them
| a little No foreign woman ever saw the
| rulers Of China before, and no Chinese ruIer
| ever saw a foreign woman before Think
| Of this: English was the first language
spoken to them by foreign women. English
is the commercial language of China, and
women took English into the Forbidden
City and to the very throne of China, and
| gave 1t in an English woman's thought.
| MY first boy tried to impress upon me
what great thing had come into nv life
In this visit to royalty. He said: Madame
| much grand thing came to you. Emperor
came down from heaven. No foreign lady
| see him; few Cinnamon. He came down
from heaven. You very blest.' He opened
his eyes. rolled them up, shook his head
and pointed up to impress upon me the
great honor and blessing we had received
ITO him 1t was all to see the emperor,
| little or nothing to the empress dow
| ager. She Is woman. The emperor is
sacred to the Chinese. He is walled In his
city and is not to be seen by his subjects,
nor is he to see them. He learns nothing
of his country or countrymen by observa-
ton or experience. How this empire
! grow in strength and glory in such bond
age? Everything about this China is made
up of the seeming improbable. 1t is the ex-
| IRENE of all we can dream. While our
| loved thoughts often turn homeward on
! the whole we arc getting much Inc ont