The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-02-08
NEW RULE IN CHINA.
Emperor ana DowaSer Enpress Are
Casting Traditions to
the Winds.

Picking, Feb. 3.-The dowager en-
press, the emperor and the empress
Saturday afternoon received the ladies
and children of the members of the dip
lomatic corps in the private apart
ments of the palace. The audience was
the most revolutionary event since the
return of the court to Picking. The ex-
clusiveness Of Chinese royalty and the
prejudice against the meeting of the
sexes was waived and the function was
less formal than is usual in European
courts. The dowager empress occupied
the throne, with brilliant assemblage
of Processes and court ladies about
her. The emperor was seated upon
small platform in the center OF the
room. The visitors, upon entering,
bowed twice to the emperor, and sew
eral of them assembled the throne and
bowed to the dowager empress.
Mrs. Conger, wife of United States
Minister Conger, as doyeness of the
diplomatic corps, read a speech, which
was translated by Secretary Williams.
Mrs. Conger said:
"We heartily congratulate you and the
imperial court that the unfortunate Stu
alton which led you to abandon your peau-
tiful capital has been SO happily solved.
that you are now permitted to return In
freedom and peace.
1.-The events of the past two years must
have been as painful to you as to the rest
of the world; but the sting OF the ex-
perience may be eliminated by the estap-
lishment of franker. more trustfui ana
friendlier relations between the chinese
and the other peoples Of the earth.
'"The world Is moving forward, the toe
of progress cannot be stayed, and II ID
hoped that China will join with the great
sisterhood of nations In the grand march.
The recent imperial edicts give promise
Of great good to your people and TO your
vast empire"
The dowager empress reply was ex-
ceedingly friendly in tone. 1t was in
part as follows:
Last year the dIssensions in the palace
caused a revolution, which compelled our
hasty departure, but 1t Is great gratin-
cation to us that our return to the capital
has caused such rejoicing In China and
abroad"
Baron Czikann, the Austrian minis
ter and doyen of the diplomatic corps,
presented all the ladies to the dowager
empress, who took the hand of each of
them. They were next presented to
the emperor, who also shook hands
with them. The guests then retired to
an anteroom. The dowager empress,
entering this room, grasped Mrs. Con-
gers hand, which she held for some
minutes, trembling, weeping and sob
bling loudly and exclaiming in broken
sentences that the attack upon the le-
cations was terrible mistake, and
that she repented it bitterly. In reply
Mrs. Conger assured her that the past
would be forgotten.
Following the reception a banquet
was given. This was spread upon three
tables, the dowager empress sitting
at the head of the principal table, with
Nine. Conger and Nine. Uchida upon
either side. The emperor was the only
man present, except Chang Isl, pro-
spective minister from China to Great
Britain, who knelt beside the dowager
empress and interpreted what she said.
| The emperor sat at the head of the
| second table. He and the dowager en-
press touched glasses with the guests.
The dowager empress talked ami
matedly. She said that China would
abandon her policy of isolation and
adopt the best features of western life
and would send many students abroad.
London, Feb. 3.-The dowager en-
press of China has just issued an edict,
in which she directs all officials, by
diplomatic means, to discourage the
binding of the feet of Chinese females,
saying the custom is barbarous. AS a
suggestion of this nature is tanta-
mount to a command, the unspeakable
cruelties inflicted upon the Chinese
women, dwarfing not only their feet
but their intellect, are to cease.
Dispatches from Picking announce
that the dowager empress has issued
an edict abolishing the prohibition Of
intermarriage between Manchus and
Chinese, rule that has been enforced
with the utmost rigidity ever since the
beginning of the dynasty. To realize
the tremendous effect and Importance
of these reforms one must remember
that each of them does away with
some feature which heretofore has
stood between China and the civilized
world. They show that the imperial
court means to get in close communi-
cation with the out side world and learn
the best it has to offer. At the same
time China is casting off customs and
rules which have hampered her for CEN
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