The St. Louis Republic., 1903-10-18

4
o their sisters in every land on the .
| q same plane with themselves" .
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From the Orient 81. Louis has received
I the highest testimonial 10 the charms OF
American women.
In responding 10 this toast before the
members OF the National Paint. Oil and
I Varnish Mems banquet. a Few evenings
/ ago. Wong Kai Kah. Imperial Chinese
/ Vice Commissioner to the Worlds Fair. a
man OF worldwide information and ac-
/ quaintance, delivered an address which
/ has attracted attention.
In prefacing his remarks. Wong RaI Kah
said that his study OF American woman
had been confined almost exclusively to
St Louis. for. while he IS a graduate OF
| Yale University and was member OF the
suite OF the representative sent by the
! Chinese Empress to the coronation OF Ell
ward VII in London. # was not until his
arrival here that he and Nine. Wong
grew 10 appreciate the superiority OF
American women and their value in na-
| tional life.
1t was only upon entering this banquet
room that the inspiration came 10 me
that the subject OF my toast should be
The Women OF America" In EIancIng
over this assembly Of representative types
Of American womanhood. It IS as though
one were gazing at a bed OF smiling roses.
the most exquisite flower nature has ever
perfected for the enjoyment OF mankind.
Under such Influences. inspiration will
come 10 the dullest mind.
EDUCATION POTENT FACTOR
TT IS education that has made the
American woman what she Is to-day.
Good mothers bring up good children. and
good children. grown Up. make good citi-
zens. and good citizens by their united ef-
forts have made the success OF this great
Republic
The world owes a debt to American
women which future generations alone
can pay. for Il Is they who have taught
the world to appreciate true beauty. I
mean by that, the ideal beauty which
artists have vainly tried to reproduce on
canvas. that sculptors, after wasting tons
OF marble. have given up In despair, for
they have discovered that true beauty
does not consist in charm OF feature. grace
OF form. or adornment or dress, but that
It is beauty Of intellect that capitvates
and woos-
1T is In intellectual beauty that Ameri-
can women excel the world. What. IN
deed. Is beauty without beauty OF mind?
You might as well fall IN love with an In
animate picture or statue. The thing Is
impossible. But the education OF Ameri-
can women goes even beyond this. They
have by means Of their own intelligence
elevated themselves TO that sphere which
men in their concelt. and arrogance have,
since the world began. appropriated as
their exclusive domain
They have intruded into every walk OF
life that was supposed to be mans exclu-
sive domain. They have entered all pro-
fessions. even politics. and TO me stran-
ger and a foreigner. II appears that
American women make even better poll
ticians than men
IDEAS ALTRUISTIC.
Education goes beyond even that. Il
has so enlarged the minds Of the married
women. that they are no longer content
TO enjoy alone the PRIVILEGES Of liberty.
freedom and happiness that is their lot.
but want TO see their sisters in every coun-
try share the same privileges.
Their IDEAS are so altruistic. that per-
haps 10 their thinking the Eastern women.
particularly the Chinese women. as the
poet says. Flowers born 70 blush unseen
and waste their sweetness on the desert
air
In a certain sense they are right. 1t
is true that the beauty OF Chinese wom-
en- does not shine in society or IN public.
and that their sweetness does not pervadc
the banquet hall. or ballroom Il Is
equally true, however, that such beauty
or sweetness as they may possess. is un-
stintedly lavished on their fathers.
mothers. brothers. children and hus-
bands.
HOME IS PARADISE.
Home is the paradise OF the Chinese
women. and children are their stepladders
to fame. Chinese girls Of the middle and
upper classes are educated to read. 10
write. to keep accounts. to sew. en-
broider. TO sing and read the books OF
our sages. to study COnfucius and Men
cius. to compose prose and poetry and
TO read the lives Of famous and dis
tinEuished women. which teach hlial
piety.
'our sages have laid down three golden
rules for the guidance Of Chinese women.
The irst. IS their obedience to their
fathers That rule has always been i'm
plIcitly obeyed, and never. in my career
or reading. have ever known Of a viola
ton OF that law.
Secondly. after marriage obedience TO |
the husband Ny wife not feeling well /
and not being present can speak with |
more freedom That rule was never car /
ried out. When We read this golden rule. |
We admire our sage as a moral teacher. !
but we certainly had our opinion OF him
as a student OF human nature.
RULES IN WOMEN.
- I
golden rule was framed in the sacred
presence OF the sage's home or in his
club. Nor does history tell US whether
that rule was framed with the consent or
syen the knowledge Of Mrs. Sage.
The fhlrd rule Il n The hnsharh IL |