Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-13

well throughout the entire exposition and
are entitled to a great deal Of credit for
their enterprise. iberality and taste. The
Canadian building is one of the most inter-
estfng on the grounds.
China's First Appearance at an EXPOSE
ton.
This is the first time that China has ever
been officially represented at an interna-
tienal exposition, which is another notable
evidence that the venerable empire the
Rip Van Wrinkle of nations, is at last be-
ginning to awake from It's long sleep: but
the same exhibit which China makes today
might have been made by her people 400
years ago; SO conservative are they SO
reluctant to adopt modern innovations and
SO conscientious in their adherence to the
standards and methods of the past. The
Chinese building is a reproduction of the
country palace of Prince Pu Lung, who
came over as an official commissioner to
represent the emperor at the opening of
the exposition. and made a most pleasant
IN IMPRESSION wherever he went throughout
the country. He lives in just such house
as this when he is at home, and you must
know that he is a very important man
there. Pu Lung is the cousin Of the en-
peror. and If the rules that prevail in Eu-
ropean nations concerning succession to
the throne were observed in China he
would be presiding in the palace at Picking
today instead of Kwang-Hsu, because he is
peror's grandfather. while the emperor is
the son of the seventh prince of that fam
lily. However, no one questions the title of
Kwang-Hsu. because it is customary in
China for every sovereign to name his sue
cessor, and the choice is always confirmed
unless he goes outside of the imperial fam
lily or selects an imbecile or traitor.
Portrait of the Empress Dowager.
Many of the exhibits in the Chinese build
ings have been brought from the i'm
perial palace at Picking. and the gardens
that surround it were designed by Mme
Wongkai Kah. wife of the imperial COM
missioner. China has splendid displays in
several of the main buildings, but the most
interesting thing brought here is a portrait
of the Empress Dowager, which hangs In
the United States section of the art gallery
between DR.. Harper Of the University of
Chicago and the provost of the University
of Pennsylvania. The old lady ought to be
as portrait 1t is not great success. This
Is the fault of the subject and not of the
artist. however. Miss Carl. who painted
the picture. comes from Kentucky. and is
customs in China. Her engagement to
paint the empress was made through Mrs.
Conger, wife of the United States minister
and she made four portraits before she was
able to please the vain old lady, who ap-
pears in this picture as gay as girl OF
seventeen. If you examine 1t closely you
will notice that long. mysterious strips OF
green seem to extend from the ends of the
fingers of her left hand in a most extraor-
binary manner. Those represent one of
the greatest marks of beauty that chi
nese woman can possess. They are JADE
cases to protect her majestys fngernails,
which are three, four and six inches long
on her left hand.
After the portrait was finished it was
carried to the foreign office through the
ment Of the sanctity of her majesty's per-
son, were covered with yellow earth, the
royal imperial color. After all the govern
court had an opportunity to kotow before
the picture 1t was placed in a box and car
ried on the shoulders of a hundred eunuchs
to the steamer which brought 1t to the
United States. The old empress imagines
that it has been hung in one Of the great
est temples in st. Louis where the Dragon
Of the East, which is her protector, Is wor-
SHIPPED. But imagine Dr. Harper will do
just as we'll.
Japanese Buildings Shabby.
The Japanese buildings are cheap and
shabby, and in striking contrast to the
style in which the japanese exhibits have
been installed elsewhere. The surround
ings. which the catalogue says are a repro
duction of ''some OF the famous sections Of
the gardens that surround the mikado's
palace" are no credit to the commission or
their architects, and give visitors an Inn
perfect idea of the artistic beauty Of Japa-
nese gardening. One of the most conspfcu-
GUS buildings in the garden is a rude shed
in which a syndicate OF Osaka merchants
lis selling cheap factory-made limitations of
Japanese goods for Ave, ten and twenty
times their value
The Siamese buildings and gardens are
as bad as the representation of Jerusalem.
which is shabby, filled with little shops. q
very. very cheap imitation of the real
thing: but the managers have collected
lot Of fine camels and interesting human
documents in the form of keen-trading
Syrians, stately Arabs and dirty Bedoutns
The children are especially interesting
The reproduction Of the tomb of Christ Is
blasphemy, and the Mosque Of Omar, the