Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-09-20


dowager empress of China vino unites
in her personality the characteristics
OF Catherine II. Of Russia, Lucrezia
Borgia, Elizabeth of England and
Catherine de Me1icis. She will be re
ceived as if she were a royal princess
and entertained with all the barbaric
oriental ceremonial that is nallowed
by a hundred centuries Of tradition
Miss Rocsevelt's hostess bears the
name Tzensi Loan-yu Kang-i Chao-yu
Chunan-chang Shokung Cain-hein
Chung-sih. All of this name was not
given to her as child, but it has been
a gradual growth, and had she not re-
fused to accept any more it might
have been much longer than it is.
Miss Roosevelt, Secretayr Taft, and
the other members of their party will
land at Taku, miasmatic city in
barren plain of DUST and will take the
train from there to Pekin. United
States Minister and Mrs. Rocknill will
meet them probably at Tallu, and they
will stay at the American legation I'M
less Miss Roosevelt should care TO ac-
cept what the empress is sure to of
fer her, a palace N the forbidden city.
1t is more likely that she will prefer
to make the legation her headquarters
rather than to live iii lonely state
within the imperial palace.
The empress VIII send private cal
for the party and the journey to Pekin
wiz occupy about three hours. 1t will
be broken at Tientsin. where the vice
roy of PechiIi will welcome them in
the name of mis- Imperial master and
mistress. 1t is probable that WI
Tingfang, former minister of China TO
the United States, will also greet them
thele, for he and Miss Alice are old
acQuaintances.
Taku and Tientsin will be decorated
with banners and flags and lanterns,
and silent but respectful crowds wa
assemble TO see the visitors The
journey to Pekin is across a fiat plain,
everywhere well cultivated, but swept
in the autumn by clouds OF dist from
the vast Monaghan desert.
The train will draw up at the station
outside Pekin, where some member of
the imperial family will greet them
with deep obeisances. Between the
railway station and the city gate
chinese troops in full uniform will
line their route, presenting arms, and
a band, playing barbaric music, win
lead them into the city through the
great shadowy CHEN Men, or gate, in
the walls that surround Pekin. By a
long, staight, dusty road, lined with
low houses built Of small gray bricks,
decorated with ball-like testoons and
balconies of wood, carved and gilied,
they will ride to The Chiao-min-Hsiang
in which the legation buildings are sit
uated. 1t is an un1aved, dusty road
under the shallow OF t5e wall of the
Tartar city.
After a rest there they will dress for
their formal call upon the emperor and
the dowager empress. The will pass
through the walls of the yellow (or
forbidden) city, walls that are of the
color of blood, by gate adorned with
porcelain dragons AMI g1Iffons, enter
ing that mysterious city into which,
until a few years ago, no stranger had
ever penetrated. Past houses with
gilded roofs, strange monsters iii por-
celaiE or wood, climbing, croucling,
crawling, rearing upon them, they will
go, and then, through another fantas-
tic gate in second blood-Ted wall, will
enter the imperial park. They will go
fhpOucrt: Z Cho 1p6 hU
tenaTian cedars and willows, with here
and there a glimpse of a fairy-iike
kiosk or pagoda, all of porcelain, Or of
the facade of one oft he thousand pal
aces with roofs of enjamel, guarded by
horrible monsters of marble croucning
on the doorsteps.
At last, through the trees, they
emerge before the gates Of the violet
city, with it's crimson walls surround
81 by broad ditcles in which the
water-lilies and lotuses are still in
bloom. This is the impenetrable of
all impenetrables, the residence of the
son of heaven. On one side is the
temple of the cloud-god, on another
the temple of imperial longevity, on a
third the temple of the benediction of
the sacred mountains.
Then the lac of Lotuses, crossed by
the far-famed marble bridge, with its
seven graceful spans, it balusters sur
mounted by heads of monsters, and the
pale violet flowers of the lotus nod
ding in the lake below. Across this
bridge to the hall of audience, the
Tzu-Kuang-Ko or nall of purple bright
ness. the procession will go. At each
of the several entrances it will be met
by imperial officials, by mandarins in
gorgeous robes, attended by long and
dazzling suites, so that by the time the
hal is reached the procession will be
of immense proportions and OF kaleid-
-oseopic brilliance, with yellow Jackets,
peacocks' feathers, ruby and sapphire
buttons. gongs, banners and gigantic
fans Of ostrich and peacock plumes.
In the Ship Ying Kung, behind the
audience hall the foreigners viii
spend an hour drinking tea and wine
and eating sweetmeats dntil the ar
rival Of their majesties is announced.
The audience hall is approached by
a bread white marble terrace, and Is
itself painted in blue ana gold and
hung with eDuroideries representing
battle scenes.
Tie dowsger empress, with the