Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-08-02
CHINA'S EMPEROR
IHIRlY.FIvE TODAY
now DOEsGERExPREss Rose


NssfinEtea- H. T.. s@S -wkwam~
sha, 'ae es@reavs n CAan@- + aeA.A Il
ttsTfE~fHfkA *sas aaA&g @aG u eAAan naes
sass sTosa CasEa = = that the fsss@sgr
aiah@ssaassrs gasa - Tassazaaarg RG~ts
- The fataee 60 pr~sens eoagssaass-
ssohs q H. halt a 'hs4r r~ssg~eaive rua,
sFs~ s.esGt 0%Gs9 asFasea~s fgssn Ttt
- ~. Co tbs effect that sas ysxsns
eaaergu-. 1ho from bis hasth has a..0
a ws@klsns physically $50 ts.n.ala, l.
no~ ia a seTaaus esEdsaicn- His death
II any t1na~ @oaiA oeeasssa llt,l.s SIR
prise IL the eveEi II biz passing a~aF
II h. probable sAaa gh. literal reform
essmen, wusla make . Great efforts 20
sire the .TEss at the government and
with ansne anEe u success Gam that
the powasss Empress has gragn "a old
that ske senia find il difficult 10 en-.
tinae her grasp tn the shrons.
In MANY respects the noxaser Ell.
press is n ~ the most remarkable IL
she II % of the most nonstrous fss.
nres nf modern history. She was the
daughter Of a ManehuFian noble. and
followed the fortunes 81 her family
from Pekin TO Canton. until. when she
was about 7 years old. the condition of
her fathers finances neesssiiated. or
at least. resulted In. her sale AZ a slave
into the family Of O Canton merchant.
Her beauty ven al that time was prop
bounced. according 70 Chinese stand.
ards. and her e~leyerness had already
developed.
Her Rise in Favor
When she was about II years old.
the Emperor Hsien Fung. as IL the
Chinese custom. issued a proclamation
calling upon the daughters Of Manchu-
ria to present themselves at Pekin for
q choice to be made non them for
the imperial harem. She Travelled up
% pesfn in the luxury befitting her
rank. triumphantiy passed the ordeal
Of inspection by the emperor's officers.
and was promptly installed in the i'm.
perial palace among the emperor's wo.
men
This was In 1s4s. Beautiful, accom-.
plished and possessed Of eonsummate
tact and unsuai knowledge .Tsu Tsi
throDe of the harem residents into a
separate and distinctive place. Later.
when she presented the emperor with
a son and heir to the throne, she rose
still higher In favor.
In 1860. while the boy was still
young, his father died and very soon
the small boy was proclaimed emperor
under the title Of Tung Chi, with the
nowager Empress and mother empress
appointed so.regents. For many years,
dominating her weak eoregent, Tsu
Tsi was absolute ruler Of China. Fin.
ally her son Tung Chi. attained his ma.
jcrity, was duly proclaimed emperor,
and the regency ended.
Apparently Tsu ISIS caree was
closed. Wise and silent. she drew back
with her sister regent into private i'm
perial life. But Tung Chi died. and his
young wife passed away In childbirth:
and the Dowager Empress at once
again came to the front, presenting to
the Chinese people a new emperor in
the person Of Kwang Shu "a baby boy
of q brother Of the Emperor Hsien
Fung. II Is this nephew Of her dead
husband who is row the sick emperor
Of China. and whose death. which may
be but a matter Of weeks or days. will
precipitate a political. social and indus
trial upheavel which the Flowery King
dom never before has experienced in
It's centuries Of history.