davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
EMPRESS DOWAGER.
OF China.

score against Dai Nippon must be wiped out in
vengeance.
Now while this action on the part Of the
women of China is undoubtedly calculated TO
startle those who have always been taught to
regard the fair sex of the Orient negligible
quantity il will surprise who have acquired
through a prolonged residence in the Far East
some insight into the conditions Of native life.
1t is perfectly true that socially the woman
occupies an inferior position As a general rule
her education has been restricted TO the acqusi
ton Of accomplishments calculated to increase
her attractions in the eyes of the men, such as
music. singing, dancing. the composition Of
poetry. etc. i has been asserted that in China
in particular the women were held in such con-
tempt that the birth of female babies was re-
garded as a cause for lamentation and that they
were frequently cast out to be devoured by the
pigs. while marriage has been portrayed there
and elsewhere. notably in India. downright
slavery for the wife. Yet with all that woma
in the past as in the present has always exer-
cised a considera bic influence in the Orient, an
influence all the more remarkable when the
handicap arising from her defects Of education
and the inferiority OF her social status is taken
into consideration. She exercises ii in spite of
these drawbacks and with much cleverness,
diplomacy and tact that in nine ont OF
ten the men subject TO her sway fail 10 realize
that though nominslly her masters they have
become mere passive and obedient Instruments
i'm, her bsO
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
ABYSSINIA'S EMPRESS

In Abyssinia the extremely obese F,rn
press Taoti enjoys much greater authority and
prestige than her husband. the Negus Menelik
who is also her cousin Like him. she is de-
scendeG in direct line from the Biblical Queen
of Sheba and Solomon the wfsest King of tho
Jews; and while affanced as a youne Girl 70
MeneIik was seen by Emperor Theodore. who
insisted on making her his wife. giving MeneIik
one of his own daughters in marriage Theo-
dore was killed at the storming of MagdaIa
and after no less than four other marriages
and her adoption of the vows Of q nun in the
convent OF Debra Meni she eventually recov
cred her hold upon the affections of her first
fance, who had meanwhile become King of
Shoa, induced him to divorce his wife Queen
Tofana. and to marry her Menelik who after
ward succeeded Emperor John as Nepus is ~.
lieved. not only by his own people hut also b,.
the English the Italians and the cermans- in
fact. by all foreign nations which have had
dealings of a more or less pleasant nature with
Aoysslhia-to be entirely subject 10 her inf1u-
ence and to he guided wholly by the advice
of this Queen of Queens and OF this .sun and
light OF Ethiopia"
were IL not Tor the reluctance which the
japanese display with regard TO any discussion
or even Hheh'ion or their regnng house the
outer world would know more of the amazing
roie "hich the childless Empress Haruko has
prayed III the regeneration OF the Land of the
felslhs sun according to Western ideas She
too. has been her husbands wisest counsellor
ana 10 the sagacity of this princess who for
more than forty years has been Empress of
Japa"' qul'e as much as tn the Mikado. is at
'iiou'Aoe the extraordinary transformation
OF an oriental nation cut off from all inter
course with the outer world-a hermit kingdom
III iact--ihto an up-to-date great power. in the
most modern and Occidental sense of the word.
"hile IN most other matters her influence Is
exercised through the Emperor. she has come
prominently forward in the movement for the
mgher education and emancipation of the
women OF Japan and the results of this good
"oFh winch she has accomplished. while al
ieau! apparent throughout tho length and
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
EMPRESS TAOTI.
OF Abyssinia.

To British rule The great Lord DalhOusie was
wont to denounce the Rance OF Lahore. that
is to say the virtual queen mother of the
Punjaub as his most dangerous enemy. and iii
the great Indian Mutny the Rance of Jhansee
was rightly considered second only in inn
portance To Mana sahib in the leadership of that
great revolt which so nearly cost England
her vast Indian empire The Queen of
Dude, although a Moslem, was the one person
who fought bravely against the deposition of
her husband in 1855. and actually travelled all
the way to England personally to appeal t.
Queen Victoria in his behalf. dying In Paris on
her way home after the failure of her mission
The sister-wife of Theebaw. the last ruler of
Burmah prior to its annexation by the English.
during the Indian vlceroyalty of the late Mar
quis OF Dufferin, the real mistress of his
kingdom throughout his reign The Begun
of Bhopal. who reigned for more than half
century the Indian kingdom Of Bhopal.
won the lasting friendship of Queen Victoria by
her loyalty and the invaluable assistance which
she accorded TO the English during the Sepoy
Mutny of fifty years ago She was a wonderful
woman. who. rejecting absurd the Mahcmetan
rules Of the Purdah. which condemned her to gov
only from behind a curtain. presented herself
to her people with uncovered face. dressed in the
costume of the princes seated astride her horse
Her administrative ability of an extraordi-
nary character. and throughout her long reign
she superintended in person the execution of her
orders, travelling over all the provinces OF her
kingdom on horseback. living in her tent and
going into the midst of her people to seek for
the information that she required
When the Gaeltwar of Baroda was in this
country he accompanied by his wife. a
dainty. dusky little woman who excited
immense amount of curiosity. especially among
the fair sex, which regarded her as
thing in the light of exotic doll Yet
she is credited with being heart one
OF the most insidious foes OF British rule in
India, with having influenced her husband
against the British TO whom he Is indebted for
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21

Grafton for fcrebears which is the keynote OF
the Chinese character. Maternal influence and
authority, indeed, play weighty role through
out the Orent-a fact too often ignored or for
gotten in reviewing the status OF the fair Il
Asia and the Levant.
Then, too. the seclusion of the women con-
tributes their influence Their husbands are
unlikely TO be swayed by other mems wives,
as in the Occident. He has no feminine infiu-
ences to turn him from those OF his own
zenana. and, spending much of his time-in
fact all his leisure-in his seraglio, with nobody
and nothing TO divert his attentions from his
own womankind, whose interests identified
with his own, he naturally yields. perhaps In
sensibly. TO their sway. In using the words
'zenana' and 'harem'' il must not be inferred
that I referring only to Moslem households.
The segregation OF the women Of the family
is common throughout the Orient. and the En-
perors of China and of Japan and the King Of
Siam, although protesting each of them wholly
different creeds, maintain huge harems, just
in the same way the Sultan OF Turkey and
the Shah of Persia.
Few Eastern governments have had a greater
opportunity OF becoming acquainted with the
power welded by the Oriental woman than
Khedive Tewfik Immediately prior TO and even
during the Arab rebellion Of 1882 was mainly
attributable to the influences Of his woman
kind. notably Qf his wife. the Dowager
Khediviah, and OF her terrible old mother.
Turkish princess. That their sympathies were
not In favor Of the English was due TO the
fact that Sami Pacha. the most able and the
most wicked Of Arabis associates and, In fact
the moving spirit OF the insurrection. was
closely related 10 the Khediviah and to her
mother. through his wife. and that. moreover
their procliyities were wholly Turkish ana that
they derived much of their inspiration from the
Yildiz Kiosk at Constantinople. especially from
the seraglio portion thereof.
In India IL is the nntive ranees and queens
who have been the most formidable opponents
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
SWORD TENT PEGGING.

Not less extraordinary is the feat u tent peg
girg with sword and lance. Here the rider. again
bareback. EalIGps down with his lance in his
right hand and his sword hetReeu his c1enched
teeth Picking np The first peg with his lance. he
shifts the weapon into his bride hand and a mo-
ner; later picks n the second peg with his sword.
The troors are arred with rife and sword, and
II the case of man regiments. with the lance
also. The horses are Arabs PeTsians. Australians
and country breds The trooper enlisting pays
the cost OF his horse and equipment. nothing being
found by The government except his rife.
The Indian native caTalry is therefore the
cheapest IN The world 20 raise and equip. More
over. i is perhaps The efficient, for n,t only
does regiment break and train its own horses
un some cases tie experiment has even been tried
~ breeding Them. but in addition 10 mounting
ard eqIdppinE itself il makes al its own arrange
rlentS for transport, supply, forage Ienounts re
Cpitinr. etc. Hence its splendid readiness for
nsr Tor. hattGatea always TO shift for itself the
native cavalry Is self-dependent to degree rot
known in any other branch Of the seryre
To an eye accustomed to seeing European cav
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
FRAUDS IN ANTIQUES.
L. S. Consul at Dunfermline, Scot
land Warns GulibIe Tourists.

gium one year ago. warning American tourists
against the purchase in Europe of so-caIled
antiques" Consul Maxwell Blake sends from
Dunfermline the following advice pertaining to
Scotland and TO the Old World generally:
LAS the summer season approaches, in antici-
patton OF the usual annual influx of Americans.
many of whom continue under the deIusior that
all things in this country are old as it's his
tory, the growing legion of so-called antique
dealers. from cities TO remote villages and unfre-
quented farm houses. are now occupying them
selves in arranging for display their various
stocks OF made-to-order antiquities
1T ought by this time to be known to even
those of little experience that the genuine
antique, provided it has originally possessed
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
CHINESE WOMEN IN BOYCOTT.

: number of other women spoke. with equal
force and eloquence. and then the following
resolution was carried unanimously,
That il IS considered by this meeting that in
the matter Of the Tatsu Maru Japan has treated
China with 50 much contempt and has inflicted
such big national disgrace in denying China
the right 10 a Joint investigation that we desire
10 record our sense Of the national shame Fnr-
ther. that in comMeIn grafton OF the disgraceful
event We viii hereafter have our rings engraved
with the chara acters national shame in order 10
keep the event green in our memory.
The meeting. 1t is said. has proved great
incentive 10 the boycott movemet, not merely
because of its unique character. as bringing the
women for the first time into prominence. but
because I'll these women are now making their
sntipathy 10 Japan effective Dy declining Japan
csc fo0dstuffs. which very largely imported
from the realms Of the MikaGo. Moreover. serf-
ously a. Japan is suffering al present in its
trade from the enmity which il has stirred up
in China il is estimated that she viii feel the
effects OF the movement still more later or,
since the Chinese women are teaching their chill
oren that the time will come when the grave
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
R&s&aAaS,@Z
Tent Peeeing Carried to a
High Degree of Perfection.

AT the present time when the periodical unrest
on the Indian frontier seems more TO have
gathered "a a head ihese upon the native
Indian cavalry may have interest" says a writer
In The illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
The brilliant horsemanship Of native troopers
is q matter of common knope ledge. but the amaz-
ing degree Of their skin riders ii not perhaps
generally realized To a great extent this is the
natural outcome of circumstances. The men. who
sre drawn from a different class from the nome
cavalry. are mostly small landowners-yeonen, as
Ne shoul5 csl ther-and are thus accustomed To
the saddle from their earliest youth; while their
lean. tan figures are Of a physique that is ideal
for the purposes of light cavalry. They have, too
a natural aptitude for skill al arms and horse
rnanshin and is this. perhaps that they owe
their astonishing facility In those feats which
are sometimes conienaptuouSlv called circus
tricks but are nevertheless only possible TO
rider with complete 4 mastery of his mount as
probably European cavalry can equal.
A few e the more remarkable of these feats
of horsemsnship are illustrated in the accompany
ing sketches. The sport Of tent peggng. even
when pTactscd under the simplest conditions, is
not an easy one to excel in. nut the difficult
variations which the native troopers invent and
successfully carry out are amazing. There is. for
example. the feat cf double tent pegginE in which
men mount horse. dispensing with saddle
and stiuUps The front rider carries lance in
his right hand. according TO the usual custom;
the second. who encrcl,s his companions waist
with his right hand. holds a lance in his left
hand. The horse i then put. at fun speed, at
E couple of pegs which driven into the ground
side 10y side short distance apart. these being
taken simultaneously hy tie pair of riders, who
recover III the usual way.
Any one who has ever attempted tent peCging
viii he aware how easy it is to miss the mark
10y riding 700 directly the peg. the
other hand. by passing il by too wide margin.
and the skill and judgment therefore necessary
the part of the front rider guide the
lac sim,
rance Of either peg requires exceptional skill of
eve and hand. The reminder is worth making.
perhaps that each peg shows only six inches
above ground and is but and a half inches
w1ce, Indeed, accurate is the practice IN many
tent T'esefnE tournaments that il becomes nlpcs-
sbie 10 select Ire winners without reducing The
size Of the peg. In the sCrni-nas il quite usual
70 ride at Tees of half the ordinary width. and
in The finals the peg is often put edgeRays
thus greatly increasing the difficulty taking
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
CErNA's EMPRESS DOWAGER

A. for the Empress Dowaser OF Chi.'"' - 49,.
undoubtedly one Of the greatest Hsu ia
present age and for the last nI'N ga
eoyerued the huge Empire 'f emma 80.
+aor,in- population Of f0oG0'f' WIN '.l'
absolute sway defeating and crushlnS -, -.
sftion. To her iron rule Cne-fourth %
+irs human race renders an almost ohho
ence OF humble origin. Cnmmehtu's H. s.r,
ence in the imperial household in th7 60.
Of \ slave she has raised herself 10 ne' 80.
supremacy by the extraordinary =,
which she displays OF just what Is n7' i.
-, f.bfrar,en and Of precisely "hS'
needed to Illustrate foreign greed anu ,.r
-rb,r. eAar,s to he but one voice as u
UNIQUE sasacity. experience ana -eti,.4.
,r.tIi and under the circumstances her -,
-, - .,,,,-ression of the abuse OF oplu1i
in China furnishes matter for grave
r-o- sa,-ara1 centuries Chi"a. "rce III ''7 "
z,,ar5 of civfIization and Of progress di'N@
tba arts ,f war and Of peace. hss 'a!n. >
sr.ak dormant. its intellectual developr''ei'
:, r-Ara arrested There are many 'ho'7
pAopIe who ascribe this condition U ''-.,,,,
ter;opS effects of opium smoking 81 P'
throughout the miidle kingdom -.
r,srtatr If is that the radical measures
drced during the last few years oy 'hv -,
Uovarer I'm conjunction with the forelSi -,
for the suppression OF the abuse N "'''.- -
already SHOWN wonderful results III ''' ,ns
dfnarv transformation which has co'Nv ,t,
character of the authorities ana ~ % s,cep
II, zoer, 10 have awakened from io"s
and TO be now devoured with On az - :
desire for Western progress and enlishter~.,
n progress and enlightenment that WI, inea,
their power and their prosperity m ',,r
fold While the policy of the Empress 80
I'm the matter is faciIe To appreciate aNU .ni,
I'm keeping with her farsighted Shil,n-
II NAV be questioned whether western I. --.,cs
tbrcny and Christian antipathy to inter'pel' -,
have been altogether wise IN contrihHt'ns ,,..
suppression Of the abuse OF opium anu II s,r~ss
ing the latent and wholly incaicniaOi0 .,
Of long dormant China. those mighty iV-. -..-,s,
the orient which. according 10 Loiu ,u.ra
and other European statesmen OF MS ..,,rs
and sxperience are destined TO oe
employed against '' - Ex-ATTAcHH
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
CONCERNING PETTICOAT RULE IN THE ORIENT.
influence of Woman in
Asia Is Upderrated
in the West.
tcopyrizh,. 1905. by the Brentwood company.l

tCoryrizht. 1905. by the Brentwood Conpanyl
England is by no mean- the only power that
is troubled just % present with the invasion of
public life by women. and the suffragettes who
have become a subject Of so much alarm not
10 say terror. to Cabinet minister's to magis-
trates. and, above all 10 the unfortunate police
in London. have their counterpart at Canton
and in other great Chinese cities. Recent ad-
vices from the Middle Kingdom bring the news
of number of manifestations Of this feminine
movement. notably Of huge mass meeting at
Canton attended by no less than ten thou
sand women, drawn from all grades Of society
and assembled to protest against the action Of
Japan in seizing the Tatsu Maru and with the
object Of strengthening the hands OF the Chi
nese authorities and Emperor in resisting the
demands of the Mkado.
The meeting lasted four hours. and man
was permitted in the huge hall where 1t was
held. All the women were dressed in white
as a sign Of mourning, and from the platform
and the sides Of the hall were suspended ban
ners recouuting how China had suffered
shame" al the hands Of the japanese. The
meeting was held under the auspices Of the
newly formed National Disgrace Association,
Of which Miss Pun Kut Fan is the founder
and moving spirit. She presided at the con-
eress end made the first of number of ex-
celient speeches. during the course of which
che claimed that: 'Our national danger is i'm
rninent and as women we should do our duty
toward our country. The destruction Of the
empire affects US equally with the men. II
therefore rests with 10 contribute our por
ton Of patriotism and loyalty TO our country
a,ad Ernrperor. ] say women have never lacked
such patriotism, and ] call upon you one and all
to show that China can rely upon such patriot
ssn1 whenever there is call for it
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21

As it is regiments vary considerably as regards
their weight in field service order according TO,
the way they equipped and horsed. Compar-
ing them to British cavalry, they are indeed light
cavalry as their average weight in field service
order varies from about fourteen stone to fifteen
stone seven pounds while British cavalry horses
have 10 carry from seventeen stone to twenty-one
stone To those not we'll acquainted with the sub
iect It no doubt appears absurd that such heavy
weights should be necessary but in practice it has
been found that if a man stands in uniform ten
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21

stone his arms ammunition. saddery and equip
n1ent will at least weigh another four stone
.As regards the training of the Indian cavalry
for war it NAV be said that they are trained to
act mounted with sword or lance dismounted
with the rife according to circumstances. ana II
may he noted that some Of them have just recent
" been used dismounted in the operations III the
Khyber Pass against the Afghan irresulars. Great
attention is paid to the thorough training of the
horses with view to having them under such
control that they may enable the rider to use his
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21

airy the horses Of the Indian cavalry appear very
small But experience has proved that small
horses are more hardy and more capable OF with
standing the vicisstudes OF q campaign than those
Of a larger breed II must. however, be ren1em-
bered that they have to carry the same weights
as British cavalry. for the troopers though often
tall men. are much lighter than they look, and
the average weight Of a regiment is usually under
ten stone Even with such light it has been
found Impossible to reduce the total weight car
ried by the horse much would he desirable.
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
RULE OF THE MOTHER.

In order 10 understand this IL must be borne
in mind that, although the young girls are
often treated OF scant Importance and The
wives as mere serfs, the mother always occr-
pies a very important, not 10 say commanding
position In every Oriental household. In Moi-
lem countries il is not the favorite wife but
the husba nd's mother who rules the entire
harem and exercises supreme authority. 10
which even her son defers. IN China the mother
benefits by that hlial p!ety and profound ven
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21

his throne and with playing very pror1in. r.
role in the anti English movement now ram
pant throughout India, and which as the Pink
ertons and the English consular authorities
can testify. has many affiliations in this conn
try. from whence arms and money have been
dispatched in considerable quantities since tho
beginning of the wear
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21

arms with the greatest effect in mounted combat
AS regards rife shooting, the indian cavalry have
attained a very high standard of prohcency-a
higher standard than that of the Indian in
fantry who in turn may be said 10 compare
most favorably with any other troops in the world
in this respect"
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21

breadth of the land. will bear SUN =,
fruit in future generations. when 'iie -,
the early instruction of clever no'i'7-' ...s,s+
the infantie mind has had time u
New-York tribune., 1908-06-21

PEGeING"
q aLandt, """N'
The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-06-08
FEAST IN
JERSEY ON TABLE
THAT COST $4,000
General Benjamin F. Tracy
Among Guests at Banquet linz
perial Commissioner Gave.
Especial to tho Evening start

MORRIS PLAINS. June S,-Two
lambs, barbecued in Persian style and
served in the open-air on a solid gold
and bronze table that cost $12, 900, were
the pieces de resistance at a banquet
given by Mr.. Topakyan, Imperial Per-
sian Commissioner to this country. at
his estate here. known as Persian
Court. The guests were prominent bus
mess men of New York and other cities,
the chief guest of the day being Cen
eral Benjamin f. Tracy.
The dinner was served in a style as
closely to banquets served in Persia as
possible. With the two lambs were
served salads, dressings and curries as
concocted in the Oriental land.
Mr.. Topakyan and his wife will leave
this country on June Is to go to Per
STA. where they will buy furniture with
which to furnish their house here
Among the articles they intend tc
bring back are a number of valuable
historic pieces.