and the treaty came to naught.



V

The Empress Dowager--As a Reformer

Taught by the failure of a reaction on which she had staked her
life and her throne, the Dowager has become a convert to the
policy of progress. She has, in fact, outstripped her nephew.
"Long may she live!" "Late may she rule us!" During her lifetime
she may be counted on to carry forward the cause she has so
ardently espoused. She grasps the reins with a firm hand; and her
courage is such that she does not hesitate to drive the chariot
of state over many a new and untried road. She knows she can rely
on the support of her viceroys--men of her own appointment. She
knows too that the spirit of reform is abroad in the land, and
that the heart of the people is with her.
--W. A. P. Martin in "The Awakening of China."



V

THE EMPRESS DOWAGER--AS A REFORMER

In June, 1902, soon after the return of the court from Hsian to
Peking, a company of ladies from the various legations in Peking
who had received invitations to an audience and a banquet with