Page:Costume, fanciful, historical, and theatrical (1906).djvu/194

150 the feet in order to achieve the desired result is limited to one daughter out of five in each family, while the women of Tartary disdain the notion altogether. The diminutive foot, erroneously held to be typical of all Chinese ladies of rank, is encased in a silk or cotton slipper raised on a thick, inclined sole. Those who are incapable of getting into a shoe compared with which Cinderella's glass slipper would appear gigantic, have recourse to the stratagem of wearing a similar model fitted with a high heel set in the middle of the sole. Perched on such an uncertain support, they walk with the mincing steps and swaying gait which, for them, constitute the acme of grace, but which, in barbarian eyes, suggest nothing more alluring than an imminent danger of toppling over.

Abnormally long finger-nails are likewise held to enhance the natural charms of lovely woman, and the use of cosmetics is freely indulged in. A fan is always carried, and frequently a pipe, conspicuous for a diminutive bowl and long slender stem.

As representing officialdom, the Mandarins, or Kwans, as they are called in their own country, are quite the most important body of men in the Celestial Empire. They are divided into nine classes, each of which is subdivided into two. A glance at the button on the hat is sufficient to determine the rank of the wearer.

The significance attached to this particular decoration is as follows:—