Grant County Herald

A CHINESE THEATER.
Law Against Women on the Stage
Rigid and Unalterable.

We entered the building assigned to
"The Ascending Luminous Dragon" by
a small side door and proceeding for
some distance along a very narrow,
whitewashed passage and down a flight
of steep and narrow wooden steps we
arrived at the kitchen of the establish-
ment, where "celestial" cooks were bus-
ily employed preparing savory (?) dishes
for the performing company, says a
writer in the Gentleman's Magazine.

Our place, however, was not there, so
on we went up two more flights of
equally steep, dark and uninviting
stairs. Through a door at the top we
walked unceremoniously into the "holy
of holies," otherwise the "greenroom."
Here the actors were in various stages
of personal adornment, some applying
cosmetics, others dressing, while many
more, smoking and chattering, were re-
hearsing their peculiar parts, which, to
our untutored eyes, seemed to be com-
posed of the most absurd and extrava-
gant antics. Here and there were scat-
tered small tables, around and upon
which those of the performers whose
parts were over listlessly reclined.
Habillments and garments of wonderful
cut hung around the walls and were
scattered about the floor and tables in
reckless profusion, while huge chests
containing "property" were deposited
at intervals around the room. From
there was the direct approach on to the
stage.

The artists were exclusively Chinese
and, despite the deceptive makeup, all
men. No woman is allowed on the
stage of a Chinese theater in any ca-
pacity whatever. Strange as it may
sound, the omission is, however, hardly
noticeable, for the get-up of the men
impersonating female characters is so
perfect that it is with difficulty one can
really be convinced that the unalterable
law on the subject has not been in-
fringed. Nevertheless, in its stern
rigidity it is as unalterable as a law of
the Medes and Persians.