The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-13
THE FAIR SEX IN CHINA.


An American Lacy Among the Chinese
Among the passengers on board the ship Jacob
Bel, when she was captured and burned by the
Rebel pirate Fior9q, was Mrs. II. Dwight. who
was the wife OF an American gentleman holding
an official station under the Chinese Govern
mtnt-a peculiar position, which is thus de-
fined .--
" BY the treaties which have opened the trade
oi the empire TO foreigners the Chinese Govern
Inent engages 70 employ, at each Of the live ports
mentioned in the treaties, an American, English,
or French commissioner OF customs with the
necessary unfortunate officers, and with super
niendent AZ their head who resides at Pcking,
near the court. These commissioners act only
between he Government and foreigners they are
appointed and paid by the Imperial court, which
possesses descriptions of their personal appear
ance so minute and exact that they arc easily
recognized, and they make 70 tina, court monthly
returns OF their official acts, sOemnly atestcd
vastly more revenue Is gathered into the Chinese
treasury since foreigners were thus employed
thon before. The native officers were easily
bribed, and the Government received bus meagre
returns from ports which now yield q large
income. So well has the change worked that
nothing would induce the Chinese Govcrum,nttp
return to the Old system"
- Mrs. Williams is the wife OF the Commissioner
at Swatow, one of the five ports through which
the commerce Of foreign lands i, admitted into
the kingdem. Her position afforded the lady pc
China and the Chinese; and this knowledge she
has tt med to good advantage in O. volume, pub
lished by Hurd & Houghtou, to which Mr.
William Cullen Bryant has prcfxed an expana-
tory preface. The work is called, "A Year in
China and Narrative Of Capture and Imprison-
ment, when homeward bound, on board the
Rebel icate florida, by Mrs. II. Dwight
Willitms, author of "yoicos from the Silent
Land"
The author, in her interesting and unprctend-
ing narrative, gives the reader an account of her
journey from New York to the Cape de Verde
Islands, to st. Paul Loando Cape Town, Mauri.
titus, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, whampoa,
Canton, Swatow, Annoy, and elsewhere. Asa
woman, she naturally took more interest in tho
condition, the manners and habits of the Chinese
women, than most travellers in that country; Or
at least, than most writers thereon, who have
hitherto been chiefly Of the opposite sex and we
think that the most abiding interest of her book
lies in these feminine details. In chapter ten she
thus speaks of
CHINESE woMEN.
All classes Of women in China pay much atteu'
ton to the cultivation and arrangement of the
hair, and often display much taste in their pic
turesque styles OF wearing and ornamentng It.
In some of the northern provinces the women OF
every class are at all times seen with beautiful
flowers in their hair; but st Canton, and at the
south generally, we observed that this tasteful
fashion was confined TO the ladies. Among the
flowers used to ornament the hair of the few Chi
nese ladies we met at Canton the rose was con-
spicuous, and we learned that it is as great
iaNtrlte among the Chinese as 1t was with us.
There are twenty native species of the rose in
China, besides good many varieties, and it is
very extensively cultivated
The women very seriously njure their skin by
the free use OF cosmetics. Chinese lady, when
making hertoiet for any grand occasion blackens
her eyebrows so as TO form an arch and after
making free use of white paint upon her face
finishes by deeply rouging her cheeks and lips
To avoid totering, women of small feet step
quickly, and swing their arms in order to keep |
their equilibrium. At the same time they have |
mincing gait, peculiarly their own, which is |
doubtless considered very elegant as / frequently
observed that the largefooted but smartly dressed
women OF the common classes endeaYored 70 |
initiate it,
A descendant and the representative OF the
noted hong merchant, Mingqua, Of Canton, was, |
with one exception, the only Chinese gentleman |
we met who could speak English with hueucy |
and some degree Of correctness. He is man of |
very SUare and cOurtly address, which, combined |
with elaborate manners, make up a gentleman |
well suited TO his Oriental style and in ine keep
ing with his character and conversation.
For several years before the Allies obliged the |
vChinese to open the gates of the old city of AN
ton to foreigners, the wife of Mingqua occasion |
ally received and returned the visits of some of |
the foreign ladies then residing at the old facto-
ries. The wife of HOWqua also occasionally re- |
ceyed such visits but at that time the opportuni-
ties of coming in contact with the Chinese ladies |
were not common, nor have they become 80 since. |
On tie contrary, the inner apartments (aS rooms
occupied by the women of Chinese family of !
rank are caled) are guarded as carefully as ever;
and up TO this time woman from the west when
invited to enter their precincts receives distn-
gu.shed favor
From other chapters we extract the following:
THE SERVANTS.
The hOugp servants in China ara mon huts
Cantonese women are employed as nurses for
children and also waiting maids for the ladies'
The eneryating influence of the climate obliges
western women 20 take life easily; and being
obliged to drop most of their active pursuits they
usually are greatly dependent upon the services
of these women. The Chinese Amahs-as these
nurses and waiting maids are called-often have
bright and genial faces and when introduced
into household where all the servants wear the
grave and stold faces Of Cinnamon, are a great
TSlief to The everyday picture of domestic life.
The heau-seryants employed by foreign
families speak the "pigeon" English, and act as
interpreters for the other domestcs. This patOis
il nearly literal rendering of the Chinese dOm |
into dialect which is more like "English baby
talk" than anything else can compare it %, and
( foreigners readily acquire 1t. The particular
duties OF each servant are regulated by hXed
rr.,s, and if one should order his "boy" or head
servant TO sweep his room, or carry his trunk to !
the boat, the ready answer would be, "That no !
my pigeon; my callee house cooe." On the
other hand, should the house coolie be ordered to
purchase the supplies or polish the silver the
grave but respectful answer would be, "That no
my pigeon; my Callee boy" A cOolie works for |
certain wages, and makes his own bargains, nor
will he serve unless paid his price, Should a
oreigper attempt 10 impose upon or cheat a
OO'ie, and the fact be made known TO him after
G had commenced his services, he would leave
him directly. A chair-coOlie, under such circum-
stances, would set down the sedan and refuse to
move unless his terms were complied with.
A BoAT-woMAN's ooIPFURB.