The union Democrat., 1870-09-10
A scene in China.

debt. xhere the husband and father was in
California and perhaps | cannot do better
than tell you about it. There were fve chill
dren-three girls and two boys. We had
passed them three times in our chairs curing
the day as they stood beside the road dressed
in tLei. holiday attire of black. The silence
they observed whenever any person passed,
and their downcast looks. created curiosity
on our part to know their business there,
Arr Hung lour waiser1 was ur aud asked the
cause Of this little parade. Why said he,
"the girls, ard perhaps the .whale family, are
for sale.n We storred orr chairs ard sep
ped out to have talk with them, using Arr
Hung as on Interpreter. The mother was
wrinkled and gray. and hung her head, as il
she were afraid to look us in the face. But
the children, with the exception OF the eldest
girl, looked cheerful, and were quite pleased
with their holiday attire. The oldest girl
was sixteen. and tho Oldest boy fifteen, so
said the grutf old broker who had the party
in charge. and who seemed quite anxious to
dispose Of his wares. After great deal of
qaizziag and evasive answers, the broker told
is that tie husband and father was in Cali
fornia and had neglected TO pay his note Civ
en- for his passage, and .hat his family were
now offered for sale 20 pay tho debt. lie
hoped TO be ableto paJ the debt with thesae
of the two Oldest girls. but as yet had receiv-
ed no offers. lie said that the family became
security voluntarily, and he never knew of
case where they did not voluntarily offer
themselves for sale If tho note they secured
was not paid. In reply to our questions he
said that when a customer bought child or
person, the person was made at once the
owner of the child, body and soul. No
Chinaman would dispute tae purchasers
right to do whatsoever he pleased with the
human being he bad bought and paid for.
The boys would make good servants, he said,
and in the course of few years be worth
fortune 10 the owner. The girls would make
good FARMERS" or nurses, as they are called
in Americal. lie would show us their ply
steal hcautv-wond make them sing and
play tricks If thought of hnying. How
much would we give? The oldest girl he
would sell for four hundred dollars the next
one for two hundred, and she little six year old
for fftv. The beys he could not sell until
the girls were disposed Of. We thought the
price too high. The market was gutted
with salable girls and he mus. not think of
getting over ono hundred for the oldest and
handsomest, while for the little one he must
not expect over ten dollars. He sneered at
that, and seid tha. Englishmen always talk
ed that way when they wanted to buy.
While we were talkirg, party Of blue-rohed
Chinese aristocrats came up and began to in
spect the family; they opened the mouth of
the Oldest girl, raped on her white teeth to
see if they were sound, pulled open her dress
thumped her ribs, laughed at her little feet.
told her to show the whites of her eyes, or
dered her 10 sing, and to show them the
trinkets VIII ch the fond mother had given her
as parting gift. All the while the sales
man kept up constant jabber in which we
took no interest Time pressing, we passed
on, leaving the parties disputing about the
price. and discussing the probabilities other
running away if taken to Hong Kong. AZ
ter making our call, we returned the same
way to ascertain the result of the sale. Only
the mother and the boys were left. The
debt was only $500, and $50 Of it sill re-
naincd. have been often told by residents
in China that the parents would as soo1 sell
their children as COW or pig And had
begun to believe that such was the case upon
passing the group tho frst time. But the
scene had changed. The girls were gune,
and nrw hoy must go also. The mother
sal in the dirs. with her arms around the
Youngest. wailing in most riteous manner.
and. as Arr Hung said. cnrsing the men that
sold her husband ticket to American at
$500 which cost them Int $40. The broker
sat liss.essly hy, smoking his pipe. and
twirling his cane. looking as if it was the
smallest matter of business with him. The
boys were crying. and seemed very much
afraid of Us, now it was certain that one of
them must 60 But we passed on and left
them in their misery. We never knew
whether the hoy was sold to a cliiidless man,
to be treated as son. to Portuguese, to be
carried to the West Indies, under a nominal
contract. or to a native landowner, to he his
slave. But that one Of them was sold into
servitude for the sum &C $50. there can he no
doubt.-Hong Kong Cor. Boston Traceller. \