Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-01-24
The CeIestialS.

a Miss Susan s. King, & lady shy mas
accumulated quite g tortuue by specuiat-
ing in rea. estate in New York city, mas
made quite tour through Cajna. prnci-
paily IN the toa-groWing districts \ re-
porter of the New YORK lPorzd interviewed
her the other day, aud from that source
va learn some interesting facts about the
social life of the Celestials. She says the
condition OF women 10 China Is about the
same as iu this country that the higher
classes Of Chinese ladies are taught Ike
ours to control their voices that It is not
polite 70 speak above certain tone.
They study attitudes and effects be1-e
sheir mirrors for hours AZ time, jus. .ss
ours. and they bandage their teet for .l3
reason that our girls crsmp theirs io
fact small feet are toe style and what
American gjrl wouldn't walk on her hea4
TO be even with style 2'' FOE ladies Of
the higher classes are extremely agreeable
10 manner They are much more polite
than our ladies' 10 some respects
Tley of- you cup Of tea and some
thing TO eat. But, juse Is with as, busi-
ness topics are tabo1ei aud only " society
talk allowed In the par.or, the difference
being tnat &c is Mr. Ftzpo0de, and the
size og '8iys foot instead o. her panier.
winding up in both hemispheres with the
--.s-e - -s.--uodg yurao- = l,laa riar af
q certain kind is encouraged, anything chat
Is pretty and useless Is encouraged for
woman, Just as +, Is with us, and precisely
for the same reason, because men, wealthy
men, will not marry them If they have
large feet and hands, course complexious.
aud look as If they were accustomed 20
work 10 is II. alike. / could not see
any difference in reality between the
civilization Of the West and the bar
1arism Of the East. Ia both cases the
liga class lady Prides herself upon her
lelpIess3es-. upon how little she knows,
and nov little she can do, and the more
helpless l1ey sre rbe better men ike them
10 New YorS as well as 10 China.
There ere some of the smarteSr women
10 the world 70 be found among the middle
lass women in Chiua. They nave natural
.eet wfieh would prevent them ever being
lrst IS re- - mcu OF aug social position or
.01sid ration; blt taay DO business, can
% any whore fnev please. aGd sr5 always
ntsl i-eur and We IeEd Custom. which
8 stronger Khan law 10 China, gives mar
..et women tae control q. money they ssrE.
1n' business women. jRe pG60~sSSey,
lave taair oWu money aud spend 3 great
lea. The New York women thought they
Id g-s- ,hiucs 10 forming little club
md meeting once month st DelmoulC1's. [
He.i. s. Cl.na tue -awDGdorcSses meet aud
gamble .ai dress and dine, jast as men DO
,erc aud enjoy j amazingly. went 70 .
number Of these gatherings. which take
,l4ce sometime, at the tca-hoU>es, some
ime- as ,hojr o9a houses ana tell You
hey dress msguideeutiy, AMI spend money
exactly As men do az their climbs
Oaa Important fact noticed by Miss /
King wac the entire absence Of whisky
md drunkenness iu toe interior of China. 1
It seems that where cur boasted cJYiliza-
ion pena:rates. whether TO the sayages OF !
America o. 70 the philosophical CelostIsis, !
here follows Ia its train drunkenness and |
,estiaity. Iu ali the ports of China or /
Japan tnal Miss King visitei. she saw
much drunkenness and crime among the |
natives, but when she got beyond oiyiliza- /
ion she evils disappeared. Tea Is the 1
Universal beverage. aud 20 where you viii (
-ou fad Tea Houses. and the moment you /
inter cup Of tea is handed you and per- /
laps some swcstme2ts, . sort Of sugar I
,ean Of the usual kind. \ cup of tea /
.osts about one leash, ,'' eleven of which are 7
'equired TO make one Of our cents IN value. .
Living j. very cheap. Miss King Gays, il I
1ou conform to the Chinese methods, but
{ you want European articles Of food, all /
,f which are imported from England OF
America. fortune viii be swallowed up /
N less than no time.
For instance. the cows are imported, /
md cost two thousand dollars each; the /
ownership therefore. is confined to few |
wealthy European families and two or /
hree great European hotels. You can
imagine what butter and milk cost under |
such conditions a. these, \ sheet Of Eag- /
ish note paper costs one dollar, and !
7erv Door common bonnet that could be /
bought here from three to FIVE dollars, /
costs forty dollars there. After q little
experience. says Miss King, began 70 /
adopt the Chinese method Of living, and I
inaiiy got along very cheaply indeed. \
Chinaman can support a wife sud family
irst rate cn ten cents per day he can DO /
t tolerably on six; out ten cents provides
really good living, The middle class To- /
men don't spend their time cooking aad ,
as the same class DO here.
There are cook shops all along the street
where men get their chow-chow, aud where
women send for dishes already cooked for
the family.
Then they have No beds that need max
ing or coverings that need washing; the
better class sleep on mats, and the poor in
ibe northern part Of China, where il is