The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-04-21

hammedaps, yet ladies Of rank and posi-.
ton do not receive visits or hold any
conversation with gentlemen who are not
immediate relatives. Two Chinese mer.
chants, or mandarins, however closely
allied in business or pleasure, would never
see each others wives, or pass into that
portion Of the dwelling into which | was
about to be admitted. The middle class
women of China mix freely with their
own countrymen, as also foreigners, where
as Turkish women must be quite degrad-
ed TO appear before man without the
yashmack. Probably the difference is,
that the Chinese regard this practice Of
mixing in familiar intercourse with the
other sex as unlady.ike and unSecoming,
whlo the Turks regard it as immoral.
Thus, little love.making or intrigue
might possibly be carried on in Chinese
establishment without fatal consequences,
when such proceeding in Turkey could
have no other termination than suck
and the .Bosphorus for the lady, and o
poniard Tor the lover. 30 slrlov Ia ,i.:-
code of justice, that even the allied ar.
mics consented to yield up any such often.
der against the Mohammedan law 20
be sure, in Chinese home any love.
making, except by pantomimc, would be
attended with insuperable difficulties.
Certainly. no tete.a-tete could take place
with the smallest degree of comfort or
safety, there being no door to shut, and
no boudor where the prying eyes Of half
q dozen wives could not spy round
corner but the Chinese rarely expert
ence love as sentiment. They know
nothing Of the sad and mad, but ah 80
sweet I" Of the poets love, and are mar.
ried in the adolescent state. Affection
and passion exist, but very little romance.
There are no lovers walks. no path
being wide enough to admit Of two walk.
ing comfortably together; no buggy.
rides, no sledge.driving, no outrageous
bowers. or chiaro.oscuro corners in
churches, cars, or theaters. There seems
too many people in China for any two to
get private nook to themselves. Never.
theless, in spite of paganism and poly
gamy, l am of opinion that the Chinese
woman is both modest and moral. She
is married young, and is rarely unfaithiul
to her husband, taking meekly first or
a fifth share of his affection, If he dies,
she remains q widow, and seldom marres
again. If in the lower classes, she works
for her own living until her children can
suppost her if in the upper grades, she
remains an inmate of her husbands fami-
ly. The virtuous conduct of a woman
through long life is more highly esli-
mated in China than in any other coun.
try. Temples are raised in honor Of
virtuous woman, as, in other countries
monuments arc erected to heroes.
In tho temples consecrated to pure
women there is a female figure upon the
altar, the goddess of chastity should
perter saying the patron saint, as l To-
lieve it ought to be,-and around her, in
small frames, are nscrbed the names oi
such women as have been faithful to thc IL
widowhood until they have attained the
age of sixty. Sometimes they are virgin
widows, the husband having died immel-
lately after the betrothment. In this
event the girl goes through the marriage
ceremony with n paper bridegroom, and
is then escorted, in the usual way, to the
residence Of his people, where if she lives
all her life true to his memory, she Lc.
comes one Of the elect in the temple Of
chastity, and is greatly honored for her
celibacy. On the other hand, the custom
is not unknown, though comparatively
rare, for wife to destroy herself upon
the death Of her husband. She will in.
vite all her friends to banquet, array
herself in scarlet, and, in presance Of I
guests, rush to a rope which is suspended i,
mount chair or table, put her head iuio
the moose. kick over the chair, and hang
herself, without any one interfering 10
stop her. Such is the extreme Of devo.
tion to the husbsnd in China - Vscoun.
tess Avonmore.
WoRrn KNOWING. Many persons ha' {
often noticed the extreme difficulty en-.