Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-04-06
The Commercial Value OF Wives in
China.

NVAn uAC1 NldA VdAuc OE WIVES Hi
China.
some years since, while tarrying at
Shanghai and Hong Kong, the writer be-
came acquainted with Mr.. King, head of
.ne highly respectable firm OF Messrs.
hing q Co., doing business at Shanghai.
UT. hlng had recently returned from a
visit to the United States, where he had
formed an alliance with a blooming
young lady, the daughter of Presbytcr-
Ian clergyman, residing near Boston,
VINO, after the nuptial ceremony had been
performed, accompanied her lord to the
celestial Empire. On their way they
stopped for few days at Hong Kong.
After ensconcing themselves in comforta.
oie quarters the couple were visited by a
rieh Mandarin. The latter regarded the
lazy very aftentively, and seemed TO dwell
with lelight upon her movements When
MRS. King at length left the apartment ne
SAID to her husband, in broken English
tworse than broken China) what you
give for that WHEY of yoursY " Obi" re-
pied the husband, laughing at the singu-
lar error of his visitor, =" $4,000" This
tne merchant thought would appear to the
Chinaman rather a high figure, but he
V0S hllstihtu. Gil, SdlQ Tie MAI
DARN, taking out his book with an air
OF business, "s'pose you give her TO me !;
L give you SIS ,000.n 1t is difficult TO say
whether MIR. King was more amazed than
amused; but the very grave and solemn
air OF the Chinaman convinced him that
he was in sober earnest, and he was COM
PEELED, therefore, TO refuse the offer with
as much placidity as he could assume.
The Mandarian, however, continued to
press the bargain. give you sec, 900, I"
said he; "you take 'emg" Mr.. King,
who had no previous notion or thought Of
the commercial value of the commodity
which he had taken with him on his BUSH
ness tour, was compelled at length to in
form his visitor that Americans were not
In the habit of selling their wives after
they had come in possession of them; an
assertion which the Chinaman was slow to
believe.
II was Mr.. Kings custom. as well as
every other commercial house doing bust
ness at Shanghai, to have their clerks dine
with them daily, leaving their Chinese
wives behind. Soon after my arrival at
Shanghai was invited TO dine with Mr..
King. There were few gentlemen and
seventy three of his clerks seated at the
table. They were all well dressed and
genteel-appearing young men. A stranger
would imagine them TO be gentlemen.
While seated at the dinner-table Mr.
King related the foregoing narrative with
great glee, laughing at his young and pretty
wife, saying he had recently discovered her
full value, as he had been offered $50 600
for her--a very high figure as wives were
selling at that time, for the average price
paid by the clerks for an ordinary Chinese
sbopkeepers daughter was about $3.50,
the price being agreed upon with the
parents before the young people see each
ether; when introduced, If pleased with
each other, the bargain was at once con
summated. If the woman should prove
TO be transcendently beautiful, the parents
might receive five dollars more as cumsha
or present. AS soon as he comes in
possession of his wife he purchases or
rents small, lightconstructed bamboo
house, which, with liberal supply OF
coarse mats and few articles for culinary
purposes, sufhces for residence, which
is kept all neat and clean as hounds
tooth, the wife, doing, however, her own
Homework, washing and ironing her lord 3
clothes, which are kept in perfect
order She is very domestic, seldom or
never seen upon the street; and more
true and faithful wives never existed !;
in fact, they dare not be otherwise, for
their parents would chastise them severe
ly. The husband seldom takes a neal at
home, the wife subsists chiefly upon rice,
and the cost OF maintaining her, together
with her wardrobe, will not exceed thirty
dollars u year. Mrs. King, being con-
scientious and energetic lady, resolved to
use every effort in her power to break up
the infamous traffic In Chinese women I;
but, being ignorant of the manners and
customs of the people in that distant
country, and having no backers-her hus-
band feeling indiiierent-iailed in ac-
complishing her meritorious object. AS
a last resort, she issued an edict requiring
every one OF her husbands clerks 10 aban-
don forthwith and turn off their Chinese
wives or they would not be suffered TO
dine at the same table with her The re-
suit can easily be imagined, for on The
following day not one of the clerks made
his appearance at the allotted place OF
business, which placed Mr. King in an
awkward position, blocking the wheels
of his immense business. The indiscre-
ton of his wife came near causing him
much trouble and unnecessary expense !;
and, strange as IL may appear, the clerks
had the sympathy of the whole community
of Shan ghai and however humilisting II
might have been TO Mrs. King, she was
obliged TO rescind her edict, and when the
writer left Shanghai the wheels OF bnsi-
ness were again in motion and everything
went on swimmingly.--G reenotch Journal