The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-04-13
GOMMER OIkL VALUE OF WIVES IN
CHINA.

Some years since, while tarrying al
Shanghai and Hong Kong, the writer
became acquainted with Mr.. King, head
Of the highly respectable firm Of Messrs
King & Co., doing business at Shanghai.
Mr. King had recently returned from
visit to the United States, where he had
formed an alliance with a blooming
young lady, the daughter OF a Presby
terlan clergyman, residing near Boston,
who, after tie 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 comfort
able quarters the couple were visited by
a rich Mandarin. The latter regarded
the lady very attentively, and seemed to
dwell with delight upon her movements.
When Mrs. King at length left the apart
ment he said to her husband, in broken
English, (worse than broken China
'What you give for that wiley of yours?"
''Oh !" replied the husband, laughing
at the singular error of his visitor, ''$10,-
000." This the merchant thought would
appear to the Chinaman rather a high
figure, but he was mistaken. "Well,"
said the Mandarin, "taking cut his book
with all air of business, ''s'pose you give
her to me; I give you $15,000." It is
difficult to say whether Mr.. King was
more amazed than amused but the very
grave and solemn air of the Chinaman
nest, and he was compelled, therefore,
to refuse the offer with as much
placidity as he could assume. The Man
darian, however, continued to press the
bargain. Il give you $40, ,00O," said he;
'syou take 'em % Mr.. King, who had
no previous notion or thought of the
commercial value of the commodity
which he had taken with him on his
business tour, was compelled at length
to inform 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 we'll as
every other commercial house doing bus
mess at Shanghai, to have their clerks
dine with them daily, leaving their Chi
nese wives behind. Soon after my ar
rival at Shanghai I was invited to dine
with Mr.. King. There were a few gen.
tlemen 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
dining table Mr.. King related the fore
going narrative with great glee, laugh
ing at his young and pretty wife, saying
he had recently discovered her full
value, as he had been offered $4,000
for her-a very high figure as wives were
selling at that time, for the average price
paid by the clerks for an ordinary Chi
nese shopkeeper's daughter was about
$3.50, the price being agreed upon with
the parents before the young people see
each other; when introduced, if pleased
with each other, the bargain was at once
consummated. If the woman should
prove TO be transcendently beautiful, the
parents might receive five dollars more
as cumsha or O present. AS soon as he
comes in possession of his wife he pur-
chases or rents small, light-constructed
bamboo house, which, with a liberal
supply of coarse mats and few articles
for culinary purposes. suffiees for resi-
dence, which is kept all neat and clean,
the wife doing her own housework. She
is very domestic, seldom or never seen
upon the street; and more true, faithful
wives never existed; i'll fact, they dare
not be otherwise, for their parents would
chastise them severely. The husband
seldom takes a meal at home, the wife
subsists chiefly upon rice, and the cost
of maintaining her, together with her
wardrobe, will not exceed $50 year.