The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-04-06
The Commercial Value of Wives In
China.

Some years since, while tarrying at
Shanghai and Hong Kong, the writer be-
came acquainted with Mr.. King, head of
the highly respectable firm of Messrs.
King s Co., doing business at Shanghai.
Mr.. King had recently returned from a
visit to the United States, where he had
formed an alliance with a blooming
young lady, the daughter of a Presbyter.
ian clergyman, residing near Boston,
who, 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-
bic quarters the couple were visited by a
rich Mandarin. The latter regarded the
lady very attentively, and seemed to dwell
with lelight upon her movements. When
Mrs. King at length left the apartment he
said to her husband, in broken English
(worse than broken China). "What you
give for that WHEY Of yours:'' "Ohr' re-
piled the husband, laughing at the singu-
lar error of his visitor. $4,000" This
the merchant thought would appear to the
was mistaken. "Well," said the Man
DARN, "taking out his book with an air
of business, "s'pose you give her to me;
give you SIS, 600" 1t is difficult to say
whether Mr.. 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 MANDARIN, however, continued to
press the bargain. IL give you $2O, 900"
said he; "you take 'ems'' Mr.. King,
who had no previous notion or thought OF
the commercial value of the commodity
which he had taken with him on his bust
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.
1t was Mr.. Kings custom. as we'll 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 we'll 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 $40, 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
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 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, ight-constructed bamboo
house, which, with q liberal supply of
coarse mats and few articles for culinary
purposes, suffices for q residence, which
is Kept all neat and clean as hound's
tooth, the wife, doing, however, her own
housework, washing and ironing her lord s
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 neal at
home, the wife subsists chiefly upon rice,
and the cost of maintaining her, together
with her wardrobe, will not exceed thirty
dollars year. Mrs. King, being a con-
scientious and energetic lady, resolved to
use every effort in her power to break up
the infamous traffic in Chinese women !;
but, being ignorant of the manners and
customs Of the people in that distant
country, and having no backers-her hus-
band feeling Indifferent failed in &C.
cemplishing her meritorious object. As
last resort, she issued an edict requiring
every one Of her husbands clerks to 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-
tinn If his v,ifa came Moor cauo:,n NJ,