The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1876-04-26
THE MONEY VALUE OF A.wtFE.
A Chinese Mandarin's Bid fop the
Spouse of an American Mef6aiant at
Shanghai.
From the Greenwich Jo,yff,al

From the Greenwich JoTfhal
Some years since, while tarryin,
at Shanghai md Hong Kong, tn
writer became acquainted with Mr.
King. head Of the highly rospectabl
firm OF Messrs King & Co., dom.
business ut Shanghai.
Mr.. King had recently returnct
from Il visit to tho United States
where he had formed an allianc,
with blooming young lady, daugh
ter of Presbyterian clergyman
residing near Boston, who, aftcl
the n,lptial ceremony had been per
formed, accompanied her lord t,
the Celestial empire. On their wa,
they stopped for n few days AT
Hong Kong. After settling them
selves in comfortable quarters, tn,
couple were visited by rich man
DARN. The latter regarded the
lady worry attentively, and seemed
to dwell with delight upon hcl
movements.
! When Mrs. King ut length left
the apartment he said to her hus,
band in broken English (worse than
brolSon China): "What you give for
that wifoy-wife of yours ?" "Oh,
replied tho husband, laughing ut
tho singular error of his visitor, "ten
thousand dollars. This the merchant t
thought would appear to the China
man Il high figure, but he was
mistaken. "Well," said the mar
DARN, taking out his book with IN
AIR of business, pose you give her
to me J. give You $4,000" 1t is
difficult to say whether King was
more amazed than amused but the
very grave aid solemn mir of the
Chinaman convinced him that he
was in earnest, and was compelled.
therefore, to refuse tho offer with
rs much placidity MS he could as
sumo. Tho mandarin, however,
continued to press the bargain, II
give you twenty thousand dollars"
no sa;d you take EN- :"
MIR. King, who had no previous
notion or thought of the CONNER
cial value of the commodity which
he had taken with him on his busi-
moss tour, was compelled Mt length
to inform his visitor that Americans
wcrc not i'll the habit OF selling their
wives after they had como in pos.
session of them. an assertion which
tho Chinaman was slow to believe.
1t was Mr.. Kings custom, as ,f;SsSn
as Of eysrL ye;tL..etlh etlhGE snHHgGGH;; t to lave
the clerks dine with them daily,
after leaving their Chinese wives
behind. Soon after my arrival at
Shanghai I was invited to dine
with Mr.. King. There were IL few
gentlemen and 73 of his clerks
seated ut the table. They wcro all
well-dresscd and gentcel appearing
young men ; stranger would
imagine them to be gentlemen.
While seated ut the dinner-table.
Mr.. King related the following nur
rativc with great glec, laughing at
his young and pretty wife, saying
he had recently discovered her full
value, as he had bYcn offered
$4,000 for her, very high figure,
rs wives were selling ut that time,
for the average price paid by the
clerks for IN ordinary Chinese shop
keepers daughter WAS about $50,
the price being agreed upon with
the parents before the young pco
pie see each other. When intro
duced, if pleased with each other,
the bargain was Mt once consum-
matcl. If tho woman should prove
transcendcntly beautiful the parents
might receive IS more as cushma or
Il present.
AS soon as he comes in possession
Of his wife he purchases or rents Il
small, light constructed bamboo
house, which, with IL liberal supply
Of coarse mats and II few articles
for culinary purposes, suflices for a
residence. which is kept all neat and
clean us IL hounds tooth, the wife
doing, however, her own housework,
washing and ironing her lord S
clothes, which arc kept in porfcct
order. She is very domestic,
seldom or never soen upon the
street and more true and faithful
wives never existed in fact they
dare not te otherwise, for thoir par
cnts would chastisc them severely.
The husband seldom takes q meal at
home, the wife subsisting chiefly
upon rice, and the cost of her ward.
robe will not exceed $40 per yenr.
| Mrs. King, being n conscientious
and energetic lady. resolved to use
every effort in her power to break
up tho infamous traffic in Chinese
women but being ignorant of tho
manners md customs of the people
in that distant country, and having
no backcrs,--bcr husband feeling
indiffcrcnt,--failcd in accomplishing
hor meritorious object. Az last
resort she issued an edict requiring
ovory one of hor husbands clerks tt
abandon forthwith and turn of
their Chinese wives or they would
not be suffered to dine ut the same
table with hor. The result ca,
easily be imagined, for on the fol
lowing day not one of tho clerks
made his appearance at tho allotted
place of business, which placed Mr.