The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-04-19
VOL. XII---N0. 40.
Ah0ut China.

900, 900, nearly one-third the population
of the entire world. 1t is an eminently
conservative population, using, to-day, as
they have used for hundreds Of years
the writings of Confucius and Mencius as
their school books. Confucius was not 8
teacher of science or of religion, but o1
political economy. His books are stud.
led and memorized by the scholars in all
parts of the Empire, using everywhere
the same printed characters, but pro.
nouncing them differently, so that the
scholars in one section of the country
reading them aloud would not be under
stood by those of another section. This
written language is not spoken Ian
guage anywhere except it be in the form
of quotations. This difference in pro-
nunciation leads to kind of local clan
nishness, somewhat similar to the historic
clannishness of the Scotch. Thus it hap
pens that between the Chinese of Foo
Chow and those of Canton, for instance,
there exists about the same regard as
exists between the Chinese people in
general and the people of the United
States. As to scholarship the average
Chinese scholar knows little or nothing
of geography, mathematics, natural phi
losophy, chemistry or astronomy. He
knows no language but his own. Schools
abound, but it is doubtful if more than
one.ffth the population have what may
be called a common school education
The masses of the people know the writ
ten characters representing the common
articles of food and clothing, without be-
ing able to read single page of litera-
ture. The art of printing, the manufac-
ture of gunpowder and of glass and the
use of the compass came from China, but
for many hundred years no new inven-
ton has appeared. The whole civiliza-
tion of the Empire has stood still, and
become like great stagnant pool. The
religion of the educated may be described
as blind fatality; of the masses, as a
heathen idolatry. "What the Empire
needs is to be moved from centre to cir
cumference by contact and friction with
the Christian civilization of America and
Europe" They have always opposed
both emigration and immigration, and
living there by themselves they have be.
come filled with tne conceit that they
are superior to all other nations of the
earth.
The Confucian system of morals is &C.
cepted by the whole nation, and is COM
paratively pure and elevating, but the
mass of the people are untruthful, selfish,
and cruel. In business transactions,
however, the commercial honor of the
Chinese is on par with that of the ma
tions with whom they deal. The mar
riage relation is recognized and honored.
Polygamy is allowable, though not gen.
orally practiced. A man will sometimes
marry second wife because he has no
son by his first. Merchants who do bus
iness in different parts of the country
usually leave their families in one place
and often take secondary wife in the
place of their temporary residence. The
offspring of such alliances are considered
legitimate. Marriage is rather civil
contract than areligious rite. No public
register is kept; no official certificates of
marriage given. The parties pledge each
other in small cups of wine, and perform
whole ritual of prostrations before the
open heavens, and also before the family
idols. In taking a second wife, forms
may be omitted, the woman taking her
place in the household as if she were 8
servant. Divorces are allowable, and
one of the seven justifying causes is Is
persistent habit of loquacity on the part
of the lady" But divorces are not fire..
quent and if man marries poor, and
afterwards becomes rich, he may not for
any cause put away the wife who shared
his years Of poverty. 1t is not considered
respectful for widow to marry again,
and if young girl loses her betrothed
before marriage, it is considered highly
meritorious for her to remain unmarried
all her life. Sometimes a young lady
thus bereaved publicly commits suicide
in order To remove temptation to mar
riage. In such a case, one of which the
author witnessed, cards are sent round to
friends rs if to festivity, and all are
present to encourage the commission of
the virtuous deed.
Married women are more faithful than
their husbands. Prostitution exists in
all parts of the Empire, but especially in
the large cities and sea ports. Poor peo-
pie often sell their female infants for this
purpose. Infanticide of females is also
largely practiced, none of. boys. The
practice is openly defended by mothers,
on the ground that it is better for girl
to die than to live.
The Chinaman's habits of living are
very simple. Throughout Central and
Southern China, rice is the principal
staple of food. In most parts of the EN-
pire the men can live on from seven to
fifteen cents day. The price of labor
corresponds to the cheapness of living.
Fifteen or twenty cents a day is very
good pay for common laborer. Litera-
ry men receive from six to ten dollars a
month, and. board themselves. House
servants receive two to four dollars a
month and their room and food. Me-
chanics and stone-masons receive from
twenty to forty cents day. The curren-
cy in all parts of the Empire is brass
"cash," small coin about the size of a
twenty-cent piece, quite thin, with a
square hole through the middle. These
are strung together in hundreds tied in
pairs or links like log.chain, and sold
in packages of four, six, eight hundred
or thousand each. Each single piece
is worth about mill. In large transac.
tions, payments are made in sycee-that
is, in mass or Jumps of silver or by
weight, bearing the stamp of the house
issuing it. All accounts are squared at
the end of the year. If the debtor can
not pay, or make suitable arrangements,
he frequently commits suicide.
Their personal habits are dirty. They
do not use the cold water baths under
any circumstances. Their clothing is
frequently washed, and the water in
which it is washed is not seldom served
for drinking purposes. Opium eating is
very prevalent, and is to China what
drunkenness is to America. Mr.. Gibson
holds the prime cause of the general
stagnation to be their false religion-"No
people can rise above the plane of the
gods they worship"