The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-01-09
CHINESE FAMILY LIFE.
Chinese Father States His Condition
and Ambitions In Life.

A Chinese Father States His Condition
and Ambitions In Life.
A Chinaman writes as follows to the
Shanghae (China) Celestial Empire !:
l am the third son of my father, and
am fifty-one years of age. He was q
native of the province of Cheh Kiang,
and was at the time of his death an ex.
pectant magistrate in attendance at
the court of the provincial government
of y. He died at the age of fifty
four, just twenty years ago. My pa
ternal grandfather was full magistrate
of the district of z, in this province,
and we consider him the progenitor Of
our family. All connection with our
Cheh Kiang ancestors las long since
been cut of and forgotten. I have also
one uncle living, the younger brother
of my father. My mother was small
footed Cheh Kiang woman, and came
from her native province with my
father. She could speak the mandarin
dialect as well as her native tongue /;
and it is to her that I am indebted for
the Kwan-hwa which I now use. My
mother bore my father two sons beside
myself one, younger than myself, died
the age of three or four years. I am
married to a small-footed native of
Y, who is now forty eight years of
age. By her I have had nine children,
four boys and five girls. Of these
there are five now living. My eldest
son died at the age of twenty-five. The
eldest child living is daughter, aged
twenty.seven, who is married to local
trader, and belongs, OF course, to my
family no longer. My eldest living
son, aged twenty-five, is employed as a
tutor to boys in the neighborhood of
our dwelling, and his total earnings
from this source would amount to about
eight dollars month. he is married
to the daughter of clerk in the provin-
cial treasurer's Office.
My second daughter was married this
year to the teacher of a boys school
These marriages are the great expense
to US respectable families. It cost me
$500, nearly one years salary, to defray
the cost of our last little affair. Of this
7 Ihad saved $l20. In the delicate guise of
cake money, many of the neighbors con-
tributed from 81 to Il. one apiece, and
the rest I had to borrow, and am still
paving off. The chief expense is for
the three days. open house kept during
the festivities. Pork, cakes, wines, etc.,
have to be liberally distributed around,
and it would never do for gentleman
of my position to be shabby. Then the
wife's outfit must always be supplied by
her own family. Tables, chairs, clothes
trunks, pots and pans, and goodness
knows what not. All! you have little
idea how We Chinese fathers must scrape
and starve to do our duty respectfully.
Well, my second son is still at school;
he is twenty-one years of age, but as
yet tnot betrothed. Myyoungest dsugh.
ter is thirteen, and she learns her
household duties at home. OF course.
all the females of our family are small
footed. My uncle's son, sged forty
five, is still alive and has four daugn-
tiers. My wife and children, and my
cousin and his four, daughters, thus
form the whole OF our family.
Ny house consists of six apartments,
and stands me SIS month for rent two
of the apartments are reception rooms.
Before I was employed by my foreign
friend I served as clerk in the custom
house but never having any inclination
to squeeze I did not get on we'll. know
I am stupid, but really cannot squeeze,
although my friends make sport of me
for it. I like to be quiet and independ-
enf, and as long as get my salary regu-
lady paid hope to remain of the same
mjnd. We're l to die my wife would
take one share of what little property I
h&1s one share would be reserved for
ttfte expense of my youngest daughters
wedding, and share apiece would go
to each of my two SONS. Besides the
members of our family We keep one
kcoolie and one old woman to do the
rough work of the household. Every
day I walk four English miles to my
duties, and four miles back again in the
afternoon. This 7 have done for nearly
twenty years. Certainly, I might move
to nearer place, but I enjoy very
high position in my neighborhood, be-
ing one of the spokesmen of the ward.
The wards are of different sizes. Ours
is small one, consisting of not more
than two hundred houses. All small
matters are referred to the four spokes-
men, who either settle the matter indi-
vidually or meet in the temple to dis
cuss it. Grave matters 60 before the
district magistrate in the usual way.