The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1880-03-13
THE PACIFIC
Commercial A0brrtisrr
MARCH IL.

SATURDAY, MARCH Is.
We translate from a leading Italian newspaper,
~ Giorn1's dele Col0His, published in Rome. the
following correspondence from Picking. entitled
- The Family Laws Of the Chinese
The Family Laws Of the Chinese have their orr
gin in the Tahuism and in the doctrines Of Con
fucius, ROug-hI-tze, which teach 10 venerate and
respect old age, and especially towards the parents,
the Mother in the Grst degree. These laws advise
the man 10 marry, which they consider necessary
and Indispensable Tor tbs harmonious social pre-
gress- The people Of abe Celestial Empire are
more reverent and more obcdieut TO family laws
than % those Of the Government. An old man.
Law-Yen, command more respect and more obe-
dience than a Mlndarn. Kuan. than a literary
man. Seien-tzean. OF a pagan priest, Lama-Woos-
san. less advanced in age than he. Advanced uge
according to Chinese traditions. i a gift which
Buddha d~ispenses only 70 his f~ayorites. Adyan-
ced age Is a virtue, especially if il be accompanied
by corpuIenee. A lat man Is a man Of brains, for
the reason that the Chinese believe that the brains
il in the stomach aud not 10 the head. he has not
malignant spirits around him and the sun, Tajan.
Il benign towards him.
a married mar (nO matter the number VI his
wives) has the right 10 the title 81 Law Zee. Is
quire, as well a. all the blind men have a right 10
such a title, and In China there are many Of them
effect Of the ariola-vascination Is not known
there. A bachelor Is simply called Chung -Kwo-
Yen, or Man OF the Middle Kingdom. In fact, ex-
eept the Lama oossan. Priest, to whom il is not
permitted to have a wife, they being compelled to
shave their beads entirely and always remain in
the pagodas to school children. it Is difficult to hnd
a eeIibaie above the age OF CIs) eighteen. and an
old maid is an extraordinary rarity even the most
rises.
Men and women who have the same family name
cannot inter-marry. Considering that for a popu-
Iation OF 400, 900 900, only 375 surnames are known,
this impediment looks almost insurmontable. In
the course OF past ages there were cities and viii
lagos in China composed Of people who had all Of
them the same family name. consequently the men
desirous Of marrying bad to emigrate. A remedy
to mitigate these family Laws become an impera-
tive necessity. During the reign Of the Emperor
Yung-Loo, Q4O3-25) the families who had taken
part in the transport Of grains OF tribute from the
vassals to Picking. have received the name Of Mill
tary families, Chung-Chia. and the others have been
called Min-Chia. viz families Of the people.
From that time to the present. the distinction
between Chung and Min has been maintained and
the marriages between "a man Of Min family with
q woman Of Chung family vice versa, having the
same family name, has been permitted as the on
Iy exception to the above mentioned prohibition.
These Family Laws are an ImPerium IN ImperiO,
are the safeguard Of the Dynasty. Of the State of
the social order and Of the fat gleba ~prebenda OF
the Mandarins and Priests Of every denomination
who can be COUNTED by millions in this vast Em-
pire which has for population the third Of the sons
Of Adam.
The ancient Cathay has always been a mystery to
those who have studied her over books or from
afar Is on the contrary n very easy thing 70 study
for those who use the book Of experience which is
the best for judging q people, learn the language
Of the country, live in the midst Of this people in
the various provinces. associate enough with their
customs, having numerous friends among the pro
minent Mandarins. merchants. priests. and literati.
having good knowledge Of their history. literature,
politics. religion, resources, tendencies and ideas
Of this ancient. practical. sagaeious, patient. Ia
borious. enterprising. economical, thrifty, selfish.
greedy. sharp, shreSd, sober. difHdent, unequal.
numerous, thinking. philosophical. nOu-artist, i'm
initiating, but not creating people.
In Italy two distinguished men wrote and spoke
of China and Of the Chinese. one was the ever-la-
mented philosopher my personal friend Giuseppe
Ferrari. the other IL the living Christopher Negri;
neither Of the two has ever been in China or in any
part Of Asia, both wrote and said errors. neither
Of the two knew The reason why the cinnamon wear
the tail, Pienzah, and with other unpractcable
writers they thought that it was a personal embel-
Iishment OF a national or religious emblem not at
all, the tail which the Chinese wear. is no more nor
less than a badge OF vassaiage imposed HPon them
By their couquerors the Tartars-Manchous immedi-
atsIy after the downfall Of the Chinese National
Dynasty Tah-Min-
Three daring Italian travellers have known in
tus and in cute China and the Chinese and the rest
ofthe people Of Asia. The first was the illustrious
Marco Polo OF Venice in the 18th century. The
second was Matteo Ricci Of Macerata in the 10th
century. The third is a native Of DOgliani pro-
vince OF MondOvi. and Is living in this present 18th
century. The names Of these three Italian travel
Iers are very favOrably known in the Celestial En-
pire and all over the far east OF Asia
CELsO CESAR MOEESo.