Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-11-22
THE RURAL MASSES IN CHINA.
Hopeless Poverty Early Marriages =
Joint Family System.

grandfather Of the present head and
has never been subdivided since nor
added TO. He grows about seventy
bushels of rice and scyenty-hye of
wheat and some vegetables and cotton
besides, worth altogether in money
about $40. lie has two nephcws who
work outside and bring home some
thing to help, and in that
way they get along, but are very poor
lie pays government land tax 20 the
extent of $l.5O "A year. He and all his
neighbOrs wear native blue cloth, spun
and woven in the family 10y the women
from cotton grown by themselves. He
never wore foreign cotton. The coat
he had on Ga welI-worn AFFAIR." had
been made two years previously. and it
would last two years more. IT served
him at night AS a coyerlct as well as a
coat by day.
Another family owned four acres
odd, only part Of which was suitable
for rice culture. Their income was
about eighty bushels Of wheat and $50
OF rice, about a fourth Of which they
could usually sell They paid some
thing over g a year as government
land tax. They also grew more cotton
than they could use, and sold every
year about &lO worth. They were
better of than some Of their ncighbors
but never saved any money They had
fifteen mouths 20 feed.
The foregoing cases are given be
cause they represent fairly the average
condition 10 be found In rural China.
The greater number Of cultiyators
probably belong 20 the class Of tenants
Some say the proportion Of tenants 10
peasant proprictors Is as seven to three !.
others put it as three 10 two: but
whether tenant or proprietor, the con
dition of the cult!vitor is much the
samc-that Is, Il rarely rises above
what is Just enough for the bare
necessaries Of life Ny own onscrya-
tions have been mostly confined 10 this
and the adjoining provinces, and cr-
cludcd the cultiyators OF tea, silk and
opium, who. growing commodity
more and more In demand and easily
transportalle, are In far better posi-
ton than the ordinary peasant but
speaking for the greater part of China
| believe ] am not oyer-stating the case
In saying that for the working agricul.
tural masses II is a daily hand to hand
struggle with want In a succession
OF good years they are very comfort
able they have enough % eatN and 70
wear and they have few other wants :;
but population is ever increasing up 20
The food limit, and when al year OF
two comes they die Of by hundreds or
thousands
Two or three causes may readily lc
named as having mainly conduced 60
this state of things causes which are
generally to be- found among Aaatic
races. The rule prohibiting tho
dcyoluiion of property hy Viii. and
making division compulsory among al
male children, tends rapidly to reduce
all hos liHVs t. minimum that is. to
the ycry lowest quantity ont of which
Il is possible 10 make living. Here.
as cycryw Aorc else, energy and good
luck raise DndiyIduals 10 a position Of
wealth, who may. Il they choose, Ice
come large land owners but in the
course Of few generations this uniycr
sal cIualiser aided by the apathy Of
the ordinary Chinese when in comfort
able circumstances. will have reduced
things to the former dead level
Another equally potent factor is the
habit OF too early marriages. Parents
deem it a religious duty to provide
matches for their children as soon a.
they are Of marriageablo years, and the
young people 20 to the altar in as much
the same way ~ they 60 10 school in
Europe. II never occurs to them to
ask first whether there will he enough
to fll the mouths that may come after
wards The evil is further aggravated
by the joint family system. which
takes the responsibility off ones
shoulders and puts it jointly on that
Of half dozen others. when the man
knows that he will get an equal share
of what is going whether he earns il or
no. and that the benefit Of denying him
self any particular indulgence will
accrue to others as well rs 10 himself
a great motive for thrift is withdrawn.