Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-08-25
CHINESE WIVES

CHINESE WIVES.
OF all women in the world. the ladies o.
China are probably kept in the closest
bondage for while they are compelled 20
render to their parents an obedieace more
absolute than IS pracsised in any cttar
country, with the acquiei1on Of husbands
they find themselves committed lot ouiv
to a complete acqUiescerce in She wills Of
their lords. bat also to a veuiable bondage
to their fathers and mo5heIs-in.law This
/ last consideration, coupled wish the iney.-
/ table doubt whether each Wil De the only
star to shine in her new sphere, depriysg
matrimony Of shat charm which generally
surrounds it in the eyes of uaideus. Such
| q reversal of the common order OF things
could only exist in \ country where the
needle points to the south ana where men
wear petticoats. Where otherwise would
one ind young ladies banded together in
anti.matrimoaial societies, add ready 90 say
with Hernia
So will ,.e die, nay lord,
Ere We viii yield our virgin patent up
Unto their lordships, to whose unwishad yoke
Our souls consent not TO give Sovereignty
Imaaine fifteen Mayfair maidens throwing
Themselves together into the Thames rather
than accept the husbands proposed for
them, as 90 many young girlg did "a Canton
rot long ago. But If once the objection 60
marriage be overcome, such young ladies
/ show as keen q desire to fulfil svery duty
/ Of the state to which they have been called
as they before did To avoid undertaking
any duty at all. a daughter OF the last
( Chinese Minister TO London, kwo Sung
/ taou, las recently afforded an admirable
example OF what wife should be, dare
and do. According 70 the Picking Ga-e,ts
at the tender age Of II she consented 70
/ become the wife OF the brother 81 TgJ
! TGuug tang the conquer0r Of kul1ia. Not
/ long afserward by a decree Of the fates me-
/ husband fell i'll, and when ordinary nouT-
! shinc food failed TO revive her PROSTATE
| Ard, she with more than cours 80 sliced q
! piece of flesh from her arm enc mixed II
with his broth. But her pretty action
did outsell her giff, and In spite OF her
hero;sm her husband died. This event,
which might well have brought 10 q close
a record of self-devotion, only opened
new field for the exercise of sanity duty.
/ Tso had gone and could not come back 90
! her: bu5 there was no reason way she
should not 20 to him. So she refused 20
swallow anything bat gold leaf Here,
! however, GONE unseen power ia exposed,
and the gold neither choked her noI
wrought the mischief which the more
costly powdered diamonds pTodICe witn
the victims OF Indian assassins. Struck
with wonder at this miracle, her friends
! besought her to throw away the poison and
remain vet a little while with ham. THIS,
alter some misgivings, she cons snted TO Do,
| but keeping the word OF prom sc 10 their
I ear and breaking it to their no she took
| advantage of the first illness which over.
1 took her to perforD4 happy dispatch IS
starving herself to death.
/ II was impossible that SO bright an ez-
/ ample should fall barren 60 be ground.
/ and the Gu@ette informs Us that the yirru-
GUS mantle OF 8lrs. TsO desceuded on the
shoulders Of ler sister in law, urs kTO,
/ a sister Of the Marquis IssnQ o. the
death Of Dir. Ewo this young ady sought
| to follow him TO the banks the S1yX
| but before gold.lesi and star alton could
effect her object, she took compassion on
/ her children and relatiyes sad resumed
/ her household duties, much 10 the relief
Of her fathe.-il-law, kwJ SGug-tso1.
I whose property she successfully managed
I during his residence IN London. These
signal instances OF heroic virtue having
/ reached the ear of L Erng-caang, ths.
/ statesman, in an interval Of leisure be-
/ tween discussing the opium tariff with
1 Sir Thomas Wade and seE5ling the Corean
difficulty, penned memorial to the
/ throne requesting that sign q imperial
/ approval might be accorded TO the pair Of
/ devoted women. This was granted, and
one at least ia happy in the knowledge
/ that her sel!-negstion Il daily appreciated.
! Il is true there is Hnoth e. side CT tine
| picture, which Is uupleassntly prominent
! in the columns Of the Gazette. The matri.
mouiai yuke does not, we learn, sit COM
! fortaoly on the shoulders Of not few
young wives, who, driven 20 desperate
cures TO- desperate ills, ge.S 20 I'd them
selves OF their membranes either by poi
son or the knife. Indee,l It may be ques-
toned whether q statlstcian would not h1d
that more young wives hasten the depart
ure of theirhusban 20 the lands Of spirits
than follow them by their own set along
that dreary road. The law is aware Of this
homcidal tendency, and attempts to
check II by adding a new terror 20 the con
sequenb capital punishment b. providing
that it shall be ignomEious and slow.
The execptioner has ORDERS % wound his
victim before administering the coup de
grace. No sense Of supreme virtue, such
as enables the Mistresses Tsos sGd Kros 20
stife the pain while they slice their arms
and legs to provide broth for their invalid
husbands, supports their frsil sisters when
the hands which guide the knives are Dos
their own. But an obnoxious husband. es-
pecially when there is d 10th ario IN The
question, has more terrors to a ffIsky M
tron than any that the law can provide.
and consequently We find from the Gazen.
that cases abound where by subtle means
husbands are hurried Of the scene 20 make
way for new players.
But these daring homic.des come rom
quite another type Of mailer from that
which produces the heroines ct married
virtue. 1t is not every young lady even u
China who desires TO live in an Adamlozs
Eden, or who Is content TO await the tariv
choice by her parents # fitting yokeiei-
low. II is in vain tbs architects surround
the houses with blank walls and make al
the windows open in.o inner ccurtysr6s L
the garden Enclosures are not beyond the
reach Of aspiring youth and long ladders.
It is in vain that maidens are excluded
from the outer world and taught e shun
the gaze Of every man less nearly related
TO them than father and b7oeher, #
they are permitted to meet young Chang
and lie at the religious festivals, and to
smile on those yoltha from The roots of
their houses when, on certain evening u
the eighth month, they there present cakes
to the Queen of Heaven after the manner
OF the women Of Israel so bitterly de-
nounced by jeremiah. Such chance meet
ings lead occasionally to the exchange Of
poetical notes, in which il highly meth
pborical language the writers allow their
feelings to be dimly Swallowed L0rth. a1d
these again to stolen interview ia the gar.
den summer. houses or other sec AIDED spots.
Should one of the two be betr shed. as s
pretty sure TO be the case, the dangers of
the situation become manifold. a short
way out Of such difficulty Is 70 Ay on :he
wings Of love to pastures new and. II
spite of the many impedimenta IN the way
OF the flight of pair of Chinese lovers,
not the least Of which is the absolute IL
ability OF Chinese servants to keepa secret,
1t not uufrequsntly happens that young
couples, impatient Of prearra1 gemen.s. cat
the knot by clipping.
Archdeacon Gray, in recent work on
China, mentions Gaze Of this kind wlicH
came under his notice. The erriug pair
fled, but neither last enough nor far enough,
and they were brought back igrou.ini0uslg