West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-08-13
A CHINESE HOUSE.
The PatriarchHl EncampIncnt of the I'm
tire Family or Clan.

The Patrarchal EncampIncnt of the I'm
tire Family Clan.
In her new book on China, Mis-, Cor
don-C Cumming gives this description OF
Chinese house OF the better class: II
covers so much ground. and there are
so many open halls, consisting chiefly
of pillars and ornamental roofs scat
tered promiscuously about among
paved court-yards. decorated with
flowers i'm pots, and then there are walls
pierced by oddly-shapcd portals, formed
like octagons, or circles. or even tea
pots, and all placed at irregular inter
walls, never opposite one another; and
then shady morscls of garden. with all
manner of surprises i'm the way of little
ponds, and angular bridges and quaint
trees. Then somehow, quite uncNpcct-
eddy, you find yourself i'm brightly orna-
mental suites of small rooms, which
seem to have been originally one great
room, Subdivided by partitions of the
most elaborate wood carving. and fur
nished with beautiful polished black
wood and hangingS of rich materials
Such houses are. i'm fact, the patri-
archal cncampment of whole clan. to
which all the sons and brothers of the
house bring their wives. and there take
up their quarters, living together APP
parently i'm very remarkable peace.
We were received 10y our host and
half dozen gentlemen of the family,
and for some time we sat i'm Il fine open
reception hall, drinking pale straw-col-
orcd tea in its simple form. and playing
with q nice little son, the hope of the
house. Presently our host (whO is very
friendly TO foreigners. and. from into =
course with them, is less punctilouS
tLpn most Cinnamon on the matter of
ing seen speaking to his women folk
led us aside and presented us to his
most kindly and courteous old mother,
who conducted us TO her apartments,
her son accompanying Us. He then in
trOduced us to his little bride, aged
thirteen. His matrimonial ventures
have so far been unlucky. two previous
wives having died very early. This one
seems nice, bright little lady. She
was very highly rougcd, as was also
her sister-in-law. Another sister, be-
ing indispoSed. was not rouged, nor
was the mother. and therefore pleas
antcr to our eyes; but the Canton ladies
love to lay on the color thick There is
no deception about II! 1t l. good, hon
est red. laid thick upon the check, and
carried right round the eyebrows. The
latter are shaved TO refine their form
They can not understand why English
ladies should refrain from such embcl-
lishment Only when i'm mourning do
they refrain from its use, and one nota-
bile exception is that of bride. who, on
her wedding day. may wear no rouge.
so that when her red silk veil is remove /
and the fringe of pearls raised. her hu,-
band, looking on her face for the first
time, may know for certain what share
of beauty unadorncd has fallen TO his
lot
But of all eccentricities Of personal
decoration the oldest, | think is that Of
gliding the hair, which. am told, young
Canton girls do on every full-drcs- oc-
casion. Certainly | do remember q
time when some English ladies powdered
their hair with gold dust; but then they
owned golden locks TO start with, where
rs these are all black and glossy a, the
raven swing. CbicagO Times.