The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-09-09
THE CHINESE AS THEY ARE.
Tcheng-Ki-Tong's Contrast of Eastern and
Western Civilization

| Gf1ttNEOE 40 F1Er Af1Es
Tcheng-Ki-Tong's Contrast of Eastern and
Western Civilization.
"a ten-years' stay in Europe has only
served to convince me that no country in
the world is so thoroughly unknown as
| China" The speaker is Gen. Tcheng-Ki-
Tong, military attache of the Chinese
embassy at the German court. 1--WE are
nation of over 400, 600, 600 inhabitants,
and yet the most erroneous impressions
exist concerning us. Barbarians we can
| hardly be called, for our civilization.
although different from that of the
West, dates back a time prior to even the
| conception of most of those great nations
which at present are preponderant in the
destinies of the world. 1t was in China
! that gunpowder was first invented. ]
| admit, however, that we only knew how
to make fireworks Herewith, and it was
not until the Jesuit missionaries taught
us, that we learned how to use it for
weapons of warfare. Printing was
known in China in the ninth century of
the Christian era, while a Chinese manu-
| script dictionary of the second century
gives description of the magnet and of
the murine compass, the latter of which
some Arabs who visited China towards
the end of the ninth century brought
back to Palestine and subsequently taught
the use thereof to the Crusaders. Need
less to talk of silk and porcelain, which
would alone have been sufficient to indi-
cate high state of civilization.
"One thing which struck me greatly
on arriving in Europe was meeting la
dies in society. In China they are kept
apart from the men and do not become
acquainted with any members of the
sterner sex beyond those of their own
family. This has its advantages. A
Chinese proverb states that out of every
ten women nine are always certain to be
afflicted with jealousy, and on the other
hand men are not perfect. The peace
and welfare of the family are therefore
exposed to great dangers. Now family
life and family institutions are the basis
on which reposes the whole social and
governmental edifice of the Chinese en-
pire. 1t is therefore absolutely neces-
sary to assure the maintenance of peace
in the family. Hence in China we con-
slider it more prudent by separating men
from women to avoid the possibility of
trouble and to do away with any oppor-
tunity of disturbance. By these means,
moreover, we prevent to a great extent
marital troubles, which are always I'M
pleasant. For what can the husband do?
If he kills his faithless wife he is sure to
regret it afterwards, for it is probable
that he loved her formerly On the
other hand if he appeals to the tribunals
70. R.o1T-ac, Ia I,,4
therein, for the ex-matrimonial cond-
dition of betrayed husband inspires
neither pity nor sympathy.
I'm Europe whenever a scandal, no
matter of what nature, becomes known,
the first inquiry is always Who is the
womanP This saying is not appli-
cable in China, for remembering how
Confucius warned US against women as
the greatest danger in life, we avoid the
opportunity of doing wrong by keeping
them apart from the men,
mo one has ever been so illuminated
as the Chinese woman. She is repre-
sented as ignorant, silly, unable on &C
count of the malformation of her feet
to walk, and passing her whole life
locked up in kind of seraglio. This is
quite wrong. She is able to walk as
well as you or 1. She goes out shopping
and making visits unveiled and takes
her every afternoon drive in her open
palanquin. Her occupations consist of
the education of her children, the care
of the household, dominoes, embroid-
cries and tending flowers. We disap-
prove of excessive instruction as far as
our women are concerned. Their edu-
cation must be entirely distinct from that
of the mer. The latter are brought up
to trades and receive instruction in
tended to fit them for the government
or merchant service, whereas the woman
must apply herself to learn all that is
necessary for housekeeping and raising
her family. We do not insult our
women by imagining that they are in
capable of scientific obstruction, but we
that it would be taking them
off from their proper track in life and
would unfit them for the place they
hold in the family. Woman has no need
to learn to perfect herself. She is born
perfect, and no science in the world will |
ever teach her the grace and gentleness
which are the two chief ornaments of
the domestic hearth.
From the day of her marriage the
wife becomes her husbands equal; can
sign all documents in the name of the |
family; can sell and buy property, give
her children in marriage, and, in fact, |
with one exception, has Just the same |
civil rights as her husband. Moreover,
any honor conferred ON the latter is |
shared equally by her, and she is even |
entitled to wear the insignia of his rank. |
Women, however, can not inherit money; |
no dOwries are given, and hence that |
curse of western civilization, namely, a |
money marriage never occurs in China. |
"Old bachelors and elderly spinsters
are almost unknown in China, and may !
be considered as a product of western |
Celibacy is looked upon by |
us as crime and contrary to the Gus
toms and habits of the country. Mar
rage takes place at very early age |
boys of 10 marrying girls of IA. The /
climate has nothing whatsoever to do |
with this precocity, for it is just as GUS
tomary in the most northern ATTITUDES as |
in the tropics. 1t is rather due to the |
of the parents that their
children should be settled early in life
and should devote their strength and the
resources of their youth to the family |
rather than to lead wild and immoral
life away from home. The wife is
chosen by the parents of the bridegroom.
who does not himself see his intended
wife until the day of the marriage. Who
Are better qualified to make the selection
Than the parents 9"-Berlin Cor. New
FORK World.
Tie Wife of Historian Bancroft.
A topic of conversation in American
ocIety, writes Paris correspondent. is
he lonely state of Mr.. George Bancroft,
he historian, who a short time ago was
eft widower at the age of Sc. ] had a