Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-07-01
TIE CHINESE AS THEY ARE.
Contrast Of Eastern and
Western Civilization.

Tcheng- -ki-TOn.' CONTRAST of Eastern ana
| Western Civilization.
"a ten-years' stay in Europe has only
served TO convince me Tia, no country in
the world is so thoroughly unknown as
China" Tie speaker is Gen. TchengKi-
Tong. military attache of the Chinese
embassy at the German court. "We are
a nation Of over 400, 600, 900 inhabitants,
and yet the most erroneous impressions
exist concerning us. Barbarians We can
hardly he called, for our civilization,
although different from that of the
West, dates back 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 Chinese manu-
script dictionary of the second century
gives description of the magnet and of
the marine 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 1t more prudent by separating men
from women To avoid the possibility of
trouble and 10 do away with any oppor-
tunity of disturbance BY these means,
moreover, we prevent TO great extent
marital troubles. which are always un-
| 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 IL he appeals to the tribunals
| for redress he finds but little satisfaction
therein, for the ex-matrimonial cond-
dition of betrayed husband inspires
neither pity nor sympathy.
"In Europe whenever a scandal. no
matter of what nature, becumes known.
the first inquiry is always Who is the
woman? This saying is not appli-
cable in China, for remembering how
Confucius warned us against women IA
the greatest danger in life, we avoid the
opportunity of doing wrong by keeping
them apart from the men.
"No one has ever been so calumniated
as the Chinese woman. She is repre-
sented as ignorant. silly. unable on ac-
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 l. She goes out shopping
and making visits unveiled and takes
her every afternoon drive in her open
palanqhin. 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 ms far "a
our women are concerned. Their edu
cation must be entirely distinct from thai
of the men. 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 instruction. but we
consider that ii 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
tine 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, fiamely, a
money marriage never occurs in China.
'Old bachelors and elderly spinsters
are almost unknown In China, and may
be considered as product of western
civilization. Oeiibacy il looked upon by
us as a crime and contrary to the GUS
toms and habits of the country. Mar.
riage takes place at very early age