The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-17

the wise precepts of the ancients and note
the conduct Of admirable and accomplished
ladies'. as recorded in this book. They will
then blush for their degeneracy."
Notwithstanding this sage counsel, it is
more than probable that while tt power
of speech remains little unpleassntness will
arise in such complex households.
An unhappy wife cannot seek relief in
the divorce court. Chinese law does not
admit a possible cause for discomfort in the
life of married woman. She should be
duly grateful that she is permitted to live
at all, and not attempt to bring scandal
upon her family. A man, on the contrary,
may divorce his wife if she is undutiful to
her parents; if she bears him no son; II
she is jealous; is lax in her morals; is dis
honest; is leper; and last but assuredly
not least Of all-if she is laxative. Truly,
our sisters in China have very few prlvi-
leges.
To be divorced is the greatest disgrace
that can befall a Chinese woman. If,
therefore, she is pushed too closely to the
wall, or if she has ventured too far upon
unforbidden ground, and the temptations
to voluble woman re undoubtedly strong,
rather tnan face the consequences of her
rashness she avails herself of the only loop
hole of escape, deaths portals. Suicides
of young married women are appallingly
frequent, especially in those circles of
society where existence is regulated by the
Ritual of Decorum. One may with perfect
propriety end life that Is without hope.
The Chinese are as distinctively ccnser-
vative in their ideas as the people Of the
United States are progressive. What al
ways has been is what always should be, in
their estimation, especially if it is Chinese.
Their fashion in dress is prehistoric.
THE PRETTY GIRLS OF THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE
delight to array themselves in the garments
of their great grandmothers. What then
would they think of a young woman who
discards last years gowns because they are
too antique. 1t is a postulate in Oriental
dress that it should conceal the contour Of
the body. The appearance of tailor
made girl, in the"inner apartments, ''would
create CONSERVATION bordering on panic.
Were Chinese dame of gentle birth TO be
suddenly transported TO the Metropolitan
opera house, on a gala night, no amount of
reasoning would convince her that she was
in tbs company Of respectable ladies. She
would simple believe her eyes.
The social intercourse of the sexes is q
matter far beyond the comprehension OF
| the Celestial mind. Their young men and
maidens never, under any circumstances
meet. a father may not even kiss his own
baby daughter after she can walk alone.
Another maxim of the Decorum Ritual is:
Husbands and wives may not sit together,
their toilet articles must not be used in
common, in passing things from one to an
other their hands must not touch" and il
Furthermore adds 1.-THE great safeguard oil
the kingdom is the separation of the sexes
by the rules of propriety."
1t would be difficult to convince people OF
such rigid views that it is not an actual
crime for young man to kiss his best girl
Neither would they deem it within the
bounds Of reason for a young couple tC
| wander by the sea-beat shore, nor to Iingel
in the moons pale light, whispering words
of love. A photograph of the bellies oil
Management pier IN bathing costume
would certainly be ''picture to be turned
towards the wall.' For ladies who have
besn taught from early youth that ''excep
with her parent woman must not drive
in carriage with any man." the spectacle
of the coaching parade might awaken re
Elections not fiattering to the favored fail
ones Of the Four Hundred who there dis
port themselves and their fetching gowns
Whatever the rule of action, however
human nature seems much the same thu
world over. There are without doubt
many unhappy wives and turbulent home.
in China. The records of our divorc
courts show somewhat similar condition
of domestic affairs in our own country
Notwith standing all restrictions and dis
turbing elements, there are not a few Low
ing and well-beloved wives among tn,
Celestials, and in spite Of, or possibly be
cause of, our freedom, we have fully a.
many. 1t may, too, be safely surmised tina
in China, as in America, thore are mothers
in-law and mothers-in-lsw.
HARRIET HENRY.