West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1895-10-31
HOME LIFE OF THE CHINESE.
Another Interesting Letter From our
Oriental Missionary.


are no homes in China, but accord
ing TO Chinese ideas, there are no
homes in Western lands. A fami.
ly of two or more persons living
alone in a house, would be far from
the Chinese idea Of home. but when
four or five generations live under
one roof in true patriarchal style,
then that is home to the Chinese.
When family consists OF hun,
dred or more persons, among whom
is u great. grandfather and grand
mother, then the home, be it ever
so humble, Is something of which
to be pretty proud.
Marriage in China is always ar
ranged by the parents Of the parties
most interested. Among the poor,
aud they form the great majority in
China, little girls are bought, when
few days or few years Of age,
and brought mp in the home in
which they are to be daughter. in.
law. From the very first it is set
tied, to which one son will event.
ually be married, aud no matter
how uncongenial they may prove to
be in after years, there is no repeal
Two reasons are given for this
procedure. 1t is more economical,
besides if they are trained in the
home in which they are to make
their future home. they will be ac-
customed to the ways of the family
and MT in better than if they come
into the family after they are grown.
An outside observer sees another
reason. If the mother-in-law can
break the will of her future daugh-
ter-in law when child, she can
command her slavish obedience
more perfectly than she can hope
to do il she gets a grown up daugh-
ter-in-law. The lives Of these child
wives are more pitiable than even
that of the slaves, for the slaves are
usually cared for, because they are
TO be resold, but little daugbt ter
in-law is to remain permanently IN
the family, and so she is made the
slave of the family, in the truest
sense of the word slave.
A Chinese woman is seldom spo-
ken of as u wife, but as daughter
ln.law, and as such must render
service to her husbands mother be
fore any other duty.
Among the better and middle
classes the betrothal may be made
in childhood. but the girl grows up
in her own home, and when the
time of marriage arrives, she goes
In closely covered red sedan chair
to the home Of the groom, and the
ceremony takes place. The bride
and groom in this case are never
supposed 10 see each others faces
until after the ceremony is per-
formed. The ceremony consists of
worshipping Heaven and Earth,
and rendering reverence to the
groom's parents and to the Ances-
tral tablets.
During the ceremony the bride is
closely yeiled, and has one or two
women in attendance, who sees
that she makes no blunders. In
truth, the bride is as a doll in their
hands; she neither eats, speaks nor
moves a muscle Of her face during
the day on which she becomes a
daughter-in-law.
Any man in China who can sup
port two or more wives can have
them, but we fad few, except Off
GERS, who avail themselves OF this
privilege. Chinese women have few
privileges, but through the ages she
has reserved TO herself the right to
scold; no man can tame her tongue.
and 50 the Chinese character for
peace IS represented by 0ne woman
In a house, and few Chinese at
tempt TO reverse the order.
a man may marry IS often as he
may be left widower, but widow
must remain loyal to the memory
Of the departed, serving his parents
with fidelity and uprightness. II
she commits suicide on tho coffin Of
her husband, she can win for her
self y Memorial Arch. by a special
permit from the Emperor, out the
funds for erecting this arch must
be supplied by her family, whom
she has honored by this flial act.
Children in China, especially II
they be boys, have a good time.
They arc petted and spoiled, never
corrected until they arc old enough
10 begin studying, and not always
then. They rule the household,
are shown OF with great pride, by
fond relatives, arc fondlod and
carossod. This last is the more
noticeable, because any show OF
affection between grown up people
is in bad taste, IN fact. is never
seen. even between parent ard