The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-26
CHINESE WOMEN.
Her Position in Life Not One of I'm
alleged Pleasure.
From the New York Herald

aIIOyed Pleasure.
From the New York Herald
In these days, when the woman question
is Investigated and discussed so enthus-
iastically. 1t seems TO me 1t would be in
teresting to study the standing of women
In China. In the first place, we should
remember that China is not a country like
France and Germany. but a country as
big as Europe; that it is peopled with diff
ferent races; that in ignoring centraliza-
ton it has no unity, yet by its civiliza-
ton the fundamental rules of its society
are the same in the north as in the south,
but with an inhnity of Emergencies OF
detail Notwithstanding some few eXcep-
tons all Chinese civilization is pierced by
a few dirigent IDEAS In no one part of
which are they more forcibly felt than in
the condition of the women of the empire.
whether 1t be in the family or in society.
In the first place, the greatest misfoF-
tune that can befall a family is to have
a superfluity of girl babies born into It
A mother who only gives birth to female
children soon finds herself in disgrace
with her husband and his family. Among
the upper classes female child does not
fare so badly, for within the last few
years they have been permitted to share
their brothers studies.
Among the poor, from her very birth a
girl is exposed to dangers which are never
known by the daughters of rich family,
l do not speak of the maladies common to
rich or poor, and brought on principally
by want of care In bad climate, but to
the terrible prevalence of infanticide,
which counts these unfortunate girl ba-
bies among it's principal victims. A girl
counts for so little in the eyes of Chi
nese that the poor do not hesitate for
moment to rid themselves of a useless and
oxykr vrrvl.e kIng nhr,Io
rarely know in the morning whether they
will have anything to eat in the evening.
Besides, the future of these poor creatures
Is so miserable that the parents scru-
pies are easily overcome, and paternal au-
thority is so absolute that infanticide is a
natural consequence. During a famine
and among the most wretched this crime
assumes enormous proportions-"m marry
ing the little girls to the water spirits"
as 1t is called.
When those who are spared reach the
age of ten or twelve years they are sold as
servants into a family, to be virtually
slaves and finally future daughters-in-law.
This method buying wife for son re-
duces the expenses attending the marriage
ceremony and is resorted to very frequent
ly among the poor. The coming of chill
dren to these poor slaves often means UNI
told misery, as they frequently have their
offspring to support as well as themselves.
lazy husband win sometimes sell his
wife she being either willing or forced to
the barter, as a servant or concubine.
Though this latter contract Is forbidden
by law, 1t is not rare, and one case has
been cited of a man who rented his wife
out for the period of three years, ceding
all his marital rights to a man who had
no children, and who was to keep as his
the children born to The woman.
The woman in China is like the man,
but much more frequently is an article of
commerce. and he who exercises paternal
authority has the right to sell those under
him. In many parts of the empire there
are cities which are known as slave mar
kets. Pitsu, in Koei-tchiou, and Chang
Chau, near Tien-Tsin, are the most prom
inent. AT Chang-Chau those parents who
desire to sell their daughters find the best
market The girl IL exposed for sale In
the most frequented street, and father,
mother grandparents and elder brothers
do their prettiest to call attention to her
charms, and command as high price as
possible. The average price Is two or
three "taio," equal to about 80 cents of
our money for each year Of her age. At
Pekin girl from u to is years of age is
worth from $A to $40; one Is years old will
bring from $50 to $50, provided she is at
tractive. In many places this sale is car
ried on by agents. In Canton these slave
merchants import the women and pass
them through the custom house by means
of false declarations. The authorities
have often tried to do away with the
abuse, but without success. mot later
than the seventeenth century the state
sold the wife and children of high func-
tionary, who had died leaving a deficit
behind him, for the payment Of his debts.
The empress herself, so far as the SIM
plest, most precious things of life are
concerned, is not as we'll off as the poorest
girl blessed with the birthright of Amer
| lean independence, and the following
| story of how the present empress was
chosen for her high position will clearly
explain why:
The present emperor was very young
when he assembled the throne. Upon
reaching the manageable age, the rich
Mantchuan dignitaries presented list OF
| the eligible Mantchuan maidens to the
| dowager empress. These girls, not being
of the Imperial house, could by their age
and social position aspire to enter the
| harem. After eliminating certain num-
! Der of the candidates, the empress caused
| the others to be brought to Pe<in, saw
them several times Intercepted them
! and finally chose a certain number to be
! kept in the palace and instructed in the
/ rites and language of the court Several
| months later a decree was issued announc-
! ing the fact that an empress and two
/ princess wives had been chosen; this de-
! cree and a few details of the nuptial cere-
monies show that, differently from his
| subjects. the emperor has three legal
| wives. The empress holds first place, but
Notwithstanding her honors and titles
chosen as a concubine, she is but the first
/ among them. The splendor OF her rank
is overshadowed by the radiance OF her
/ spouse. and II the. inferiority of the wife
to the husband is greater among the rich
! than the poor, In no place Is this inequal-
| ity so marked as in the imperial house
| hold.
! AS the palace demonstrates in the con-
dltion of the imperial concublnes the last
| degree OF abasement of the woman, at the
same time Il presents in the honors paid
/ 20 the Dowager Empress the extreme con-
sequences of the uplifting OF women by
means OF maternity. The empress, as a
mother, Is new being called into a relig-
ious existence. because she has given an
heir to her ancestors. The day the en-
/ press brings forth a son she fs mention
cd ever after under the most honorable.
! high-sounding names on every solemn oc-
easion. To an imperial concubine the birth
of a son assures a privileged rank. an
honorable name during her life, a tablet
after her death and a domestic worship.
/ and NJ fortune fayors her ehe NAV ro,ot..a