Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-08-11

1Here IS no one 10 project nSr
against his cruel treatment. One
thing alone is open to her in case her
life becomes intolerable: suicide. |
Should such thing happen, the
wcman's parents may appeal TO jus |
tice, and the husband is treated as a |
murderer, since by his violence, he
made the existence Of his wife impos- |
sible. He may be compelled to pay |
a large sum Of money to appease the
wrath of the complaining parties. |
This is the extent of his punishment, |
however. l learned, too, that when a |
woman ceases to please her husband |
or if he becomes addicted to the two
great Chinese vices, opium and !
gambling, and ruins himself, he can
sell her as an object of useless luxury. /
The poor creature must then pass |
without revolt from one master toI
another.
l trembled at the mere thought
that I might have been born
in the place of Siao-ien-tse. She, on
the contrary, familiar with these
customs from childhood, thought of
her future calmly. Neither did she
seem to be at all disturbed by the
mystery with which custom sur
rounded her fiance. l must confess I
was more uneasy. I pictured him as
an ugly little creature. lame perhaps,
or humpbacked.
Fortunately, he was nothing OF the
kind. l cannot say that he was
handsome according to our idea of
beauty, but he was we'll enough and
much more civilized than l had
supposed. | was permitted to see him
and even to speak to him when the
great day arrived.
That was yesterday. Ouang-tse
was preceded at an early hour by
| the gift of costly provisions intended
for the feast which was to precede
| the departure of the newly-wedded
pair. The cards of his father and
| mother, presenting their compli-
ments, accompanied this offering.
| The groom soon followed attired in a
/ handsome costume of sea-green silk,
richly embroidered, which became
! him wonderfully we'll.
he was aUOul ClSuLScu yCclo OAO
and possessed a fine, manly presence
! Having been educated at Fou-Tchou
he spoke French very well: he said
that he loved our country and hoped
some day to be sent there as an am
bassador / should certainly be very
/ glad to see my little Swallow in Paris.
| Siao-ien-tse looked like a beautiful
oil ~
posed of a short tunic OF pale blue
silk. with large embroidered sleeves.
and full trousers of pink silk fastened
around the ankles. Her remarkably
small feet were encased in artistic
shoes which the Chinese alone know
how to make. Her black hair, shin
! ing with cocoanut oil, was twisted up
in intricate knots. decorated with
! artificial flowers and deliberately
carved gold pins.
| Ouang-tse must have been de-
! lighted with his acquisition but it
/ would have been in bad taste for him
! to show it. Chinese propriety for
! bids all demonstrations of sympathy
and affection. He hid his admi-
ration as we'll as he could, but l
4 could see it in his eyes. AS soon as
the guests had assembled, the cere-
mony began according to the pre-
scribed rules. First of all, and mere
ly as a matter of form, as it had all
been settled beforehand, they dis
cussed the price the husband was to
+ pay for his wife. This required an
interminable time, for the higher the
position of the contracting parties,
| the longer the preliminaries must be.
Finally Mandarin Leo, Siao-ien-
tse's father, made a pathetic speech
to his daughter ridiculous, in my es-
| timation, but necessary I was todd.
He excited her regrets by enumerat-
ing all the charms and joys Of the
| home she was just leaving and by
giving a mournful description of
her new life with it's rigorous obliga-
tons, it's burdens and the sorrow
which might await her.
| My little friend burst into tears. I
) was not much disturbed by this as
she told me it was to be part of
the program. Then came the moment
of departure. The women who, dur
! ing the ceremony had held a crown
Of shining metal above the brides
, head, withdrew, carrying the heavy
| diadem away. Her mother and sis
tiers surrounded her and urged her
along to the sedan-chair which was
awaiting her. When she had entered
it, after embracing them all, the
bridegroom came forward, closed and
sealed it. Two vigorous coolies took
it up as if it were a feather and
started off for the new home. Under
no pretext whatever could the young
woman descend from her palanquin
during the journey, no matter how
long it might be. This is expressly
forbidden. Even if she We're not
locked in, she would not venture to
break this command, as misfortune
would surely follow if she did so.
Ouang-tse was waiting, it seems, to
receive his bride on her arrival at his
house. He broke the seal and took
her, first of all, to salute the tablets
of his ancestors Then with great
Formally the two bowed to each other.
They afterwards went to PROSTATE
themselves before the groom's father
and mother.
A sumptuous feast nau been pre-
pared to celebrate the nuptials. The
men and women ate separately at
tables seating eight persons. Thus,
from the very beginning the newly
married couple learn to live apart.