The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-02
CHINESE LADIES AT HOME.
Mrs Gilbert Reid's Account Of Shanghai
Society.
Society.
Ne,c York iSan.

portunlty to mlnglc socially With Chl'
nese Of high position. There is one.
woman, in New York at present, who
for Eve years has had the privilege oi
doing SO. She is the bride of the Rev
Gilbert Reid, who is trying to estab
iish at Pekin an international insti
tute for the benefit of the mandarlns
and educated Chinese generally. When
it is said that Mrs. REID mingles with
Chinese of fashion in Shanghai it
doesn't mean that she knows any OF
the men, for the sexes are absolutely
separated so far as social intercourse
goes.
1t is interesting to learn how she
made such social position for her
self. She was a Miss Reynolds, OF
South Carolina, and nearly FIVE years
ago was sent out by the Methodist
Episcopal Church South, as mission
airy to teach in the McTyere school at
Shanghai, the only school in all China
where the Upper Ten can send
their daughters to board and be edu-
Gated and pay for it. But Mrs. Reid
can tell her own story.
SO you We heard that [ stand very
close to the high-class women in
Shanghai, have you?' she said, when
the subject was introduced. And of
course you want to know how ever
managed to get into their homes and
to get them to visit me in mine. 1t
was through their daughters, the pu-
pills in our swell school. That school
was the grand thought Of grand wo-
man, Miss Laura A. Haygood. Miss
Haygood is sister Of Bishop Atticus
G. Haygood, Of Atlanta, Ga, and is
perhaps the first woman in Southern
Methodism. Six years ago this month
she opened the only school for high
class girls in all China. Her idea was
to give to these girls the same oppor-
tunities that are given to high-class
Chinese boys and that iow-class chill
drep get in the charity mission
schools, aud one Of her main objects
was to establish Christian homes in
China. A building was put up at a
cost of S25. 900, and the school was
intended to be self-supporting. We
opened with five pupils and now have
forty two boarders aud day pupils.
They are taught both Chinese and
Kuglish. A native, man, teaches
the classics, and Miss Haygocd, Miss
Richardson and I, assisted by two
pupil teachers, give instruction in
English, reading, writing, arithmetic,
embroidery, and physical culture.
'I'il just tell you who few of our
pupils arc and then you can see plain
ly how got in with their mothers
and friends. There is the neice OF
the Chinese Minister in Washington,
dear girl, and the daughter of Tao
Tai, Of Shanghai, which amounts to &
mayor over here. The daughter of
the manager of the imperial telegrarhs
is one of our pupils, and SO is the
daughter of the Project of Naniiln.
She is ten years old, has little feet,
and is hetrothed. We have one little
slave girl in the school who is being
educated for the wife Of lnanearian.
She vas bought by his mother: and he
is being educated in foreign land.
The daughter of the Rev. \. K Yen,
who visited England and America in
the interest of the Anti-opium Asso-
citation, is also among our pupils, and
We have lot of girls whose fathers
were educated in England and Aneri-
ca. The mothers of these girls visit
us and we visit them.
"Wouldnt you like to hear about
the feasts they give in our houor?1
continued Mrs. Reid. The invita-
tions are written on red paper and
worded in very kachec language,
showing whole batch Of them.
"What do mean by kachec?' 'Weil,
they mean the breath or spirit OF Il
guest. When the day Of the feast
comes the hostess hasa Chinese band
stationed at the front door, and us
each guest comes they shoot of ire
crackers. beat tom-t toms, and make
noise cnough to scare the guest, if she
happens to be poor little woman for
eign devil \ runner or courier an
nounccs each guest, and the hostess,
fer you must remember that Chinese
men arc not content with one wife,
come out to meet them. The guests
are taken into the reception room and
seated. And how do you suppose We
are entertained? Generally by means
Of monkey or parrot, or both. and |
meyer fully comurchended what mon