The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-15
THE WOVEN or CHINA.
Remarkable Instances OF Thrir Devotion to
Husbands or Relations.

Woman's influence In China is greater than Il
commonly supposed. Records Of the Fiowerv
Kingdom are full Of examples OF wonen famous
FOR their learning. heroism and high principle.
Sometimes women achieve absolute power over
the household. for there i a popular saying.
She eats rice with her husband " which Is used
TO describe tho rule of the female tyrant. The
most astonishing instance Of feminine power to-
day is, Of course, the career of the Empress Dow
agcr. As an instance OF the Empress DowGgcr'S
power, il may be reca lied that she deposed her
strongest viAier, Prince kung, in 1885, by "A mere
decree in IN. Pekin Gdsouo because "he over
| rated hi- Importance"
In common with all other nations, the women
Of China represent the most fervent religious
element. They are said to support enthusiast
tically the Boxers movement and 10 be fighring
with passion to help rid the country of the mis-
sionaries. That the women Of China do not
lack courage il proved by the fact that they
sometimes seek suicide as relief from unhappy
marriages and uncongenial husbands would
frequently he murdered were 1t not for special
punishInonts. "ignominious and slow devised
for all women who attempt homicide. The
mere eN istruce of liis law provide> the necessity
for II. Again, not long ago fifteen young
girls of Canton threw themselves into the river
10 escape from marrying the husbands chosen
for them.
Two other recent examples prove the devo-
ton OF the Chinese women of high degree. A
laughter of the Chinese Minister to London.
kwo-Sung-Taon. was married At the age OF II.
When her husband died she tried to commit
suicide out Of grief and would eat nothing but
golf leaf se,kin : thereby to induce death. II
failed to poison her. and she then starved 10
death. Her si,ter-in-law, Mrs. kwo. a sister Of
the Marquis Tseng, lried also TO follow her hls-
band to the land Of spirits. but failing IN her at
tempt al suicide She finally took compassion on
her children. agreed To live and managed her
fGther-in-law's property while he was IN London.
Ii Hung Chang panned a memorial to the
Dragon Throne, requesting hat these two wo-
men should receive "A sign OF imperial approval
Notwithstanding the degraded condition OF
women OF the lower Glasses, the feminine ideal
Is high In China, and the annals ~ the past show
a lolg series Of %virtuous and heroic women. who
have made an lndelibie impression npon the
national mind. The mother Of he great sage.
Confuci,s. II held ~ n model. The next phil
osopher of importance, Mencils, was also in
debted 10 his mother for The formation Of his
character and mind, a. well a. his philosophy.
Woman lot in China is, however, not an en-
viable one. She is not received into the world
with JOY. and. gets very little education. AT
twelve she IL baaished from all cOmpanionship
to become the young girl who sits In the house.
until her marriage, when she weds ZONE one she
has never seen. Then she must obey her hns-
! Ddlu tlI Ift 'ifoI w III III w. Ht' itlis " flIll
into contact with men or the outside world. and.
rs a rule, she cannot read. She may, however.
receive ladies' aud return their calls. The
patriarchal system is so universal that the father
l. a de-pOtic ruler over his family, and II married
woman becomes 50 entirely a part Of her hus-
bands family that she has TO yield her obedience
TO her husbands parents, who frequently treat
her more asa slave than a daughter-n-lhw. The
doctrine inculcatcd IN the Chinese classics i
that "A woman has three stages OF obedience.
First, TO her father; second, to her husband and
third. II her husband dies, TO her son when he
reaches manhood, The old proverb goes.
"Men wish their boys to be like wolves. and fenr
lest they should be timld their girls they wish
to be like mice, and fear lest they should have
the boldness OF the tiger" The laws estab-
lished 900 years aro arc In favor to-day, and
among them no rules are striCter than those
for keeping the women In bondage.
Chinese books Of In truction FOR Girls cunsist
chiefly of exhortatons to discharge their duties
a. daughters. wives, mothers and daughters
in-lnw. The "Girls' -Four Books 10 which two
famous Einpcrors wrote prefaces, describe how
the female mind and character must he trained
Nodp-ty, gentleneSs, Self-saCrince, wisdom. re-
spect for elders and a virtuous disposition must
b. n woman's equipment in life, There Is nc
pressing need for intellectual education. How.
ever, about one hundred In every ten thousand
women read, and that means read with under
standing the great books Of philosophy and
literature, the works Of China's sages and poets
Such cases are found among the aristocratlt
classes. ard men Of letters frequently teacf
their wives and daughters not only the art Of
reading. hut that OF writing, ard go 30 TAR as tC
publish their literary emissions.