The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-08-15
OUR CHINESE WOMEN


Lady wu. is the best known Oriental
| woman I'm this country. She rs. for "A
| Chinese woman. very liberia. and pro-
| gressive I'm her ideas. She was a Cam
| tonese of high birth. and her feet are
three inches long. She is much younger
than her husband. whose black cue Is
beginning TO be heavily streaked with
gray.
Once week she is at home 20 her
friends at the Chinese legation. where.
with her family, she occupies the upper
foor OF the house. She makes calls In
closed carriage. but does not attend
receptions or dinners. To be seen In
company with her husband would be
contrary to Chinese etiquette, for, In pub
lie, custom requires Chinese gentleman
TO be as oblivious to the existence OF his
consort as though she had never existed
The eldest son of the Wu Fangs, who
Is about twelve years 6ld. attends an
American school where he is rapidly
learning all English accomplishments.
His mother is, for a woman of her
land. very well educated, but as Chinese
do not believe I'm training a woman I'm
anything but household duties. IL is very
doubtful IL the Lady Wu can do more
than read and write little Chinese.
Several of the Chinese consuls In
America are accompanied by their wives.
AS Cinnamon have. as rule. several
spouses, II is not probable that any OF
these are the first or legal wives, whom
IL Is not customary TO take away from
China. When a man leaves home. II
is one OF his secondary wives that Of
tenest accompanies him.
In the Chinatowns of San Francisco,
New York and Chicago are number
of real wives of wealthy Chinese mer-
chants. These ladies are seldom seen
away from home. although they do go
calling upon one another just like Ameri-
can women. When they venture from
home. their faces are yelled. and they
are hurried into waiting carriages to es-
cape the curious eyes OF passers-by. 1t
Is regarded as a disgrace for Chinese
woman to be gazed upon by any man
but her husband.
These merchants wives have entire
charge OF the homes of their husbands.
looking after the household and servants
as keenly as do any American women.
In San Francisco the servants IN Chinese
households are, as a rule. slaves brought
TO work in the family until they are Is
to is years old and then sold at a profit
TO Cinnamon for wives. The slaves are
often treated very badly, according TO
American standards. but they are never
known TO dare to complain to the au-
thorities no matter how badly they are
treated. Now and then one falls into the
hands of the missionaries, and fearful
OF Chinese masters and mistresses. Every
effort Is made by the Celestials to recov-
er their property. and in some cases they
are successful, but the feeling is too
strong against the conditions I'm the for
eign quarter to make IL safe for the fu-
ture i'm politics of any Judge to return an
escaped slave to life of misery.
In New York many Cinnamon are mar
ried to white wives. These are nearly all
of them foolish young girls of the most
ignorant and illiterate class with tene-
ment house surroundings. They are daz-
zled by the Chinaman's promises of lives
of ease. The majority OF them. too, have
learned to smoke opium. and as wives of
Cinnamon they know they can the more
easily obtain opium to satisfy their crav-
ing. The love OF opium Is the secret of
the harmony that appears 10 exist
in such ill-mated households, although
the Cinnamon are as rule kind enough
to their American wives