The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-02
THE CHARM OF CHINA.
What 1t Is That Makes American
Women Contentcd There.
Spectator" in the Outlool


What is the charm of China-that is. for
Europeans? Why is it that not infrequently
they prefer-have preferred would be bet
ter just now-living there TO living here at
home in civilized America? This question
has puzzled the Spectator, for he can call
to mind two cases of the preference in his
personal acquaintance which struck him a (
unusual One was that of the widow of
missionary who came home to educate her
family. After her children had grown up
she at sixty crossed the continent and the
Pacific to marry an aged missionary,
widower. Although some of her children
were in China, others were in this country:
and here she had congenial circle OF
friends, large opportunity for the kind of
activities she loved best-"doing good land
a sufficient income for her modest wants.
Undoubtedly she would honestly think, and
say, II asked, that her chief motive was de-
votion to missionary work, as assuredly it
was. But the Spectator suspects that the
charm of the life as she found it in China
was strong contributing influence.
The other case was quite different. II
was that of a young woman, the daugh-
ter OF wealthy parents, whose husband
was an official of the imperial customs
service under Sir Robert Hart. Her father,
while making her a prolonged visit some
four or five years ago, was struck even
then by the signs of hostility TO foreigners.
For example, the natives would spit at Eu-
ropeans, where they dared to, in the less
frequented parts of Tien-Tsin. He was so
much impressed by the danger of life in
China that he made his son-in-law fine
business offer to remove any financial OBJ
jections to returning to America. The SON.
in-laws consent was easily obtained, but
the daughter yielded only out of regard for
her father. Life in China seemed then to
her far more attractive than life in Amer
lea.
Her preference appeared to the Spec
tator inexplicable until he laid the case
before a friend, a woman. She largely
cleared UP the mystery in sentence.
They don't have any Housekeeping prob
lem in China, do they?" she asked. Later
China with his friend, the son-in-law. and
found that the perfection OF the Chinese
domestic service goes far toward making
life there very comfortable" for Euro
peans.
"You see' the Spectators friend contin-
ued, giving dinner in China means sin,-
ply telling your niajor-domo that you want
to give one. You don't have &c bother
about 1t further. So dinner-giving. formal
and informal is a feature of the life. The
treaty ports-is at your disposal, and what
in America might be called high living is
commonplace. The foreign residents,
leading of course an isolated life, draw
close together as community. and form
charming social circle. They are. as a rule.
true cosmopolites, well educated, we'll bred,
representing ali nationalities (twenty are
represented in the Shanghai coloEy), cut
tured by travel careful of etiquette, fond
of sport, in short, people of the world, de-
lghtful to meet in their variety, all more
or less on an equality. without the very
rich to arouse envy or the very poor 10
excite pity. Then there is no pressure, no
hustle such as We have here. All bust
ness stops at o'clock in the afternoon.
and from then until O'Clock, the dinner
hour you have your choice of your favor
lite sport or diversion--riding, driving, boat
ing, tennis and cricket.