The National tribune., 1900-08-23
THE WOMEN OF CHINA.
Some Instances of Their Devotion to Hus-
bands or Relatives.
Nom YorE Svn


Woman's influence in China is greater
than is commonly supposed. Records of
the Flowery Kingdom are full of exam
pies of women famous for their learning,
heroism and high principles. Sometimes
women achieve absolute power over the
household, for there is Il popular saying,
"She eats rice with her husband" which
is usel to describe the rule Of the female
tyrant. The most astonishing instance of
feminine power today is, of course the
career of the Empress DOwager. As an
instance of the Empress Dowager's
power, it may be recalled that she depoSed
her strongest viZicr, Prince Kung, in 1889,
by a mere decree in the Pekin Gazette
because "he overrated his Importance :"
In common with all other nations, the
women of China represent the most fer
vent religious element. They are said to
support enthusiastically the Boxer move
ment and to be fighting with passion to
help rid the country of the missionaries
That the women of China do not lack
courage is proved by the fact that they
sometimes seek suicide as relief from un-
happy marriages and uncongenial hus-
bands would frequently be murdered were
1t not for special punishments, "ignomini-
GUS and Slow" devised for the women who
attempt homicide. The mere existence of
this law provides the necessity for it.
Again, not long ago 10 young girls of Can
ton threw themselves into the river to
escape from marrying the husbands
chosen for them.
Two other recent examples prove the
devotion of the Chinese women of high
degree. A daughter of the Chinese Minis
ter to London, KwO-Sung-Taon, was mar
ried at the age of II. When her husband
died she tried to commit suicide out of
grief, and would eat nothing but gold leaf,
seeking thereby to induce death. 1t failed
N hnr hn
death. Her sister-in-law, Mrs. Kwo, a
sister of the Marquis Tscng, tried also
to follow her husband to the land of spir-
Its, but failing in her attempt at suicide
she finally took compassion on her chill
dren, agreed to live and managed her
father-in-law's property while he was in
London. Ii Hung Chang penned a me-
moral to the dragon throne, requesting
that these two women should receive a
sign of Imperial approval.
Notwithstanding the degraded condition
of women of the lower classes, the fem
mime ideal is high in China, and the an
mails of the past show a long series of vir-
tuous and heroic women who have made
an indelible impression upon the national
mind. The mother of the great sage, Con-
fucius, is held as a model. The next
philosopher of Importance, Mencius, was
also indebted to his mother for the forma-
ton of his character and mind, as well
as his philosophy.
Woman's lot in China is, however, not
an enviable one. She is not received into
the world with joy, and gets very little
At II she is banished from all
companionship to become 1.-The young girl
who sits in the house." until her marriage
when she weds some one she has never
seen. Then she must obey her husband
and her mOther-in-law; she may not come
into contact with men or the outside
world; and, as a rule, she cannot read
She may, however, receive ladies and re-
turn their calls. The patriarchal system
is so universal that the father is a des-
pOtic ruler over his family, and mar
ried woman becomes so entirely part of
her husbands family that she has to
yield her obedience to her husbands pa
rents, who frequently treat her more as
n slave than daughter-in-law. The doe
trine inculcated in the Chinese classics
is that a woman has three stages of obe-
dience. First, to her father; second, to
her husband, and third, if her husband
dies, to her son when he reaches man
hood. The old proverb goes: MEN wish
their boys to be like wolves, and fear
lest they should be timid; their girls they
wish to be like mice, and fear lest they
should have the bOldness of the tiger"
The laws established 2,30O years ago are
in favor today, and among them no rules
are stricter than those for keeping the
women in bondage.