Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-08-25

ner life is directed 10 that end They
| do not propose. therefore. 20 waste any
/ money or valuable time on educating
/ a girl who, when married. win be the
| property Of her husbands family.
| over anything that can be written
/ about Chinese women fall the sadden-
/ ing and frequently sickenlng shadows
/ If degradation and misery What can
be said of a country where wife beat
| ing is the rule ana where wolnea are
sold in open market? Wherever we
turn. either to Chinese home life. to
| Chinese business or to Chinese customs
Of marrying or buying for marriage. il
/ Is necessary TO use the same sad tone
III referring to these ppoor creatures.
Single life Is unknown unless the Chi
nese girl is physically unable 10 work
But in this case she does not live to a
marriageable age. Suicide is among the
most common facts Of Chinese native
life
There is no such thing as love or SEN
timent In low class or, generally. IN all
China. How can there be when the
marriage is settled upon during the
childhood of the parties by their par
ents? Sometimes, indeed, Chinese par
ents. to use stockbroking term, deal
in futures" and Chinese matches are
made before the births Of the contract
ing parties. and they result in mar
riages. OF course polygamy is the nat
ural resultant Is, If man can af-
ford two or more wives.
When Chinese girl approaches mar
riageable age, which is naturally.
much lower than with us. the friends
of the family begin to ask whether she
Is betrothed This is regarded as the
most natural question in the world and
is put in this form. rs she saidT' If
she is, all right; if not. her single con
dition is q standing reproach to her ia
ther and is remedied as soon as posi-
bic
A. Chinese bridegroom does not see
his bride after the betrothal until she
Is brought to his house. The length of
the intervening time depends entirely
upon the family of the bridegroom. AS
in every affair of life, high or low,
great or small, marriage is governed
by ironcIad customs and superstitions.
What these customs are it is impossi-
bic to state with any degree of accura
cy, for in the heterogeneous mass call
ed China customs vary every ten
miles," according to the Chinese say.
ing
While in the south of China the bride
is actually purchased by the parents of
the boy, in some other parts the case
is reversed, and what we know as a
dowry is paid. But in this also there
is no uniformity, and neighboring vii
lagos may, and frequently do, vary in
custom. In passing it may be well to
say word as to this diversity of Gus
toms. 1t is generally agreed that it
is due to the fact that China consisted
formerly of a number of kingdoms.
which have been united into the en-
pire, leaving the customs unchanged
and handed down from generation TO
generation. But even in this, as in all
things Chinese, there is discrepancy,
for customs vary between places in the
same district.
That "woman's work is never done"
is an axiom all over the world, but
nowhere true to greater degree than
in the Middle Kingdom. Women do
literally everything in the line of rough
labor: being inferior beings. fine work
is not 70 be intrusted to their hands.
Field work is so common as to seem
Their natural occupation, and IN the
cotton growing districts every step of
the process Of converting the raw cot
ton into cloth is carried on by female
Lands. They work side by side with
the men during every minute Qf the
day which can possibly be saatCned
from their household duties and ghey
Won. most of the T. ght.
Suicides are frequent among Chinese
v-ome- as a%ording the only escape
from tncis hard lot. Unmarried wom-