The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-02
WOMEN OF FAR CATHAY.
Chicago Times Herald)

NCmcago Times Herald.)
IN every war between civilized nations
or factions the women of the countries
involved take an intelligent part either
aS nurses for the wounded considers for
me cue dylng, or in active service as man
of - -,S . Vi various schemes to keen the nor
VI peace boiling while the b11Shso5 - -
Iathers are engaged in deadiV ii con1 IIlt
VIII Ihe enemy. To women in ci,,iiized
1lleies IL Is given to maintain the intaor'
of Whine ~ me haCon at home. Matilda, wife
| .! w lIilam the COnOuerOr buiIt y 49,
! IlIIcent cathedral while her husband rs
9"d$ IN the wars, and witn bar 80
M.dIuS embroidered the victories Of III
c cent? On a roll of tapestry which, eight
ottH1IteS later, is exhibited in a muse71m
a. DayeauX, in France
siam N-lLIdih went out with her maidens
IIIhsihg and dancing, TO welcome her
orI'-n ~ VICTORIOUS from his wars. 1t Is
SIAiy tne savage whose women assist u,
pIoodshed ana do no notable deed If
mercy or enterprise. And the rea son is nor
LILO AR 10 Ilnq The savage woman is subor-
bat-, tISr instincts, her training have
G.. on tle lines of aggressive cruelty
1 onS mas been taught that mercy is cow
a. uICe, she does not spare her own shall
S sL . shen nave pity on the intruding stran-
Ibo 49, ~ .Hese are the women OF China
~ htoW or y the lessons taught them
10! centuries that everyone not of their
able. anu iiiipidc-
mere are two events which gladden. the
Somoer, restricted life of the C..inese
WoIndn-one her marriage at an early age
lle other the birth of a SON No greater
EtIi99tllcIlGn awaits the Chinese woman in
! inns world than to give birth to a SON
IN the next she is OF little consequence
as she IS not supposed to possess a soul
ileT Iot mere is not an enviable one for
II she Is OF nigh caste she is secluded in
her husbands home: she cannot wat on
her mutllated feet and if she does nOt
! Dear her husband many sons She is re-
6afued as "a piece of useless furniture and
must content herself with gorgeous robes
( and an elaborate head dress. A Chinaman
/ desires offspring for the selfish reason
mat MS bones may be worshiped-if he is
| not a parent he cannot be an ancestor
| Whlch would be calamity in a country
| where the riligion consists mainly i'm slf-
| ung, on a tomb and reciting the virtues
OF the dead.
Girls in China are accounted as house
hold shadows and household sorrows Z"
Formerly they were drowned like blind
kittens at birth. but the missionaries are
responsible for the doubtful good of pre-
serving their lives in later wears The
| ChrlSuanlzed Chinaman does not object
, 10 a daughter, although his acceptance of
! the disappointment is in the nature of a
penance. The first high caste Chinese
girl born in Washington was that Of the
chinese minister who was stationed there
during President Garfields administra-
| ton. The Chinese like women doctors.
and the Official engaged the services of
DIR. Susan F. Edison. who introduced 10
america the first high caste Chinese baby
| born within its limits. The anxious min
lister. dressed in his robes of office await
ed news of the event in his private suite
In the legation palace. and. as DR. Edison
| approached. met her half way He scan
ned her face a moment anXiously. and
then held this laconic dialogue with him
self:
Boy? No. Girl? Yes"
Native Cinnamon look down on their
wives and in every way they can show
their contempt for them, believing that a
man should do this in order to maintain
ms own supremacy. Some Of their pOpu-
lar sayings convey this idea.
"A man should listen TO his wife but
/ he must not believe her"
"A woman's mind is quicksilver; her
heart is wax"
Men, when they meet. listen TO each
/ other. Girls. when they come together
/ look at each other
! Women look down to be looked at"
/ The Ove-makinS in China is of the most
intricate ana matter-Of-faCt kind The
] contracting parties are betrothed in their
/ childhood, often in their infancy. and
| sometimes before either is born.
! a rich merchant says TO his friend when
4 both are married.
/ You have a daughter I have a son-we
/ will then marry them. or if ] have the
misfortune TO have a daughter. she shall
] Il
/ The betrothal OF two imaginary children
/ follows with great ceremony. and. as the
| benediCtion is usually verified. tho child
rem are brought up for each other, and
! their second betrOthal is made another
/ occasion of great feaSting. and an aStrol-
! oyer is consulted TO read the horoscope of
/ the pair and set the marriage day. One of
/ the strictly forbidden rites is marriage TO
| a foreigner.
g - @
/ The dying request of Chinese wife TO
her lord often takes this form:
/ when l am buried you must come Of
/ ten to my grave and burn incense, and
/ you must not harm any white butterfly
/ or lizard for | may prefer to come back
/ TO you in those shapes when ! am tired
/ OF lying in my grave.
II would seem as II all the superstitiOns
of the rest of the world had been banished
/ to China, whose kingdom they hold for
I their own. A Chinaman is afraid 10 look
/ over his shoulder. for he knows he will
/ see a ghost-tAat he never did see one has
no weight with him. If he sneezes his
/ wife is thinking of him, and he feels that
/ all is right at home, but If his neighbOT
! sneezes and he does not he believes him
/ self neglected and becomes NOR
/ bidly Jealous Quite like other
women, the Chinese wife has her
vises her husband to wear wet handker-
J chief in his hat OF keep his Shaven poll
I from sunstroke. When the towel cools he
naturally sneeZes. and when he goes home
/ commends his wife for thinking of him
| during his absence
/ There is little doubt that rather than see
/ their women fall into the civiliZing powes
/ of foreign nations, the Chinese would not
hesitate to stay them with the sword
And in view of future similar to the
past of Chinese women, such fate need
not be deplored: il would be one of the
| tragedies where Slaughter is Gods