Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-07-05
SLAVES CHEAP I'M CHINA.
Millions of Herman Beings Hello In
bondage There.


bondage There.
There are ut a low estimate 10. 1000
Ooo human beings who are In servitude
In the Celestial Kingdom. China has
SoOOOOo0 families. and this makes one
slave to every eight families. The av-
erage Is greater i'm south China, where
nearly every one owns slaves. There
Is scarcely Chinese family OF means
In Nsnkin, Canton, Macao or Annoy
but possesses. one or more slave girls.
Slave boys. are less common. but the
girls are found I'm every street and in
almost every house.
Girls fetch from $40 to 500 and up
ward In south China. They are sold at
any age from 3 to 10 and most COM
monty at 4 or s. The prettiest girls are
the most desirable, as in case OF mar
riage or sale they will bring more TO
the family which buys them. Most of
the slave girls are bought to work
about the house. 1t is cheaper to buy
servant than to hire one. for IL you
take girl of s you can have her serv-
ices until she is 10, getting seven years
or work for nothing but her board and
clothes. and then sell her for perhaps
ten times your original price.
Theoretically there are no slaves in
Hongkong. as 1t Is British territory.
but In reality the city is full, of them.
They are the maidservants and nurses
OF the Chinese. Every small footed
lady needs slaves to help her about.
and in the houses of the rich. where
there are many daughters, 1t is not I'M
common to find from 20 to so slaves in
a single family.
Female slaves are often presents
from one man to another, and not in
frequently they form part of the
brida, outfit. They are commonly
bought as secondary wives and often
as teachers
There are localities In China where
the girls are noted for their beauty.
The cities of Yang-Chau and Su-Chau
are as famous for rearing handsome
girls as Is Georgia, In the Caucasus
where rich Turks so often obtain their
wives. There are persons In these cit
les who make q business of raising
slave girls.
They search the country about for
promising young girls and put them
through regular course of training.
They have farms where the slaves are
taught to sing, play upon musical in
struments and to acquire other accom-
pishments which, added TO beauty,
viii cause them to sell for high prices
10 rich mandarlns. These girls are
chiefly the daughters of poor people or
the daughters Of slaves.
1t is common for man to purchase
bis wife. Indeed. there are more wives
acquired in this way than in any other.
Every man in China has n right TO as
many wives as he can maintain, and n
secondary wife Is cheaper than a hired
servant. The first wife Is the legal
one. but the others have their rights.
although they are practically slaves.
The man who is addicted to the opi-
tm habit will sell his children and not
infrequently hts wife TO SUPPLY his ap-
petite. Wives are sometimes sold by
gambling husbands, being put on the
turn OF card or the rake out OF the
cash at fanfan.
There arc slave brokers In all the
large Chinese cities. Their business in
creases In times of famine. and the
starvation which lately prevailed In
north China caused many parents to
sell their children. With some II was
question OF allowing them to starve
or selling Them. The result is that girl
babies are n drug in the market.
Think of buying baby for shil-
lingi This is the price which one of
the infant nSylums of SHANGHAI &c cold
TO pay for them. This is philanthrop-
ic institution, and the children are
bought as a matter OF charity and re-
ligion. They are reared surrounded by
Christian Influences. are taught all
sorts OF domestic duties, and when they
arrive at the proper age are given re-
spectacle husbands.
The brokers. as rule, do not buy
babies. The cost of rearing them and
the risk Of death are too great. They
prefer 10 have girls or boys OF years
and upward.-London Express.