Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-21
HENPECKED CHINAMEN
INFLUENCE OF WIVES IN THE
FLowERY KINGDOM.
References to Abused Husbands IN
Chinese Observation-Disclosures
of Females.


From the New York Tribune
Chinese humorous literature abounds
with references TO henpecked husbands"
said Prof Herbert Allen Giles OF the Uni
versity of Cambridge, in the closing lecture
Of his course at Columbia
Then he went on to tell a sample story
culled from this branch of Chinese litera-
ture.
Ten henpecked husbands resolved To
form a society 10 resist the impositions Of
their wives" he said. The ten wives heard
Of the plan, and while the meeting for or
ganization was I'm progress entered in a
body. Nine of the rebelHous husbands In
continently bolted, but the tenth one re-
tanned his place, quite unmoved by the
frightful apparition. The ten ladies, merely
smiling contemptuously on the one man left
behind returned TO their homes. satisfied
with the success OF their raid. The nine
husbands thereupon returned and resolved
to make the heroic tenth the president Of
the society. When they went, however,
to inform him OF the honor ii was found
that he had died OF fright.
Privileges of Women.
Women have a few privileges that men
have not" continued Prof. Giles. They
are exempt from the bamboo punishment;
no woman can be bambooed. And woman
is a source of anxiety and misgiving To
magistrate and counsel in any case I'm which
she may be a party. for Ro Chinaman Will
enter into argument with woman-not
from any feeling Of chivalry at all, bust
from q rooted conviction that he VIII get
the worst of it
Prof Giles continued TO reveal masculine
secrets by describing something which he
said really took place at dinner at which
a number of high-class natives and import
ont A
addressing himself to the latter. inquired;
DO you fear the inner ones?
Upon inquiry he explained that he meant
their wives and added, with unconscious
pathos, that many Cinnamon stood IN con-
slant fear of their wives.
Now, for example, he does said tho
host naivey. pointing at a solemn and ro-
tuud magistrate who had impressed every
one as filled with sense Of his own i'm
portance.
At this all the Europeans present burst
into uncomfortable laughter, which rather
surprised the Cinnamon. who had been seek
ing 10 acquire information on what they
thought were very serious matters.
About Infanticide.
Prof. Giles attacked good many hoary
traditions which have wrapped Chinese wo-
men in a cloud Of gloom. He declared that
while infanticide did exist it was no moro
prevalent than in England and some other
l
of the CHASTITY tablets on Chinese river
banks announcing TO the public that FEE
male children must not be drowned here
he explained in the following way: All
rich Cinnamon are expected to do some
thing for the elevation of the people, either
in the way of charity, education or the
like If they do not, society looks at them
askance. Some of them have printed and
circulated great numbers of tracts, warn
ing the people against immoral practices
y,rAf,a ting nd afh iG a
class who have erected these tablets on the
river banks and lake shores, without the
least regard as to whether any girl baby
ever has been drowned there or not.
Baby Towers.
As to the baby towers" of which Miss
Gordon-C Cumming gives such a horrible de-
scription in her book, he declared they were
for the benefit of parents too poor to buy
graves for their children. He quoted Mrs.
Isabella Bird Bishops statement that
eleven Bible women had confessed to her
that they had destroyed not less than five
girl infants each. He was not at all sur
prised at this, he said. 1t would be Just
like them to say so, although he did not be-
lieve a word of II. The Chinese seemed to
think that the only way to excite the re-
spect OF foreigners was by eXaggeration.
IF girl children are destroyed" Prof.
Giles continued, there must be an an alto
gether disproportionate number of female
infants born in China. Every Chinaman
has a sacred duty to perform when he
reaches the age OF eighteenth marry.
Every adult Chinaman has a wife. Some
of the Weather mandarins have several.
The emperor has seventy-two. Il would
seem that this would absorb fairly pro-
portionate number Of women"
Girls Taught to Read.
All Chinese girls Of good family, he said.
were taught to read, and there was n great
quantity Of educational literature for girls.
A mass of poetry existed. written by wo-
men, and one of the dynastic histories was
written by a woman. Women went out I'M
yelled, wells having been abolished in the
seventh century. In that century, also. wo-
men were admitted to official life In China,
and some Of them rose to the highest posi-
tons. But by the close Of the eighth CEN
fury men had vigorously excluded them
from public life. Women took no part in
social life, excepting in company of their
own sex. They knew no men excepting
those of their own family. Boys and girls
were separated at the age of seven. when
the boys went to school. A Chinaman never
referred to his wife. 1t was not good form
even to ask after her health. Her exist
ence was ignored. although the Chinese
father often spoke of his children.
Footbinding, he confessed. was a ''horrl-
bic custom" The READ obstacle to It's abol-
was the rigid rule OF fashion which
makes IT so difficult to marry a girl with
unbound feet. The Natural Foot Society,""
of both foreigners ard liberal
natives. though including many influential
people, had been unable to make much i'm
preston on the national custom. A Tartar
emperor. back In the early centuries is
sued decree against footbinding. But he
was Obliged to rescind 1t. Although the Tar
tars could conquer the country, they could
not conquer this custom. Within a few
months. he said. another decree to the same
effect had been issued.