Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-03-15
4 DESCRIPTION OF CHINA
Rev. Cromer Gave an Interesting
Lecture on the
LIFE OF THE CHINESE WOMEN
His Forceful and Clear Delivery Delighted
Those Who Heard Hm-Some Of


formed Mission In China, who is in
this countrv undergoing treatment o.
the muscles Of the ewes lectnred il
Christ Reformed Chapel Friday.
Rev. Cromer poke more of the con
dition of the people of China thar
of the particular work of the church
| there He is forceiul speaker ano
| held the closest attention of the large
audience which gathered to hear him.
The lecture was on the condition OF
women in China. He spoke Of the in
ferior position in which women sare
held throughout Asia and going back
TO the time OF the aneiont Greeks and
Romans, totdshow woman has been
continually held down. The degrade
ion of women in Chlnt is no less
than in Africa aud other heathen
countries. Women III Oh ina are born
into the world unwanted. No family
wants girls. The old teaching of the
country is that the proportion of girls
to boys is Q to 8, and when that ratio
is passed III a family the girls suffer.
Infanticide IN the case of girls Is
largely .practiced in China and is the
fate Of unwanted girls in most cases.
The life of the chinese girl at best
is hard. There is no pIeasantness for
her. If she ESCAPES infanticide, an.
other way to get rid OF the girl is TO
sell her into slavery. The only adj
vantage in keeping the girl at all is
to make mon ey out of her. She is
considered unnecessary and an expense
aud if she can be sold into slavery
add small sum of money gotten for
her she mas repaid the parents for all
the trouble thew have had land the
expense of rearing her. II she es-
capes thess two things she is then
engaged at an early age to some fam
lily whose daughter she will become
by marrying one of the sons. When
she is married she is no longer the
daughter of her parents but becomes
the sole property oe the family into
which she is married and is the slave
OF her mother in la w. The wife OF
Chinaman is his abject slave, she sees
no one, hears no music, is not allowed
to make music nor have any pleasure
whatever.
Mr.. Cromer spoke of the custom
of binding the feet. winch process
occanies about two years and is pain
full in the extreme. The custom of
all Cinnamon Is to have the entire
family, which consists of father,
mother, all the sons and their wives,
for every son when he is married
takes his wife to the home of his
father and children. These fami lies
often consist of twenty-five or thir-
ty. At night the COW. tn q pigs,
chickens ducks. and pigeons, are
brought into the house which is then
tightly closed up and then the men
light their ipes and finally the whole
family is slumbering peacefully.
Filth, both physical and moral
abounds in China, as can be imagined
from the description of the home life.
There are no hsmes in China, says
Mr.. Cromer, for the Chinaman can
not associate affection and marriage.
Some consideration is shown the
small children by the mother but there
is no mother love.
The work of christianity there is
slow, as all christians have to undergo
persecution
| During the recent tronble in China
| 40, 900 christians were put TO death,
The speaker described some of the nun.
Ishments which thew were compelled
TO undergo in an effort to make them
denonnce Christ, He spoke very high
| lv of the chinese christians, and said
that Just as great martyrs persisted
there today as ever lived in the age
of MARTYRS. The chrlstianization OF
China is coming but it is slow and
the work is h,ndered but there was
not a word of COMPLAINT from the mis-
sionary. no poor pleading made that
missionaries were poorly .pald. Evi
IDENTIFY MIR. Cromer is working fol
the love of the work, and if he is per
united to re urn TO that heather land
will make his work felt.
1t was a great pleasure to those wht
listened TO him and he received MANY
kind words from those who ATTENDED
after the service.
Mr.. Cromer left for Winchester thi
morning where he will preach for hi
brother Rev. L. X. Cromer, in Cen
tenary Reformed church tomorrow.
How TO Care the Grip
Remain quietly at home and TAX