The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-18

HOngkOng. China, Dec 49, 19O5.-In
the first article on China reference was
made to some Of the characteristics of
the Chinese, but the subject was not
exhausted: in fact, it would require
several articles to exhaust this subject,
and attention can only be given to
those traits or customs which are in
most violent contrast with our own.
Chinese society is patriarchial in its
organization, the family being the unit
and the father the head of the family.
The Chinese sages present filial piety
and fraternal submission as the root OF
all benevolent action. The children
are subject to the parents as long as
the parents live, and the younger sons
are subject to the eldest The four
relations which are continually dis
cussed by the philosophers are: First,
the relation between the king and his
ministers; second, between the father
and his sons; third, between the eldest
brother and the younger brothers: and
fourth, between the individual and his
fellows, but the fourth relation re-
Ceives the least consideration.
Marriages are arranged by the par
ents, and the children must be content
with the selection made When the
wife is taken TO the home of the hus-
band, she becomes a member of his
family and subject to her mother-in-
law, If the husbands mother is still
alive. As other sons are married their
wives are brought in and they are ex-
pected to live peaceably together an
expectation which is not always fully
realized. AS law and custom permit
the system of concUbiaage, it is not
strange that the home is often the
scene of contention rather than the
center of felicity
As the duty of sacrificing TO ances-
tors falls upon the son, the advent of
a boy is the signal for rejoicing. while
the birth Of a girl is not considered j
good omen. So unpopular was the fe-
male baby that in some provinces many
of them were formerly put to death
but chiid-murdeT is now on the de-
crease.
No one can visit China without be-
coming acquainted with a peculiarly
Oriental phrase called losing face"
One of the first newspapers that I
picked up in China described the at
tempted suicide of a man who COM
planned that he had lost his face" be-
cause a magistrate refused to COM
mence a prosecution on his complaint
In China there is a constant effort to
keep up appearances, and when this is
no longer possible, the unfortunate one
feels that he cannot look any one else
in the face. Chinese life is saturated
with this face" doctrine; it DercOlates
through their disputes and OOzes out
IHTOuSn the pores OF InelT Q1DlOnlaCV-
Justice is of less Importance in the de-
Gliding of a controversy than the saw
ing of the parties from the loss of
face There are in each community
peace takers" who make a business
Of so adjusting disputes that neither
party will seem TO be in the wrong.
In dealing with China this national
character must be borne in mind, and
it is to be regretted that foreign ma
tiOns have in their negotiations some
times initiated China instead Of set
ting her a better example. One con-
stantly meets over here with the the
DRY that the foreigner must conform
to the methods of the Orient, but This is
always advanced as an excuse for fol-
lowing a bad custom. 1t is impossible
to convince China that our ideal is a
better one than hers unless that ideal
is embodied in action. When our COun-
try admitted that the indemnity col
lected from Japan after the ShimOno-
sheki affair was excessive, and re-
turned it. she made a deep impression
upon the Japanese. 1t was several
times referred to by speakers during
our recent visit to japan as an Uvi-
dence OF our cOuntry's desire to do JUS
tice to other nations. 1t is Just as hon
Orable for a nation to acknowledge an
error as it is for an individual to do so,
and our nation has an opportunity to
admit another excessive demand and
return to China part of the indemnity
collected at the close of the Boxer
trouble
No nation has ever given more en-
phasis to ceremony than does China.
Confucius places prOpriety among the
cardinal virtues, and the doctrine has
been elaborated until the whole life
is fetteTed by formality. Each rising
generation is drilled in the perform
ance of certain rites required by ap-
proved etiquette, and it would be hui
initiating for one to have to confess
that he did not know the proper thing
TO do and the proper way to do il.