The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-03-12

Comparative View of Oriental
and American Ideas on the
Subject as Prominent Chi
naman Sees it-Americans
are Wise and Prudent, Intel
lectual and Progressive in all
Things but Marriage, He
Says.
At Berkley, Cal, recently in criti-
clsm OF the American view Of mar
riage, Ng Poon Chew, editor of "a
prominent Chinese paper, statesman,
philosopher and humorist. warmly
attacked the Western ideal of love
as "the greatest thing in the world. :"
and stated that it was, perhaps, the
thing OF the least Importance where
marriage WAS concerned. The speech
was delivered before the Hillside
Club of North Berkley and the fash
iOuable, exclusive members of the
club. astOnished at the suddenness
and force OF the attack, sat and lis
tened with wide-open eyes while the
American marriage customs were ar
raigned before the bar of cold Ori-
entail reasoning.
The Chinese celebrity had been
asked to speak but few days be-
fore the meeting, and chose for his
subject, "The Chinese View of Mttri-
mony." Ng Poon Chew is apparent
ly an Ameriranizef Chinese by his
dress, his correct and fluent Use of
English and the shortcut hair. He
said, in part:
''As we understand it, love is an
hallucination. Il delusion, an-intoxi-
cation, a marriage in the desert of
passion, a perverted product of de-
luded brain, Il disease and a most
deadly contagious one, kind of de-
mentih Americana. 1t is symp-
tom of a disordered brain, as night
mare is Il symptom of "a disorderpd
stomach.
I'VE Oripntals have no use for
love, emotion or any such affairs.
We are not sicklv sentimental crea-
lures. but cold, philosophic, fatalis-
tie beings, We do not know. we do
not realize, any love, strict or free
Love is not the greatest thing in the
world, and we matter of-fact Orien-
tails care nothing for it.
owe admire the American people
their intellectual attainments,
"eir material progress; yet we can
not but marvel at you, wise as you
Seem to be, permitting yourselves to
be led and guided by the mischiev-
Gus, brainless kid you call Cupid in
the most serious affair of life. In
China marriage is regarded as the
means, while in this country it is the
end. 1t sometimes ends in surpris-
ingly short time. Since marriage is
| the means for conservation of the
human race, it follows that it is not
for the convenience of the man and
woman concerned. Individual con-
Germs, pleasure, convenience, and
happiness are mere incidentals, and
not the sum total of the purpose
OF marriage. The parties assuming
the marriage state are merely per-
forming the necessary functions ol
life. Once assuming it, it is final. and
there is no way getting out of it but
death.
''To the Oriental, marriage is alb.
sOlute, and not a trial We marry
because We must. You marry be-
cause you will; we marry because We
hold it an obligation to our ances
tors and a duty to posterity; you
marry because you fancy that you
have found your affinity.
''In these matrimonial affairs yor
Americans go at it blindly. In al
other things, even the most inconse
qnential ones, you follow reason; but
in the most important of all life's af
fairs-marriage-you follow the blinC
impulse of the reason-defying emo
ton or passion. You throw delib
Grafton, logical conclusions, reason
ing-all the products of the maturet
brain-to the winds, and rushing
along under the influence and stimu
lation OF one OF the by-products 0
passion, which for a better name yol
call love, you come to grief on th'
shoals of matrimony. To the Ori
entail minds such course leads only
to disaster.
In a Chinese marriage absolute
impartialty is extended to all par
ties concerned. Either party cal
take the initiative in negotiating {
marriage, while in America a squar,
deal is denied the girl Th,
young man has the only initiative
chance. Your method is unequal, par
tial and unjust, for you deny th'
woman privileges that are her right
In our marriage ceremony we ar
also far ahead Of you, for we do no
eIioin the woman to obey husband
neither do we ask her to love him
for to a civilized being one is just a
irksome as the other