Norwich bulletin., 1915-08-23

sThe PeGin Gazette gives the follow
iAg interesting description Of family
NE in China. commenting that these
cAnditions are fast changing as q re-
sblt or the ABSORPTION OF foreign ideas
S'Tne Chinese family in ITS old-fash-
idned organism is a small kingdom
with the head OF the family as the king
AID ruler OF all under his roof. Ex-
cept for the law OF the country, his
words are law In certain cases the
Word of the family chief Is even great
es than the law of the country. The
absolute power of control and pun
iShment OF the father over his sons
and daughters, the latter before their
marriage, and the former even after
thsir marriage, is universal through
ont the land. A proverb says: If
az king wishes his subject to die. he
must die: il father wishes his SON
"a be destroyed he must be destroyed.
Such Is the severity of the family law.
Atypica1 case of this sort came under
TIE notice Of the writer some ten
years ago even in such a modern city
as Shanghai.
ss'A certain Ii family rad only one
son between two brothers, and natural
ly he was considered the pearl OF the
house. At the age of sixteen the boy
was sent to a mission school to study
and IN due course he decided to become
as Christian. This was strongly OPP
posed by the whole family, especially
the grandfather. But at first they
SMILED At the carefully advanced hint
by the boy, believing that he would
They were mistaken, for the boy not
long after announced that he had ap-
piled for baptism az the mission but
made it plain to MS parents that I'M
LEGS their consent was secured he could
not be baptised. This so aroused his
&hot him nm in q
small room and for fear that he would
escape, took every particle of decent
clothing from him and clother him in
old rags. Undaunted. the boy crept
through a window and Interviewed the
missionary, who Of course. counselled
turn home to be an 'obedient son. The
boy took the advice. but not until he
had secured a lot Of Christian liter
azure. which he would read and dis
tribute among his relatives at his
native place, to which his parents had
threatened to send him if he refused
tos give up his new faith. Finally the
boy was sent to his country home in
Ningpo to receive disciplinary lessons
to counterfeit the Christian doctrine.
The boy promised to write after his
arrival at his native place but no word
has come since. Although no>one will
ever know what sort Of lessons the
boy received at the hands of his family
elders, it could not have been easy;
for it was the custom of the Ningpo
elders even to bury people alive for
crimes unpun5shable by state law.
This of course was an exceptional
case but such exceptions were not by
any means rare.
"On the other hand 1t must not be
imagined that the sons and daughters
Of a family live under anything like
conditions Of slavery; for if the father
feels it his duty to look after every
detail Of his family affairs and sees
to it that every member of the house
obeys his words, the sons and daugh-
ters feel equally duty-bound to please
and obey his instructions without any
feeling Of discomfort or painful effort.
The plat principle of living between
father and son is, therefore, this: The
father should see to the needs of his
family, sons, daughters and all, direct
what they should do and how they
should act decide how they should be
trained and taught. whom to marry
or wed. what profession, If sons, to
adopt, see that they are obedient and
happy. and decide what to do in case
of disobedience or characterization.
For the son. as well as the daughter
it is a duty to be obedient and good
humored under all circumstances and