Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1915-09-05
CHINESE FAMILY IS
CHANGED FROM OLDEN
CUSTOMS VERY FAST
Picking Gazette Tells Of Rapid
Transition Of New China From
Ways of People Under Man.
Chus; Family Rites City.

N@fhifI AhhNNN
PICKING, Sept. 4.-The Pekiug
Gazette gives the following interest.
ing description of family life in China,
commenting that these conditions are
fast changing as result of the alb
Scorpion of faitign ideas.
"The Chinese family in its old fash
toned organism is a small kingdom
with the head of the family as the
king and ruler of all under his roof.
Except for the law of the country, his
words are law. In certain cases the
word of the family chief is even
greater than the low of the country.
The absolute power of control and
punishment Of the father over his
sons and daughters, the latter before
their marriage, and the former even
after their marriage, Is universal
throughout the land proberb says:
IF a king wishes his subject to die.
he must die if a father wishes his
son to 20 destroyed he must be de-
stroyeF. Such is the severity of the
family law. A typical case of this
sort came under the notice of the
writer some ten years ago even in
such a modern city as Shanghai.
"A certain Ii family had only one
son between two brothers, and natur-
ally 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 a Christian THIS was strong.
ly opposed by the whole family, es-
pecially the grandfather But at first
they smiled at the carefully advanced
hint by the boy, believing that he
would never dare to make such
change They were mistaken, for the
boy not long after announced that he
had applied for baptism at the mis-
sion but made it plain to his parents
that unless their consent was secured
he could not be baptised This so
aroused his parents that they shut
him up in a small room and for fear
that he would escape took every
particle of decent clothing from him
and clothed him in old rags. Undaunt.
ed, the boy crept through a window
and interviewed the missionary, who,
of course, counselled him to be patti
ent and told him to return home to
be an 'obedient SON. The boy took
the advice. but not until he had Sc.
2 cured lot of Christian literature,
which he said he would read and dis.
tribute among his relatives at his
naive place. tc which his parents had
3 threatened to send him if he refused
8 to give up his new faith. Finally the
bay was sent to his country home in
8 Ningpo to receive disciplinary lessons
8 to counterfeit the Christion doctrine.
2 The boy promised to write after his
s arrival at his native place but no
word has come since. Although no
4 one will ever know what sort of les
2 sons the boy received at the hands
of his family-elders, it could not have
4 been easy; for it was the custom of
4 the Ningpo elders even to bury people
4 alive for crimes unpunishable by state
8 law. This of course was an excep-
8 tional case but such exceptions we're
2 not by any means rare.
"On the other hand il must not be-
4 imagined that the sons and daughters
Of a family live under anything like
? conditions of slavery; for if the father
4 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
4 and obey his instructions without any
a feeling of discomfort or painful effort.
4 "The plain principle of living be.
2 tween father and son is, therefore,
? this. The father should see to the
A needs of his family. sons, daughters
4 and all, direct what they should do
2 and how they should act, decide how
2 they should be trained and taught,
4 whom to marry or wed, what pro.
fession, is sons, to adopt, see that they
2 are obedient and happy, and decide
2 what to do in case of disobedience OF
INSTRUMENTATION. For the son, as well
as the daughter it is a duty to be
2 obedient and good-humored under all
circumstances and do what he or she
8 can 20 make the parents as well as
A the whole family happy the son is
2 not 10 decide anything without the
previous consent of his father or 9th.
er elderly member OF the household,
2 and, as CONTIGUOUS has said it not
to go too far away from home while
2 his father is still living; and if he
4 does to give the name of the locality
2 to which he journeys The sacrifice
4 of self is absolutely necessary for a
dutiful son. CONTIGUOUS says, while
A the father is living, look at his am.
3 btion when his father is dead, look
at his deeds. As to the duty OF a
son after his fathers death, the sage
says, "A man may be called flial II
2 he does not depart from the principle
6 his father has laid down for three
A years (after the death OF the latter
a "The principles summarized above
2 can be as typical of a truly Chinese
A home although in middle and lower
social life it is modified to some ok.
a. tent The modification however, is
k due more to peculiar conditions of
e. life than to lack Of principle; for it
] q