The sun., 1916-10-29
An I%rishwoman in China.

An Irishwoman in China.
II was In 1888 that Mrs. DE- BuRGH
DAILY began the experiences and OBJ
servations In the Celestial Kingdom
which she reports in An Irtshpomdn
In china (Stokes), a simple record of
the life Of ordinary European residents
in China She went to Ningpo. In the
Chekiang Province, mid-China, where
she was to take charge OF q small
hospital for Chinese women. which had
been started by Mrs. Hoare. wife Of the
principal OF Ningpo College. who be-
came. later. Bishop Of Hongkong.
In her rooms at the college Mrs. Daily
had a photograph OF one OF her broth
ers In uniform. One day when Mrs.
Hoare brought some Chinese ladies to
visit the newcomer. noticing the photo
graph, they asked what the dress
meant. II vas explained that Mrs.
Days brother was a soldier. what"
exclaimed the ladies'; lis. then. this
lady's family not a respectable n ?"
Explanations that the gentleman was
a military mandarin" and that In his
country the profession Of the soldier
is held in honor were of little use: the
lrishwoman lost caste in the view of
her visitors. among whose countrymen
soldiers were placed In the social scale
with chair coolies and Buddhist priests.
The Chinese soldiers OF that time were
the poor devils who opposed with bam-
boo pixies the advance OF the quite
modernly equipped japanese in "a.
Interesting notes turn up in this
text in somewhat illogical order. Next
we come upon some mention Of the ex-
%periences OF European doctors IN
China. The native doctors had no
knowledge OF surgery. The removal
Of a cataract filed them with admira-
ton and delight: "Hai-Yah! These
yiang-kne-tze. foreign devils. do know
a thing or two" incidentally, 1.-THE
use Of this epithet Is not so offensive
as II appears. They often use II with
out any very strong feeling. although.
Of course, ii is not complimentary. and
the Chinese also call all foreigners red
haired or refer to them as 'kidnap-
pers,' the former expression meaning
merely foreign as they will speak
OF n red haired chair. The latter is
used as We use 'bogy man."
Prof. Giles tells. in China and the
Chinese" OF undertaking a case which
beyond his powers. and the rela-
tives OF his patient were indignant,
having paid him well without a visible
return for their expenditure. They
ook the doctor and tied him up to
await punishment. He worked loose
In the night and got away by SWIM
ming across a river. Finding his son
engaged In the study Of medicine, he
gave him this advice: do not be In a
hurry with your books: the first and
most important thing for a doctor in
China Is to learn to swim"
The natives OF mid-China are de-
scribed as Industrious. excellent work.
ers In wood and stone, good farmers,
peaceable and law abiding. II is easy
enough to believe that most OF the
trouble foreigners have had among
them has been the result OF tactless-
ness or deliberately ~overbearing con-
duct by aliens among them. The
Westerner makes himself so much at
home wherever he goes that ne Is
likely to regard the natives as intrud-
ers. Mrs. DAILY compares the taste In
art of plain people in China and in
Japan. A friend who has shown Lam
tern slides In both countries has no
ticed that the Japanese will appreci-
ate "A lovely landscape or sunset, while
a Chinese audience will become en-
thusiastic owe a picture of a fine horse
or COW or a massive building. Their
FIRST question would be. How much
did IL COST"
Walking m fine afternoon with her
friend along the banks OF the river
Yung and lingering to admire the
sunset lighting the water and the old
wall Of the city. Mrs. DAILY noticed that
Chinese gentleman paused near
them. HE will want 10 know what
we are looking at" said Mrs. Hoare,
and he did, most politely. ask Just that
question. son u pointing out the
glory Of the sky he smiled indulgently
and passed on. probably thinking that
we did not wish TO tell him what really
fixed our attention, so made this
reply"
or course the author devotes SOM
pages To the life Of the Chinese women.
She quotes another story told by Prof.
Giles: Ten h%enpccked husbands met
to devise n way to triumph over their
wives. Suddenly the wives,
OF what vas going on, tod
died into the room where the con-
spirators We're met, Nine Of the hus-
bands ned in terror. The tenth sat
tight. The ladies smiled and retired.
Later the nine husbands returned to
congratulate the other on his courage
and ask him to lead them to victory.
He did not answer. lie was dead Of
fright! Chinese women, we are told,
are mo dolls" hut have Character"
and are intelligent and capable. They
are smart" In business, and the shop
Keepers wife holds the cash box. Even
IN" mandarin commits his most pre-
cious possession, his seal OF office, to
the care of his T'ai-Tai."
Mrs. DAILY had q cook who was =
SrsAsursr But one DAY, aySHnS hopA