CHINESE AND WHITE GIRLS.

Shannon News, 18 September 1923, Page 4

CHINESE AND WHITE GIRLS.

marriage difficulties.

The risks that attend ace of English women with Chinese are referred to by the Bishop p of <I pool in his Diocesan Gazette. Those who know the Chinese people, says, " have- great respect for then many excellent qualities. Their intelligence, industry, sobriety, courted, power of endurance, sense of gratituae and good nature makes us love them, having said this, I shall not be misunderstood if I urge English clergy m this country to use the utmost caution. and to make diligent inquiries before solemnising the marriage of Chinese men to English women. The latter in most cases do not realise how different are the social conditions in China. There the family not the individual, is the unit. Marriages are usually arranged by the heads of families —parents or grandparents—not by the bride and bridegroom themselves.

“ Chinese young men, except the very poorest, are married before they attain the age of twenty-one. A betrothal probably takes place years before that, and is very difficult to break off, though the contracting parties have never met. Even were a Chinese young man free when he left China, his parents may since then have affianced him to a Chinese girl, even without his knowledge. Monogamy, though in theory the rule, is by no means the universal practice in China. A rich man will have as many wives as he likes, and be none the less respected by his neighbours. The position of secondary wives is such as no self-respecting English woman can endure. Almost every Chinese man intends to return to China sooner or later. In South China I came across several European wives of Chinese men, who told me that they had lived happily enough with their husbands till they went to China; after that, in almost all cases, they acknowledged that they had made a mistake. I had frequently to get the assistance of benevolent friends to as

sist these unhappy wojrnen to return to England or the colonies. Upperclass Chinese parents are generally strongly opposed to their sons and daughters marrying those of another race. The prospective children of such marriages ought also to be considered. It is happily quite true that those of mixed parentage are in no 'way inferior mentally, physically, or spiritually to persons of pure European or Asiatic blood, but as things are at present they are in danger in many parts of the world of suffering disabilities owing to ignorant prejudices. The Christian Church and the progress of Western though are gradually counteracting these disabilities; but ignorant prejudice and cruel customs die very slowly, not least in the East. “Of course, if the bridegroom is an established and consistent Christian, some of these perils are greatly diminished. We do not forget • that in Christ Jesus we are all one, and the | clergy will doubtless in all cases ascertain that the man is a baptised Christian. But, even so, the bride and her I friends should their eyes open to I the peculiar difficulties that may await 1 her, and at least the need for special t prayer for the grace of God to meet trials to faith, from which those who i marry in their race are happily free.”