The separation of the sexes has many bad results, only partially compensated by some conservative ones. Woman owes her present elevation at the west to Christianity, not only in the degree of respect, support, freedom from servile labor, and education, she receives, but also in the reflex influences she exerts of a purifying, harmonizing, and elevating character. Where the requirements of the gospel are unacknowledged, her rights are more or less disregarded, and if she become as debased as the men, she can exert little good influence even upon her own family, and still less upon the community. General mixed society can never be maintained with pleasure unless the better parts of human nature have the acknowledged preeminence, and where she, who imparts to it all its gracefulness and purity, is herself uneducated, unpolished, and immodest, the common sense of mankind sees its impropriety. By advocating the separation of the sexes, legislators and moralists in China have acted as they best could in the circumstances of the case, and by preventing the evils beyond their remedy, provided the best safeguards they could against general corruption. In her own domestic circle, a Chinese female, in the character and duties of daughter, wife, or mother, finds as much employment, and probably as many enjoyments, as the nature of her training has fitted her for. She does not hold her proper place in society, chiefly because she has never been taught its duties or exercised its privileges.

In ordinary cases, strict separation prevails between the male and female branches of a household; not only the servants, but even brothers and sisters do not freely associate after the boys commence their studies. At this period of life, or even earlier, an anxious task devolves upon parents, which is to find suitable partners for their children. Betrothment is entirely in their hands, and is conducted through the medium of a class of persons called mei-jin or go-betweens, who are expected to be well acquainted with the character and circumstances of the parties. Mothers sometimes contract their unborn progeny on the sole contingency of a difference of sex, but the usual age of forming these engagements is ten, twelve, or later, experience having shown that the casualties attending it render an earlier period undesirable. There are six ceremonies which constitute a regular marriage. 1. The father and elder brother of the young man send

PRELIMINARIES OF A MARRIAGE.

55

a go-between to the father and brother of the girl, to inquire her name and the moment of her birth, that the horoscope of the two may be examined, in order to ascertain whether the proposed alliance will be a happy one. 2. If so, the boy's friends send the mei-jin back to make an offer of marriage; 3. if that be accepted, the second party is again requested to put their assent in writing. 4. Presents are then sent to the girl's parents according to the means of the parties. 5. The go-between requests them to choose a lucky day for the wedding; and 6. the preliminaries are concluded by the bridegroom going or sending a party of his friends with music to bring his bride to his own house. The matchmakers contrive to multiply their visits, and prolong the negotiations, when the parties are rich, to serve their own ends.

In Fuhkien, parents often send pledges to each other when their children are mere infants, and registers containing their names and particulars of nativity are exchanged in testimony of the contract. After this has been done, it is impossible to retract the engagement, unless one of the parties becomes a leper or is disabled. When the children are espoused older, the boy sometimes accompanies the go-between and the party carrying the presents to the house of his future mother-in-law, and receives from her some trifling articles, as melon-seeds, fruits, &c., which he distributes to those around. Among the presents sent to the girl are fruits, money, vermicelli, and a ham, of which she gives a morsel to each one of the party, and sends the foot back. These articles are neatly arranged, and the party bringing them is received with a salute of fire-crackers.

From the time of engagement till marriage, a young lady is required to maintain the strictest seclusion. Whenever friends call upon her parents, she is expected to retire to the inner apartments, and in all her actions and words guard her conduct with careful solicitude. She must use a close sedan whenever she visits her relations, and in her intercourse with her brothers and the domestics in the household maintain the strictest reserve. Instead of having any opportunity to form those friendships and acquaintances among her own sex, which among ourselves are a source of so much pleasure at the time and advantage in after life, the Chinese maiden is confined to the circle of her relations and her immediate neighbors. She has none of the pleasing remembrances and associations that are usually connected with

school-day life, nor has she often the ability or opportunity to correspond by letter with girls of her own age. Seclusion at this time of life, and the custom of crippling the feet, combine to confine women in the house almost as much as the strictest laws against their appearing abroad; for in girlhood, as they know only a few persons except relatives, and can make very few after marriage, the difficulty of going out disinclines them to extend their acquaintances. This privacy impels them to learn as much of the world as they can, and among the rich, their curiosity is gratified through maid-servants, matchmakers, peddleresses, visitors, and others. Curiosity also stimulates young ladies to learn something of the character and appearance of their intended husbands, but the rules of society are too strict for young persons to endeavor to form a personal attachment, though it is not impossible for them to see each other if they wish, and there are, no doubt, many contracts suggested to parents by their children.

The office of matchmaker is considered honorable, and both men and women are employed to conduct nuptial negotiations. Great confidence is reposed in their judgment and veracity, and as their employment depends somewhat upon their good character, they have every inducement to act with strict propriety in their intercourse with families. The father of the girl employs their services in collecting the sum agreed upon in the contract, which, in ordinary circumstances, varies from twenty-five to forty dollars, increasing to a hundred and over according to the condition of the bridegroom; until that is paid the marriage does not take place. The presents sent at betrothment are sometimes costly, consisting of silks, rice, cloths, fruits, &c.; the bride brings no dower, but both parents frequently go to expenses they can ill afford when celebrating the nuptials of their children.

The principal formalities of a marriage are everywhere the same, but local customs are observed in some regions which are quite unknown and appear very singular elsewhere. In Fuhkien, when the lucky day for the wedding comes, the guests assemble in the bridegroom's house to celebrate it, where also sedans, a band of music, and porters are in readiness. The courier, who acts as guide to the chairbearers, takes the lead of the procession, and in order to prevent the onset of malicious demons lurking in the road, a baked hog or large piece of pork is carried in front, that it may safely pass while they are devouring the meat.

MARRIAGE CEREMONIES AMONG THE FUHKIENESE.

57

Meanwhile the bride arrays herself in her best dress and richest jewels. Her girlish tresses have already been bound up, and her hair arranged by a matron, with all due formality; an ornamental and complicated headdress made of rich materials, not unlike a helmet or corona, often forms part of her coiffure. Her person is nearly covered by a large mantle, over which is an enormous hat like an umbrella, that descends to the shoulders and shades the whole figure. Thus attired, she takes her seat in the red gilt marriage sedan, called hwa kiau, borne by four men, in which she is completely concealed. This is locked by her mother or some other relative, and the key given to one of the bridemen, who hands it to the bridegroom or his representative on reaching his house.

The procession is now rearranged, with the addition of as many red boxes to contain her wardrobe, kitchen utensils, and the feast, as the means of the family, or the extent of her paraphernalia require. As the procession approaches the bridegroom's house, the courier hastens forward to announce its coming, whereupon the music at his door strikes up, and fire-crackers are let off until she enters the gate. As she approaches the door, the bridegroom conceals himself, and the go-between brings forward a young child to salute her, while she goes to seek the closeted bridegroom. He approaches with becoming gravity, and opens the sedan to hand out his bride, she still retaining the hat and mantle; they approach the ancestral tablet, which they salute with three bows, and then seat themselves at a table upon which are two cups of spirits. The go-between serves them, though the bride. can only make the motions of drinking, as the large hat completely covers her face. They soon retire into a chamber, where the husband takes the hat and mantle from his wife, and sees her, perhaps, for the first time in his life. After he has considered her for some time, the guests and friends enter the room to survey her, when each one is allowed to express an opinion, but the criticisms of the women are severest, perhaps because they remember the time they stood in her unpleasant position. This cruel examination being over, she is introduced to her husband's parents, and then salutes her own. Such are some of the customs

among the Fuhkienese.

The bridegroom, previous to the wedding, receives a new name or "style," and is formally capped by his father in presence of

VOL. II.

4*

his friends, as an introduction to manhood. He invites the guests, sending two red cakes with each invitation; to which each guest, a few days before the marriage, returns a present or a sum of money worth about ten or fifteen cents, equal to the expenses he will be considered as occasioning. Another invitation is sent the day after to a feast, and the bride also calls on the ladies who attended her wedding, from whom she receives a ring or some other article of small value. The gentlemen also make the bridegroom a present of a pair of lanterns to hang at his gateway. On the night of the wedding, they sometimes endeavor to get into the house when the pair is supposed to be asleep, in order to carry off some article, which the bridegroom must ransom at their price.

Among the poor, the expenses of a wedding are avoided by purchasing a girl, whom the parents bring up as a daughter until she is marriageable, and in this way, moreover, secure her services in the household. A girl already affianced is for a like reason sometimes sent to the parents of the boy for them to support. In small villages, the people call upon a newly married couple about full moon, when they are received standing near the bedside. The men enter first and pay their respects to the bride, while her husband calls the attention of his visitors to her charms, praises her little feet, her beautiful hands, and other features, and then accompanies them into the hall, where they are regaled with refreshments. After the men have retired, the women enter and make their remarks upon the newly married lady, whose future character depends a good deal upon the manner in which she conducts herself. If she shows good temper, her reputation is made, and in order not to run a risk of offending, many say nothing, and suffer themselves to be examined without saying a word.* Far different is this introduction to married life from the bridal tour and cordial greetings of friends, western ladies receive in their honeymoon!

The bridal procession is as showy and stylish as the means of the parties will allow, consisting of friends, a band of music, sedans, and boxes containing the marriage feast and other things, all of them painted red, and their bearers wearing red jackets. The tablets of literary rank held by members of the

* Chinese Repository, Vol. X., pp. 65-70. Annales de la Foi, No. XL.,

1835.