SIX WEEKS IN A TOWER. 71 



wives, in order that the family may have female ser- 

 vants who have an interest in the house. Of course, 

 such a system would be quite out of place in this 

 country, and in China it is rendered useful through 

 the habits of obedience to Avhich Celestial females are 

 trained. "Until she is herself a mother, or can claim 

 the child of a subordinate wife, even the first wife 

 is kept in great subjection, both to her husband and 

 to his parents, if they happen to be alive. Conse- 

 quently, childless wives always wish their lord to 

 take a second rib unto himself. The system cannot 

 be defended, but it has its advantages, and may in 

 many points be contrasted favourably with the crude 

 concubinage of the East, and the revolting social evil 

 of the West. Wong a Shui offered to provide Chinese 

 wives for us out of his own relatives, but saddled his 

 proposal with the objectionable condition that we 

 should engage not to take them out of China, and 

 provide suitably for them if we ourselves went away. 

 Had we consented, the young ladies would not have 

 had much to say in the matter, as marriages are 

 always conducted for them by their parents, and 

 young men are usually provided for by the same 

 knowing parties. Only those rules annoy which one 

 thinks of resisting, and as Young China has not yet 

 begun to question these marriage arrangements, they 

 do not much interfere with happiness. Even when 

 the parties are not suited for each other, they know 

 that their bed is made, and set themselves to lie on it 



