mer for Germany, with the intention of entering a German college.
She was undertaking this long journey alone. Such an incident would be
impossible in China; even in England, or indeed in any European
country, I hardly believe that a respectable young girl would be
allowed to take such a journey without some trusty friend to look after
her. But in America this is a common occurrence, and it is a credit to
the administration, and speaks volumes for the good government of the
country, that for sensible wide-awake American girls such undertakings
are perfectly safe.

This notion of independence and freedom has modified the relation of
children to their parents. Instead of children being required to show
respect and filial obedience, the obligation of mutual love and esteem
is cultivated. Parents would not think of ordering a girl or a boy to
do anything, however reasonable; in all matters they treat them as
their equals and friends; nor would a girl submit to an arbitrary order
from her mother, for she does not regard her as a superior, but as her
friend and companion. I find it is a common practice among American
girls to engage themselves in marriage without consulting their
parents. Once I had a serious talk on this subject with a young couple
who were betrothed. I asked them if they had the consent of their
parents. They both answered emphatically that it was not necessary,
and that it was their business and not their parents'. I told them
that although it was their business, they might have shown some respect
to their parents by consulting them before committing themselves to
this important transaction. They answered that they did not agree with
me, and as it concerned their own happiness alone, they had a perfect
right to decide the matter for themselves. This shows the extreme
limit to which the Americans carry their theory of independence.
Unless I am greatly mistaken, I fear this is a typical and not an
isolated case. I believe that in many cases, after they had made up
their minds to marry, the young people would inform their respective
parents of their engagement, but I question if they would subordinate
their own wishes to the will of their parents, or ask their consent to
their engagement.

Now let us see how all this is managed in China. Here the parties most
interested have no voice in the matter. The parents, through their
friends, or sometimes through the professional match-makers, arrange