ueue with as much tenacity as he does to his very life.

"The small feet of the women, even of the highest class, is quite as
notable as the queues. This species of deformity was not required by the
Manchus, for they wore their feet as God gave them; and it is not an
ancient custom, for it has prevailed only from the sixth century of our
era. Nature's growth is checked by tightly bandaging the feet in early
childhood, subjecting the victim to severe pain and discomfort. But you
will see the women for yourselves, and can judge of the effect upon
them. The very poor and those in menial conditions are not necessarily
subjected to the torture, but fashion carries even many of this class
into the custom. Small but natural feet are the pride of our young
ladies, and some of them complain that when the feet were given out they
got more than their share.

"The sexes are kept apart until marriage; and this has been a social
feature from the earliest time. Girls and boys in the family did not
occupy the same mat or eat together from the age of seven, and when the
former were ten they ceased to appear outside of the women's apartments.
Girls were taught manners therein, to handle the cocoons, to do all the
work appertaining to the manufacture of silk and the details of Chinese
housekeeping. This was in the feudal time; and the females were not
instructed in book-learning, and are not now, though they pick up
something of an education, and learned women are not unknown, even those
who have written books.

"In regard to marriage, the parents have entire control, and
professional match-makers are an institution. It is to a great extent a
matter of horoscopes. Usually the bride and groom have not seen each
other till the marriage ceremony, and of course they lose all that
delightful period which precedes the event. But they appear to take to
each other when brought together, and to be happy as man and wife.
Though the man has one legal wife, there is no law or custom to prevent
him from taking half a dozen more secondary wives.

"There are seven lawful grounds for divorcing a wife from her
husband,--disobedience to her husband's parents; failure to give birth
to a son; dissolute conduct; jealousy of her man, especially in regard
to the _other_ wives; talkativeness; thieving; and leprosy. I will leave
the ladies to make their own comments. There are three considerations
which may set aside these reasons for divorce,--that her parent