Among subjects which have occupied the attention of inquirers during the present period of transition in China, not the least interesting from the human point of view has been the Chinese wedding, not so much in relation to the ceremony itaslf, but as regards the procedure leading up to the nuptials.
In these columns from time to time note has been made of a tcndency on the part of some Chinese families to adopt western ideas in the arrangement of marriages, and only this week thers is a report from Canton of an enraged father who discovered his child being wooed and won in the orthodox European style. It is difficult to ascertain how far the influence of the est has gone in this respect, but im so much as it has led to any swooping changes in the prenuptial methods, the opinion of the Chinese themselves is that the effect is very small indeed. As will be seen, however, the example of the west has had a distinct effect upon such matters in China, and although this was beginning to be felt before the revolution, it has become more pronounced since.
Western Courtship.
Deep-thinking Chinese, not too much bound by hereditary conser-"|vatism, and especially those who have been abroad, are by no means blind to the faults of the old system, whereby marriages wore arranged by relatives without reference to the principal parties interested. But at the same time it would be mistake to say that they are greatly in favour of the western method of allowing the prospective bride and bridegroom to follow their own ideas on the subject.
Even the younger students, pecially those who have had a complete education in Europe or America—not a merely superficial training of a year or two—are not over ready to throw the garment of approval upon the westism method, and in this respect their views seem very sound. Up to the present, they point out, the Chinese woman has never had the chance to be educated YE
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.