There is perhaps that stands more in need immediate attention in China to-day than the promulgation of +a clear and concise regulation fharriages, In former days the wwerning the contraction 0
law regarding marriage was yertectly clear and well defined 'There was, first, the betrothal ceremony which, when properly conducted, had' legal sanction. Betrothals were usually effected while the parties chiefly. con-corned were immature children, Tt was no uncommon sight to see the elders gravely discussing the horological auspices of the proposed union while the boy and girl, whose destinies were being decided, were boisterously playing together in the same room. This waa impossible if they had reached the age of adolescence, but some unfortunate occurrence had taken place if betrothal wax not effected long before that tim he consummation of the like the betrothal, was with decorum and The gaily ice chair is still tin our streets and many a girl of the poorer classes has. the sone an only chair ride of her life when she carried in state to the house of her prospective husband. The Vogal status of the wife was perfectly assured under the old Jaw, and though the husband might, during the life-time, take to himself one, or more, secondary wives, he rendered' himself lable to a severe penalty if he ised, or permitted, a con cubano to take the plice of his Jexal arouse, But now new, wine is poured into old bottles. © The tion have drunk the fountain of freedom and ti sir heads are giddy from the effects of the draught. Many com together without formality, oW-needless to say, drift apart This would be by the fact that the girl had been educated in a Christian school and was required to marry into a non-Christian home. The lady teachers in the school were horrified at the prospect of their star scholar, beautiful girl of refined tastes, being married to an idiot, and demanded that a church meeting be called to hear their protest. The meeting was convened and the elders of the congregation —and their wives—were unanimously of the opinion that] the only right thing to do wi to implement the betrothal. The element of. fate, they said, fentered into all marriages. If a piece of good luck had befallen the girl, had her betrothed become a high mandarin, would she not have rejoiced? Then was she not equally bound to accept' the decrees of fate when these were adverse to her wishes? The marriage took place and no very serious consequences, followe for the husband lived but a short time subsequent to it. The world moves, then, we see, and moves in the right direction for, in the more modern case cited, the young lady won her di charge from the obligation entered into by her uncle on her. behalf: but the verdict was due the good sense of the Judge and not to any exposition of the law.
Another case pending in a local cours is flat of woman who lived with a certain man for eleven years. Having no children she consented to his taking a secondary wife who has. borne him a son. The second wife—neither of the women went through any marriage ceremony—is now put first and the old woman made a servant. She petitions that either she be given the place of a principal wife or, alternatively, that she be given a share of her husband's property as compensation for the loss of the home which she had helped to build. It is one of those cases that involve hardship to one of the parties whichever way it may be decided and, unless we are mistaken, there is no law which can be applied to its solution, any. community, but in China, where the family is the unit of the state and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.