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It L3 a mistake to speak of the Chinese as mere berarians. The progress of the wnrlrl's scientific knowledge has not been kept pace With by their scholirs, and their moral ideas. especially in regard to kindness and humanity are behind hhmve of the Christian nations; but they are a most learned people in their ancient. mostly useless. ways, and they have made many discoveries in the past. and are highly skilled artistically. We need only remem- her. to help us to re'llize this, that the favorite beverage of the worl-J â€"â€"teaâ€"was disonvered by Chinese gar- deners; that the silks that are still tlhe best and most splendid of dress materials were first spun and woven by them; and thlt the "china" that is so pleasant and cleanly to eat off, and that has replaced the pewter and coarse earthenware plates and jugs of our own forefathers, was. ori- gimlly. produced amongst th«= Chinese. Since. it 13 unlversully agrcurl by thinkers on social science that the position of woman is at once a test of the standing in clvilizaton of a nation, nnd'a reason for its furth- er progress, the very lo'w position given to the Chinese women may be a «ausa as well as a. token, of the in- larior place amongst the nations that China now holds. In this respcct the leading man of China have for a 10w yea“ past been slowly awaken- ing to the nead fou- clunge. The small feet of the women are the great indication of this being the truth. For countless centuries the feet of the little girls have been tied up in bandages. to keep them al- ways as small as those of natural uhildmn at five or six years of age. This has beenn barrier to the growth of the intelligence 0! the women as well as to their influence. It is de< signed to prevent them from moving about freely; and as the spread of thought and knowledge can only be made by communication from wind to mind, the enforced confinement of the small-footed women, joined to their not being able to read. has main- ly kept them narrow-minded and ignorant. All the missionary ladies state that the Chinese women can- not think. Miss Milletr. missionary at Amoy. says: "Generally they will listen for a short time. but it is not easy to mine them understand, they are so dense. If the foreign lady wishes to speak she can. but if we question them as to the meaning of what we have said. they reply: 'I am unable to understand,' and laugh at the idea of its being supposed that women can understand.” But this does not exactly show that the women of China are naturally unâ€" able to lawn. The subordination of the women. to the men is so absolute tlhat the small feet are a result 01 it, and the natural consequence of both nausea is the stupidity. The Chin- ese Government made an official ap- pointment of Pung Kwang Yu to give a discourse on Confucianism to the Chicago World's Fair Congress in 1893. on. religion. The mandarin re- (erred considerably to the views tak- on of the women in China under that neljgion. which is the State and the leading faith, though "Buddhhsm"a.nd "Taoism" are also forms of religion followed by many Chinese. Confuc- ianism on which the laws and cus- toms are based, teaches that the wife is to regard her husband in just the samb light as man. is to regard God. ‘Wonwn are not to be allowed to learn anything except from the male head of their own family, and only what he pleases; and t’he mandarin stated that the main. cause for the natives dislike of the missionaries is that they tr'y to teach the women to believe in. Christianity apart from, mud independent of, their husbands. "In China," he said, “the responsibi- lity of educating the “1011.160 rests with the head of each family; the primary object is to preserve female modesty. If such a practice as giv- To make Christian hearers under- stand the impossibility of Chinese wo- men having any independent thoughts or actions, Pang Kw;ng further in- lormed them that “Chinese law pro- vides that in the case of afemale per- Eng religious instruction directly Vto women and girls is allowed it will have the effect of driving away. from film Christians all thoSe who value filial piety. truth. pmbiLy, rectitude, mud sincerity. or who have any sense of shame!” son violating the law the punishment for it Ls inflicted upon the male head of the family. Chinese law provides bhsata woman burning incense to an- cestors publioiy, a sacrilege for a woman, shall be punished with stripes, but; the actual person beaten shall be the male head of her house; and this principle is applicable to all violations of law in which the offender is a female personl" . At first night this may seem likea "woman's privilege;" but like many other similar special provisions for wo- men. it is in practice the cause OLf in- credible misery to the "protected" females. The foot-binding is a device hardly unreasonable if the man must pay the penalty of his wife’s or daugh- ter‘s crimes. to prevent the women going about. noting, and conversing, and so learning to think, on their own account; and there has hardly been in the history of the world a practice that has caused so much agony. so protracted and so acute, as the foot- ibinding of China. Most of us'know the misery of an occasional .tight boot; think of the poor little girls whose feet, night and day without reet, are ideliberately hound up so tightly that 'they shall not growl Mrs. Archibald Little, who has founded a Chinese society against Mrs. Archibald Little, who has founded a Chinese society against footâ€"binding, to which n gooil many leading China'men have given in their names, tells us lhlt it is quite a fre- quent thing for the crushed toes to mortify and fall off: and that the pain is always so insupportable that the tiny children are given opium as the only means of enabling them to sleep. Even then the unhappy little things cry aloud in this: night, sothnt a Chinese mother sleeps witha big stick beside her in order to get. up and' been the little one into silence. \Ve remember our mothers as the beings to whom We owed our most tender aoolhing and most ready sympathy; Chinese women remember theirs chief- ly as t-olrlurers who first inflicted un- speakable agony and then had recourse to violent heating to silence the walls of ceaseless pain. It in not, as some English people think, only the rich women who are foot-bound. On the contrary, Miss Wil- liams, missionary, of Kalgan, testifies that “tha women and girl: who wmk in the fields .x.l day have smaller feet Lth the middle-class women have;" and Mn». Lune gives a sad picture of the women that she sees kneeling to do all sorts of heavy field-work, be- cause if they try t0 stand their tiny feet, sink into the Land. No wonder that we are told, "One thing they are all conscious of, and that is that their burdens are greater than they can bear, and that life is full of sorrow.” lnfanticide of female children in common, so much so that some twenty years ago a. proclamation of a native» Viceroy stated that not more than 20 to 30 per cent. of the girls [mm were permitted to live; "wherefore," he continued “you are now required to acquainb yourselvm that all male and female infants being equally your flesh and blood, you may be visited by Heaven with some monstrous calamity if you rear only the male and drown the female children." The retribution that he threatened, however, was that "repeated female birth»: follow in many cases when the female infants have been drowned!” A Chinese father does not count his gLrls as children; he will say that he has no children when half-a-doz- an famgle offspring are running about his home. A husband may divorce his wife merely at his oaprioe and for no cause; but in no case of even the worst outrages, can a wife 30 free herself from a bad husband. Girls are sold as slaves. under the pretended name of “adoption” by their purchasers. The marriage ota widow isconsidered disreputable. The married women wank very hard, and have to pay their husbands far their keep, as well as to find the man in clothing and othâ€" er things. Marriage portions are al- ways demanded in classes above the very lowest, and a girl who has .no money has little chance of honorable marriage, but will have to be taken 85 8.11 fashion. Yet while the women are thus (le- gnraded. the natural affection of a man of good feelings for his wife, and the influence of personal char- acter in some woman, results in a diflerent state of affairs practically. A missionary says :â€" “The true state of affairs in many households is well illusm ited by the present position of the meeror and Dowager Empress In nearly all Chinese families the ruling power is really in. the hands of some women, whose decisions with regard to do- mestic matters at any rate are final." And anotheu‘ says that it is useless to convert the man alone, as in that case idol worship will continue in aha house just the same; and it is no good to ask the converted husband why he does not put a stop to it. All the writers are agreed as to the in- tense poverty of the nnjority of the Chinese. "Many of thje women nev- u know. what it is to have a fqu, "inferior wifo” in a polygamna satisfying meal tron) one year's end to another." Onher teatures that help to modi- fy thesad position of Chinese women are the natural love of a father for his child. even if it be a. despised girl; and the great respect paid by all Chinese to their ancestors, in which the femxle parem. has some share. A lady dbctor in China gives an inter- esting account of the care that Chin- ese sons sometimes bestow on afflict- ed moLhers. In. one case an 0ch lady was aperated on by the duotor for cataract in the eye. She was dread- fully afraid of the operation, and her sons actually carried her to the hrzmpitul and back home again three mm before she finally went through it. Them fur three Weeks. during which her eye was still unnler treat- ment, they never both left her at once, one of them staying in the darkened room in attendance on her an! incessantly Portugal‘s right to grant an asyâ€" lum at Lourenzo Marquez has been (baled into question by the European newspapers, and in particular by the English press. That Portugal pos- sesses this right is indicputable. But it is subject to one important quali- fication. It is the duty of the power which offers asyhum to a fugitive ruler to See that its territory is not utilized as a basis for fresh acts of helligerency on the part of its guests, and were, for instance. Mr. Kruger to issue from Lourenzo Marquez pro- clamations urging the Boers to keep on fighting, England would have valid ‘ grounds for demanding the immedi- ate expulsion of Ex-President Kruger or else of his surrender. Cases of rulers of defeated states seeking asylum on the territory of neutral powers are relatively rare in modern timee, the most recent in- stance having been that Oif the Arab Prince, who seized the throne of Zanâ€" zibar on the death of the late Sultan in the absence of the Lawful heir, and who when called upon by the British suzerain power, to withdraw, deliber- ately defied the English and trainâ€" ed the guns with which the palace was armed upon the British war-ships in harbor. A tew hours’ engagement resulted it!) the defeat and flight of the usurper, who, when he found him- self hard pressed by the English land- ing force, sought refuge at the Gerâ€" man consulate general’s, from whence he was conveyed on board a German manrof-war’s boat, to one of Em- peror William's cruisers. There he found refuge and hospitality. Eng- land did not even demand his surren- der, acknowledging the right of Ger- ; many b0 offer him asylum, and it was Eonly a. year or two afterward, when. lhaving established himself on the :mainland in the German-East Afri- can colony, England made quiet re- ‘presentatioms at Berlin against the Prince being allliowed to use German territory as a basis of ntrigues against the present Sultan. Empero-r Napoleon III. was too cleverly trapped by the Germans at Sedan to enahbe him to carry out his project of seeking an asyLum on Be)- gian soil, which he subsequently tra- versed as a. priwomer of war on parole on his way to the palace of Wilhelm- shovhe, which had been assigned to him‘by Emperor \Villiam as a resi- dence during the remainder of the war. Ex-President Kruger is now on his way to Holland, where he expects to make his home. The English Govern~ ment will no more dream of offering any objection to his being received there with honor and hospitality than was made by France when England received with anew-genus distinction and tokens of regard France's various exiled rulers and pretenders, or rby Prussia when Austria gave a chivalrâ€" ou-s welcome and a most generous reâ€" ception to the defeated and exiled King of Hanover, to the fugitive Elec- tor of Hesse Cassell, and to the disposâ€" sessed Duke Olf Nassau. ONE “'H'EAT GRAIN. Did you ever stop to think of the responsibilities ofa grain of wheat? We are so used. to seeing the field sown with wheat and the crop come‘ up and ripen that we quite forget how euch‘ little grain does a great work through the summer days in multi- plying and adding to the farmer‘s harvest. A farmer once planted one arninl of white Australian wheat, and grain of white Australian wheat, and at harvest time from it had sprung 1.360 grains of large, fat wheat. He planted 10 acres of this wheat and har. vested 177 sacks, each weighing 138 pounds. The single grain spoken of produced 36 stalks, no you see even a grain of wheat helps wonderfully. THE RIGHT OF ASYLUM. Naiions .‘l y llarhour Fug!!an nun-rs. In madcap glee I whirl and fly Where storm wlnds rip and rave. I drift and circle in the sky And skim the purple wave. As happy as the day ls long ~ Am I because my boast Is like the burden of my song ‘1'“ ne‘er be served on toast. I shimmer where the beach plums bloom, Among the shells I bob'. And hear the blllous blllow boom In symphony and sob. And to its twilight lullaby I flap along the coast, And In my rosy rapture sigh : I'll ne'er be served on toast. I often flap my wings at fate When all is bright or black, And gliding down the sky elate In triumph loud I shriek. And oft when I outsoar the lark And graze the sun almost, I fondly to myself remark : I'll ne'er be served on toast. When on the brine I rise and sink 01- float the clouds above, I’m lost in joy until I think I'm Aphrodite's dove, Because of time I'm not the slave That knows the chain and postâ€" A wistful wait of wind and wave, I’ll ne’er be served on toast. I am no caged ringed cockatoo, That mnpes from morn tiii nightâ€" I cleave the shining ether through The storm king's acolyte. And such I’ll be until this shell So frail shall siip the ghost, Which oft will whistle on the swell : 1’11 ne’er be served on toast. In his intervstlng book, “The Apostle of the North,” Egerton R. Young tells of the Importance of. carrying a. large supply of shoes for the dogs when travelling by dog-train, with the ther- mometer from 50 to 60 degrees below zero. Shoes for the dogs are essential, as a dog's foot is very liable to injury. Sometimes on the rough. sharp ice they cut. their feet so that they bleed very much. At other times in the rough places they break ofl‘ the nails from their toes or run sharp spikes through the webbing between their toes. When thus injured they are quite unfltted for work, and speedily let it be known that something is wrong. An experienced dog will stop and re- fuse to move until his sore feet are attended to. The wise missionary will have handy a bunch of cotton wool as well as dog shoes. A little of the wool, saturated with balsam, gum, is fastened over the wounded part of the foot, then the dog shoe. which is like a long mitten, without the thumb. ls drawn on the foot and securely fasten- ed with a piece of deerskln. YOUNG FOLKS. The dogs get to be very fond of these shoes, and sometimes resort to queer expedients to get them on. They will sometimes pretend to be very rootsore; and it the night be especially cold a_t the camp, they will howl and whine for them in a Way that is pathetic, though at times very laughable. Mr. Evans’ famous train or half dogs, halt wolves, would lie down on their backs, and, holding up their four feet. would howl for him or Henry. his native Indian helper, to put on their shoes. Other missionaries have had their dogs do the same thing. According to the laws of good so- city in China young widows should not remarry. Widowhood ls therefore held in the highest esteem. and the older the widow, the more agreeable her position becomes. Should she reach 50 years, she may, by applying to the Emperor, get a ‘sum or money with which to buy a. tablet, on which her virtues are named, the tablet be- ing placed over the door at the prin- cipal entrance to her house.‘ Contrary to the practice that pre- vails in other countries, the deference shown to women in Austria. increases with age. No Austrian would ever dream of receiving a lady's extendei hand without bowing to kiss it. ChiL dren, even when grown, always touch the hands of their parents with their lips before venturing to raise their faces for a. kiss. Girls and young mar- ried women, no matter how lofty their station, do not consider it beneath their dignity to kiss the hands of 13.- dies who have attained a. certain age. Austria, indeed, is the paradise of old ladies. The men are also extremely courteous, not only to ladies, but to each other. The Arabs show their friendliness when meeting by shaking hands six or eight times: Arabs of rank go be- yond this and embrace each other sev- eral-times. The social etiquette of the desert, or among the Arabs, is a factor in life to be considered serious- ly it one wishes to live among them without friction. Thus, no greater insult can be oflered to an Arab than a friendly inquiry as to the welfara or his wife, to us a. natural civility, but to him a gross impertlnence, bit- terly resented. ETIQUETTE AMONG CHINESE. Sons will never sit THE HAPPY SEA GULL. SHOES FOR DOGS at meal with their fathers in the presence of a. guest, but will wait upon both until the father, rising, allows them the opportunity of breaking bread with their visitor. When a Moslem meets a. European accompanid by a Moor, though the latter be the servant, he not infre- quently ignores the presence of the Itorelgner, and offers the salutation to his co-religionist only. but I! he masses :1 party of Moors, Jews or lChristians, he exclaims, “Peace be on 'the people of I'sla’m." The way to speed the parting guest is to exclaim. “God give thee peace.” To those whose lpresence has never been desired, It A Turk always stands In the pres- ence of his mother, until Invited to sit down. a. compliment he pays to no one else. The Moor pays great respect to hil elders, and to see two elderly, or digni- fied Moors salute is a. pretty sight. With measured pace. the eyes or each fixed on those of the other, they up. proach with a slight inclination. holding the right hands slightly ad- vanced. They press their finger tip. together and begin a volley of pre- scribed salutations. greetings and in- quiries, hardly pausing to insert re- plies, and ejaculating frequently. "God be praised." Then each presses the fin- ger tips which have been honored by contact with those of his friend against his lips and then upon his heart, as he raises his head and re- doubles his salutations. The old cus- tom ot falling on one another-'3 necks is still in vogue between friends long separated. Inferiors saluting super- iors usually kiss the hand. shoulder. top of turban or feet, or the knee or stirrup of a. horseman, according to the terms on which they approach. In the extremity of humility, the very ‘feet of one’s horse are embraced. All his spare time he can be found turning “flipflaps,”- and handsprlngs Rand practicing on the parallel bars. 101- a. clown, as everybody knows. ‘must be more skillful at eVerythlng . than everybody else. Then, too, when ghe does a clever acrobatic trick it ‘ comes as a. surprise, and he gets twice as much applause as anybody else. There are half a dozen or more children with every large circus. and they have small chance of getting an education, except in the winter time, and very few of them attend then. Nearly always, however, there is some man with the circus who is well edu- cated and who cares enough for the children to teach them what he knows and school is kept on the empty bench- es in the big tent after the afternoon !show. Nearly always the teacher is a 'clown, for, strange to say, these mak- ers of fun really are often good-na- tured and good-hearted fellows, who are well educated as well. These volâ€" |unteer teachers get nothing extra for their work as teachers, but they do not expect anything. The idea that they are helping these bright young- sters on in the world is pay enough. is usual to exclaim 1n tones sufficient- ly explicit, "God protect thee." “Be welcome, at home and at case.” 15 the welcome. Courteous interrogatories fall thick and fast. “How art thou}! Thy house ?"-the nearest approach permitted to inquiry after a man'- Wits; The average boy cannot help think- ing that to travel with a. circus must be the grandest life in the world. but to be the clown as well would be the very height of bliss. Even the children who travel with the show envy the clown and want to learn his business. _With one of the big shows out this year is a. "circus rider" only 8 years old. His father and mother are rid- ers, and where the law allows it he takes part with them in their act. In Spangled white he rides a. white horse bareback, leaps through hoops, in hoisted to the shoulder of his father and is carried at a swift pace around the ring. This is all run for himâ€"- but what he really wants in to be a. clown. One day a well-ted and sagacious rat came across an object made of stout wires, whose sole occupation seemed to be to take care of a liberal piece of cheese. Having had several years' ex- perience with men and their machina- tions, the rat looked the ground over wnth great care. and he was still en- gaged In this occupation when a. mouse appeared and wanted to know what was w. “Why, the fact Is." replied the rat, “I have more chees here than I can pos- sibly eat at one meal, and as cheese quickly spoils in this climate I was waiting for someone to come along and accept a portion." “vuuyl. u r.-- - “You are very. very generous,” said the mouse. A, _ . .A, x_._.:- uu; wvuwu “Don’t mention it. Just step inside and pass the cheese out, will you 7" " ,, .‘.L‘_; A. n“. uuu [than Lu: yum“)- v..., _, -â€" The mouse no sooner nlbbled at the bait than there was a. crash, and he found himselt trapped. "Ah, that’s the way it works, is It 7" queried the rat. “I couldn't just make it out. Um ! I see. Spring there some- where. Very good toga." . . ,-. A..- " luau. . H.., v _ . _ , 7 , , , "But I’m caught !" exclaimed the mouse. in great agitation. “So I observe." "And what’s to be done ?" "Well, I leave that for you to decide. I let you in on the ground floor. and my responsibilities cease there. Fine day. Hope we shall have a. large harvest." There is a good_ moral to this anec- There is a good : date. Think It out. CLOWNS AND CIRCUS BOYS THE SAGACJOUS RAT