ART. II. Infanticide: translation of

+ x, an essay warning people against the pratice of drowning their female children: By KWEI CHUNGFU of Húnán. In the autumn of 1801, while going by land to Singshá to attend the provincial examination, I saw upon the wall, in the hotel of Tsz'yúng, an essay warning people against the pratice of drowning their female children. The author had concealed his name, for he was one who did good in secret. Rejoiced at his purpose, yet regretting that his sayings were not more widedly circulated, and anxious to patronize his excellent sentiments and forward his views, I thereupon drafted an Essay, and placed it in my portfolio, with the intention of having it published. Not succeeding at the examination, to which I had been recommended, my joyous anticipation failed and the Essay was well-nigh forgotten. But the next spring, on looking over the paper in my portfolio, I took out the said draft, made a copy and gave it to the printer. Just at that time unfortunately, he was taken sick; for a whole year I paid his expenses; and the work, though often asked for, was never completed. At last, the poor man was numbered among the dead; the Essay, entrusted to his care, was irrecoverably lost; and I myself was unable to write it out again.

In the spring of 1803, Chin H ting of Kiúkung-chung, a literary friend and fellow-townsman, came and inquired, if I had ever completed, agreeably to my wishes, the Essay warning people against the drowning of their female children? I told him all the circumstances of the case, and asked his opinion. He replied:

"There happens to be, now in my house, one who is skilled in asking divinations, who having made a request of Wan-cháng tikuen, the God of literature, he came down and in the appointed way advised the practice of virtue, and disclosed the facts, that, on a formier occasion, you had an Essay warning people against the drowning of their female children, that your name (in consequence) had been already entered on the list of candidates for literary promotion, and that because your good design had not been accomplished, he was about to erase it, &c. The god having made this disclosure to us, I again prayed to him saying, Kwei Chungfu is my friend and fellow student, but I never heard that he had an unfinished Essay warning people against the drowningof their female children. Shall I not go and inquire of him about this matter? The god then took your entire

essay and revealed it to me by divination; and under the words, "Oh heaven," and "Oh man, " he added: "Heaven wishes to to give life to them; man wishes to kill them; they who oppose heaven perish; they who kill men die; enmity and hate both seek each other; and with divine precision a just retribution shall be meted out to your posterity." Moreover, he commanded me to write this and exhibit it to you, in order to afford you assurance, that if able to accomplish your work, you shall be prosperous and illustrious, while he who has encouraged you shall share in your merit."

Aroused and excited, I thanked my friend, and said: "I alone know this essay, for others have never seen it. You have rehearsed it entire, and by divination have received the six additional clauses. But how could you have done all this, had not the god of literature disclosed it it by a silent revelation?

Then, immediately, I wrote out a fair copy and gave it to the printer for publication. More than thirty years have since elapsed, and for twenty-five I have been in official stations. Living now in retirement, taking care of my aged parents, I have heard that the practice of drowning infants still continues unchecked, and have deeply to regret, that, to my essay as formerly prepared the response of the god of literature was not added with an explanation of the attendant circumstances, so that the reader could not, from want of knowledge, have been unawakened and unexcited. I remember moreover that, at the close of the year 1803, after completing the essay, I obtained a literary degree, and that, on the same year, my eldest son, Fungkia, was born, who has already obtained a high post in the imperial court. And though I am not yet sixty years of age, my official emoluments annually amount to two thousand stone of grain, my sons and grandsons have all entered on a literary career, while my friend and fellow-student, Chin Hitung, has been advanced, and all his sons and grandsons become prosperous. All this could not have been attained but for the respect that has been paid to the admonitions of the god, in warning people against the practice of drowning their infant daughters.

I have now supplied, in due order, the particulars of the origin and history of the Essay not rashly presuming to employ the divine method of giving instruction, but simply indicating that silent agency, unseen and unheard, which must advance or degrade man according to his good or evil designs.

Gentle reader, take care that you lead a virtuous life. All its allotments have their appropriate causes. Thus confiding (in the

fidelity of the god and of my readers) I now publish this Essay. This is my preface; and these are my wishes!

ESSAY.

THE Book of Changes says: "The celestial principle formed the male; the terrestrial, the female. After these had existence there were husbands and wives, and then parents and children. Thus by the union of the sexes the human race-preserved from extinctionis perpetuated generation after generation."

Now in modern times there are those who drown their female offspring-thus cutting off and annihilating the principle of human life, most inexplicable conduct! On inquiring for the causes of such, it is found that this is done-by some, because having so many to rear, they hate them and therefore drown them; by some, because in a succession of offspring, all being daughters, they become angry at this and therefore drown them; and by some, because the nursing of daughters would retard their having children; being therefore in haste to have more offspring, they drown them! These do not know that to have many sons and daughters is a blessing, and that tradition has rendered illustrious both him who had nine sons and two daughters and hit who had seven sons and eight sonsin-law. A numerous offspring, therefore, is not to be deprecated.

Formed by the mysterious union of the blood and spirit of their father and mother, the children, whether male or female, are alike bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh and none other than their own offspring: shall they then be angry at them?

But to drown the

Whether there be offspring or not, whether late or early, is fixed by destiny. Those who are childless, ought to multiply their virtues and pray to Heaven; and those who are late without offspring, should nourish and build up their constitution. daughters they have and vainly hope for sons yet unborn,-the cherishing of such a murderous design, is to war against the harmony of of Heaven. The more daughters they drown, the more daughters they will have; for never has it been seen that, by the drowning of daughters sons were quickly obtained.

Moreover, some there are who pretend that they are so poor that they have no means for supporting, nor substance for the dowry of daughters. But are they ignorant of the fact, that Heaven never gave life to man without its allotments for his support? Hunger and plenty, cold and warmth, have their decreed numbers. Did it ever yet hap

pen that one was able to get rich while he had no daughters, and

then on having them at once became poor? Besides, daughters may be adopted into other families to be brought up. Many are the ways to obtain a livelihood. Having but a small pittance, people may therewith make shift to live. The expenses of education, marriage, funerals, and sacrifices, must all be regulated according to the circumstances of families. I have seen in the world sons so poor that they could not get wives; but I have never heard of a woman so poor that she could not find a husband. If those who have daughters to give in marriage, do not require too large presents from their intended sons-in-law, then those who seek for wives will not require large dowries or be unwilling to marry. Think of these things, and the impropriety of drowning your daughters will become more and more plain and striking.

The rich and honorable are often deceived by geomancers, who pretend that to have graves of females in burial-grounds is unpropitious; that it is difficult to select sons-in-law; and that there is no better way than to destroy infant female children. But they should remember that good sons and grandsons are ordained to us by Heaven, while the virtues and good manners of women are formed by our own instruction. To do what we can, is our part; all besides this, rests with Heaven. Kiang Yü was a poor shepherd only for a short season. Lui Tsz'hang was not long doomed to poverty. Why compare a cup of bitter water to the coarse diet of half an age! This criminal conduct of drowning infants, when perpetrated by the rich and honorable, appears exceedingly inhuman.

For the children of that low class of persons, who have illegitimate offspring, it would seen almost impossible to make any provision so as to rescue and preserve them. But after having committed capital crime then to destroy life, this is to add sin to sin. There are methods by which the dificulty may be overcome, and none better than to write the exact age of the child, whether son or daughter, and then expose it by the way-side, where it may be taken away and reared by some who have no children. A distinguished lady who lived in the Sung dynasty was reared in this manner. Another distinguished person, was Ling Yun of Tsú, who thus exposed, in a marsh, was nursed and saved by a female tiger. Among the good, whose names are on the page of history, there are not a few who have, under similar circumstances, been rescued from destruction.

On searching the records of former ages, every generation has presented instances of illustrious women who have reflected glory on their parents; it is impossible to enumerate all those who by ill usage have become witches.

See there in Muh-lán a daughter going as a soldier into the army to supply the place of her aged and infirm parent! And in Ti-ying see another offering to die a ransom for her father! To such, it were a dire calamity to have no daughters. Will you then drown them?

Again, see those who from drowning their daughters have become ill-fated. In Chin there was a woman, who, for committing crime, had a red serpent fastened to her thigh; and in Yuensiú there was another, for the same cause, who had her four extremities turned into cow's feet. These were brought to repentance only when it was too late. Why then, follow their example, and drown your female children?

Oh, alas! Whence came our bodies? Were there no mothers, where now should we be? And for our infant sons, how much of paternal care is exercised in selecting wives? The infant daughters of to-day, are to be the mothers of coming days; and the mothers of those daughters who are born to-day, are the daughters of those who in former years were not drowned. Our own sons and grandsons, too, are the offspring of undrowned danghters. So, too, their wives. are the daughters of those who did not drown their daughters. Oh, think of the past and think of the future! Estimate the feelings of others by your own. How endure to take the prattler's infant breath and confine it in the cage of eternal hatred? Oh how detestable to take the helpless speechless infant, just as it comes into life and consign it to death!

Oh Heaven! Oh man! Heaven wishes to give life. Man destroys! They who oppose Heaven shall perish. Those who kill shall die. Enmity and hatred seek each other, and with divine precision, a just retribution must be meted out to our posterity. Oh, think of this!

The Proverb says: "Those families shall become extinct which for three generations rear no daughters." For if one man drowns his, and all others imitate him, then no females will survive; and if no females survive, then men can have no wives; and when this is the case, the race soon becomes extinct! Heaven cannot but speedi ly cut off those who wish to destroy their own race. Inevitable ruin must overtake all who indulge this practice.

Moreover, the laws of the empire provide for the establishment of Foundling Hospitals, for the reception and support of infants, while they crdain also that all those who drown their infant daughters shall be treated as guilty of murdering children and grand-children.