Peking, on which the traveler sees, here
and there, a small clump of trees around a country village, a home, or
a cemetery; the remainder of the country being bare. These tufts are
usually on the "soft spot," in the back of his neck, over his ears, or
in a braid or a ring on the side of his head.

The amount of joy brought to a home by the birth of a child depends
upon several important considerations, chief among which are its sex,
the number and sex of those already in the family, and the financial
condition of the home.

In general the Chinese prefer a preponderance of boys, but in case the
family are in good circumstances and already have several boys, they
are as anxious for a girl as parents in any other country.

The reason for this is deeper than the mere fact of sex. It is imbedded
in the social life and customs of the people. A girl remains at home
until she is sixteen or seventeen, during which time she is little more
than an expense. She is then taken to her husband's home and her own
family have no further control over her life or conduct. She loses her
identity with her own family, and becomes part of that of her husband.
This through many years and centuries has generated in the popular mind
a feeling that it is "bad business raising girls for other people," and
there are not a few parents who would prefer to bring up the girl
betrothed to their son, rather than bring up their own daughter.

"Selfishness!" some people exclaim when they read such things about the
Chinese. Yes, it is selfishness; but life in China is not like ours--a
struggle for luxuries--but a struggle, not for bread and rice as many
suppose, but for cornmeal and cabbage, or something else not more
palatable. This is the life to which most Chinese children are born,
and parents can scarcely be blamed for preferring boys whose hands may
help provide for their mouths, to girls who are only an expense.

The presumption is that a Chinese child is born with the same general
disposition as children in other countries. This may perhaps be the
case; but either from the treatment it receives from parents or nurses,
or because of the disposition it inherits, its nature soon becomes
changed, and it develops certain characteristics peculiar to the
Chinese child. It becomes t'ao ch'i. That almost means mischievous; it
almost means troublesome--a little tartar--but it means exactly t'ao
ch'i.

In this respect almost every Chinese child is a littl