Viewing page 31 of 131

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

-2-

illustration. In the last years of the 19th century, a well-known scholar, Wang shih-t'o, died and left and interesting diary in which he told all his horrible sufferings at the hands of his wife. He said in effect: "I cannot fight you, nor can I escape you. But you are an illiterate and cannot read what I write down about you. And you cannot answer back. I hereby solemnly and truthfully set down and charge against you ninety points of your unpardonable crimes . . . . . this is the only means I have to revenge myself!" Aside from the merits of their domestic dispute, this episode boldly illustrates the power of a wife over her husband. It should be remembered that Wang was not only a prominent scholar but was also a very high official.
As a matter of fact, in our history at leasy there are many great men who attained greatness due to a mother's training. There were women poets, women writers and women generals, notably Chin Liang-yu (秦良玉) of the Ming Dynasty, who commanded 50,000 troops successfully for twenty years. Therefore, in fairness, I would say that despite certain prejudices to women, women have not been excluded from participating in the development of our culture.
Since the establishment of our republic, women suffrage was immediately granted without much dispute. From this day on, woman gradually assumed her proper place in our daily life. Long ago we have conducted co-educational schools turning out men and women prominent in every walk of life. Today there are fully qualified doctors, lawyers, teachers, and other professional women, to say nothing of able writers, artists, musicians, athletes, and scores of other occupations - including engineering, aviation, and politics. Medicine and nursing are