ABSTRACT
This chapter includes in Symposium on Chinese Culture, edited by Sophia H. Chen, published in Shanghai in 1931. Tseng shows her evenmindedness, derived from her Confucian-Christian beliefs. She neither condemns the past nor demands radical emancipation, attempting, like many Chinese reformers, to balance freedom with self-discipline, and individualism with dedication to the family and the nation. The influence of a woman in her home, and especially on her son, is repeatedly noted. Thus people read much of the wisdom of the mother of Confucius and the mother of Mencius. In the Book of Odes, one entire section is given to eulogizing the queen T'ai Szu, whose good influence on her husband, and indirectly on the state, was considered one of the prime factors in the founding of the Chou dynasty. A brief study of the Chinese woman will throw much light on ancient Cathay. A profession for women is certainly one of the most important factors in their emancipation.
