Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-09-01
lrhe Chihtss ana JASssss,.

Richard II Dana, jr., at the present on
| a tour through those portlOnsO Of China aud
| Japan open to the vista Of foreigners, is
writing home a series Of interesting and in
structve letters upon the social historical
pecuiarities of those strange peoples. The
following extract is from his latest contri-
button, which we hnd in the New York
Etrening Post W VI ifait
ln this part of the world ouecan hardly
think Of the Japanese, except 10 contrast
| with the Chinese. However leared or IN
ielligent may be the Chinese, IL is not often
! that we can dsconnect from the Celestials
| some element OF the ludicrous Bat there is
| nothing absurd about the Japanese. Fhe
magistrate of the Centraland Fowery King
dom may be an umbrella, cue, lantern,
| a fan and button but the magistrate Of
Japan is pair Of swords. There are no
cramped feet or long nails The Chinese is
sunk in rut which thirty centuries has
worn for him.
The Japanese are quick to discern aud
anxious to adopt the improvements Of
Western civilization. BY no possibility
could Chirese Commissioners have made the
proposal which the japanese did to Lord
Elgin 10 the treaty of Yeddo that the Ian
guage Of written official intercourse should
be English, and Tor the reason that they
would be more likely to learn English, than
English would be to learn japanese. After
two wars with Ens land and third impend-
ing, the Chinese braves Il do not speak. OF
the Tartars) still turn summersetS and burn
gilt paper, and flourish bronze banners and,
long SPEARS, with here and there a match
lock /; int the Japanese already make their
| own Colts revolVers and Minnie rifles, aadt
| will have the rife canuon as soon as the
Massachusetts Flying Artillery. ,-..;.,,9..,
Although the English war steamers have
battered their towns and advanced nearly a
thousand miles up the Y any Use -Kiaug, the 2
Chinese stiItuse theirpreposterous war ianksp
but The japanese gross the Rseifc1in wars
steamers, managing The navigation, engin-
eering aud gunneFy themselves. The elect
ric telegraph aud RAILROAD are familiar to
their men ofscience and are already beghi1
ming TO be introduced among them eE,1a
A word more as TO the contrast between
the Chinese and the Japanese. It should
not be given entirely ia favor Of the Jap
anese, as 0Hphant gives it! The Chinese
are more scholarly, more literary, more in-1
dustrious, more peaeeable and more decent.s
Nowhere on earth is external decency more,
rigidly observed than in China, Not the
sisters of religions orders are more modestly1
attired than the women of China. Noth-7
ing could induce even the girls of the flower
boats-perhaps as abandoned as any women,
in the world--to expose the neck or the
arm in their dress and the evening dress Of
a European lady is.revoltiig to their ideas
of propriety.i u ls MS gcSffgaa.ff sue
Nowhere are industry and learning more.
honored than in China. The literati are,
the ruling order, the military are the infer
or class and every election aud Office IS
open to the successful scholar, under theire
competitive system without the distractions
Of rank or hereditary castes The industry
of China is infnitesimal unceasing and uni,
yersal. The Chinese are nation of corn
traders, scholars and diplomatists. The
japanese though by no means indolent, are
less universally industrious, and there are
more non-prOducing consumers amoBg them.
! They are more violent, more Incorporate
in drink, and are shameless, where the
| Chinese are scrupulous in the extreme and
though they are generally taught to read
and write, and excel the Chinese in some
| branches Of the arts and scienses scholar
ship has not the position and honers it has
in China. On the other hand, while the
Chinese are effeminate luxurious aud self
compacent, the japanese are proud, manly
simple in theif food aud custone and their ;
government, though more exclusive AND
more bloody, are more vigorous just, with
less Of corruption and peculation.