The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-09-10
The Chinese.

THE first Chinese temple erected in San
Francisco was built on speculation by an
old Chinaman, with an eye to business,
who did not like to see his countrymen
neglecting their gods. He therefore built
temple (which still exists at the corner
of Mason and Post streets), adorned and
beautified it cheaply with paper, tinsel and
silk, set up the usual array of gods, and
drove q thriving trade in the charms, in
cense, and candles which he kept for SALE
He is said, too, to have sent around sub
scription papers every now and then, and
to have made pretty handsome thing out
of his credulOus countrymen. There are
not now, nor have there ever been, any
Chinese priests in California; they evil
IDENTIFY do not believe in missionary effort,
or else do not place much faith in their
hold on the people directly they get out of
the Flowery kingdom.
Alas! l cannot say much more for the
noise which they consider music than that
l would about as soon hear q concert Of
hurdy- gurdies and bagpipes. Only re-
Gently, many complaints have been lodged
against their theaters and gambling-houses
in our city, on the ground that no white
man or woman in the neighbOrhOOd could
hope to get wink of sleep, or attend to
any business requiring care, while their
horrible din of tom toms, gOngs, cymbals,
drums, and what not was going on. As to
their language, it does not sound harsh to
me there is kind of Using song" in it
not absolutely unpleasant to the ear.
The first of these points is delicate sub
iect. / have heard of imoralities amongst
hem which should be sorry to repeat.
On the other hand, question whether, as
q people, they are worse than the inhabit
ants of countries which ought to be far
ahead of them. Among themselves they
are extremely charitable and liberal, and
their care for their aged parents is repeat
edly attested in every work on China.
Every steamer to China from San Fran
cisco takes hundreds of petty remittances
some of them "for value received y
quite large number of them gifts to their
families and friends In small things
have found them especially honest. l
never lost an article of clothing at Chinese
laundry. / could not make the same state
ment of some French and other establish
ments which have tried in San Francisco.
In my rooms, daily cleaned out and set to
rights by Chinaman, leave wine or
whisky OUT it remains untouched.
Further, have on two occasions offered
drink to Cinnamon working in the house,
and in both cases it was refused. 1t seemed
to me as though they were anxious to keep
their places, and, while in them, had
strength of mind enough to avoid all drink
ing Among themselves, they do indulge
in kind of wine, or rather spirit, imported
from China The better class here-mer-
chants and tradesmen-quite respectfully
large clique too, indulge in anything
from champagne to bottled porter. They
do not use tobacco or cigars immoderately !;
but we have hundreds of opium smokers
principally in the cities-whO are killing
themselves off very rapidly.
In their home life, the women holds a
secondary place. In China man and
wife never walk arm in arm, or even side
by side the woman follows at respect
full distance. At social gatherings, the
sexes sit at different tables. A Chinaman
looks with pious horror on the familiarity
in which he considers we indulge. Why,
we not merely sit down unfortunately
among bevy of young ladies, but rather
seem to like It'll Terrible! And as to our
balls and dancing parties, he not merely
thinks that we exert ourselves unneceS
sarily, when we could set the servants to
do it for us-or at least hire band of pro-
fessionals for the night to caper in our
presence-but the way in which we waltz,
etc, is scandal in his eyes,
The Chinese quarrel very little among
themselves, and as residents-I will not
call them citizens-they will compare very
favorably with any other as quiet, peace
able, and inoffensive men. We have had
Chinese burglars and thieves, in the cities
principally, but their number has never
been large.-San Francisco Cor. ST. Louis
Democrat