The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-08-26
MISCELLANY.
From the Columbia Phoenix.
THE CHINAMEN.


siye importation of Chinese is at present
uppermost in the minds of many of our
citia ms, who claim to have the future
welfare of the South at heart, it may
not be out of place to give short ac'
count cf the character, the habits and
the industrial capacity of these people
whom we propose to bring into our
midst. A celebrated German land
scape painter, Edward Hildebrandt'
lately deceased at Berlin, has LETT an
account of his recent journey around
the world, which is not only highly
amusing and instructive, but also en-
sirely trustworthy, on account OF the
high character Of its author. He says
,.The Chinese are more cleanly and
mere industrious than the Hindoos; but
they are fearfully perVerse and immoral
4 saw on my journey, (through the ce.
lestiap empire,) numerous corpses OF
children floating in the rivers. In
Hong Kong, my friends had already
prepared me for these horrible symp-
TENS of Chinese immortality, but when
I saw the fact befv-e my eyes, almost
lost my self.control. Infanticiae is the 3
order of the day, owing to the crowded
population and the difficulty of gaining
the necessary subsistence for the family.
The newborn girls generally fall vic
TINS to this horrible practice-especlal-
Nv when they have weak constitution
and unattractive featutes. The unnat-
ural parents throw their children into
the river, or expose them alive, prey
to dogs and hogs. In tho larger towns,
which are not situated on the rivers,
the corpses are thrown into pits. which,
from time to time, are filled up with
quick lime. The activity of European
missionaries is powcrless against this
practice; in fact, their efforts are en-
.tirely without result Still, in spite
of this moral degradation, the author
says, the Chinese arc, in some respects
a very interesting people. Their shops
3offer to the foreign visitors innumcra-
ble objects Of attraction.
Their fantastically gotten-up tea SER
vices, their carvings in ebony wood,
their chairs, sofas, tables aud bedsteads,
made Of the costliest woods aud inlaid
with curious mosaic, composed of
small pieces of white and red marble,
cannot be too much admired. In their
agricultural pursuits they excel any
other nation in economy. Every third
man carries manure on his back from
the towns; even the shavings Of the
boards and the trimmings of the finger
nails are brought up and turned to
account by the gardners and farmers in
the aeighborhood of the cities. Inter-
esting is a dinner at the house Of
."Mandarin." The "Tschau- -Tschau"
consisted Of at least thirty or forty-6ve
courses. Hard.boiled eggs, which had
been preserved four or five years under
ground, Indian birds nests, shark fus,
pickled and dried rain-worms swim
ming in blush sauce, hachees of large
and small caterpillars were, with many
others, the dishes with which the trav-
elers were rcgaled. Our thirst was
.qucnehed with light luke-warm wine.
A quantity of confectionery, composed
of sugar, almonds and hogs lard, con-
stituted the desert. The rat is the ia
vorite game of the Chinese. Gour-
mands know how to appreciate the diff.
ference between land and water rats
more that biologists can do. The for
mer are said to be superior in flavor,
snd bring consequently higher price
They are in such demand as to form an
article of trade, so that the newspapers
of Hong Kong habitually quote their
market price in their price currents
The literary and scientific knowledge
of the Chinese is of the lowest order
their judicial proceedings are barbarouS
their punishments inconceiVably crue
and loathsome. Nor is there, it seems
any hope that this nation will ever at
tain to higher degree of mental cul
ture, owing to the strange stability" o.
Chinese character and customs"
With such accounts before us, it be
hooyes those among US, who do not looL
merely TO the immediate advantages o