Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-07-20
THE CHINESE.
An Interesting Letter from California.
SAN Francisco, CALIFORNIA,


SAN Francisco, CALIFORNIA,
June 21st, 1869. }
! To the Editor of the Enquirer and Ecan',ner:
| [ have recently seen an enquiry from an At
lantic" man published in one OF our city papers,
making many enquiries about the Chinese Of
| California, but the editor says he has not the
! time to answer his questions, and requests some
on to do so. [ therefore propose through your
! columns to give him and my Virginia friends
something OF their characteristics We will
not state his questions, but simply answer
| them
| The Chinese number, it is supposed, flor we
have no accuracy of their numbers) something
between forty and sixty thousand in the Pacific
States, while four-ffths are in California. They
are generally smaller than the whites, copper
colored, head shaved, except the occipitat por-
ton, which is covered with hair two feet or
| more in length, and plated with silk to reach
near their knees. They wear peculiar slippers
and loose 'Toga' coats, which look quite neat
which chatter equal to flock Of black birds. =
Their houses are small, crowded, but they gen
orally look clean and neat on the streets. They
| live very thickly, with many In the same house,
| but not more so than the whites in some parts
of New York and our other large cities; but
| they seem to occupy the same room more than
even the poorest whites and not to care to divide
their large rooms with partitions.
| They all eat with chops sticks, two little
sticks about ten inches long, and several eat out
of the same bowl. They live very cheaply while
poor, but when they get better able, they seem
| particularly fond OF pork and ducks, and they
live well.
They expect to, and do accumulate means by
work and economy, and many return to their
native land for If they die in this country they
have contract with company to take their
bones home to be buried in the land of the
celestials Like all Industrious and economical
people in California they succeed in making
and saving something, while some make for
tunes, but they invest but little here. Their
prospects are very good. for they have means
after a few years to return; and should they
conclude to become citizens the fifteenth amend
ment will offer them prospect of doing so, and
as they are orderly and industrious, they will
no doubt make useful citizens. Nearly all over
six years can read and write their language, and
it is said all the grown ones are educated They
keep their accounts very correctly. Some are
employed In houses doing business with China,
and it is said by their employers that they never
make mistakes. Very few of them seem to care
anything about learning the English more than
is absolutely necessary In business, but they
readily learn anything In the way Of work. They
work successfully at mining, railroading, shoe
making, farming, gardening, as house-servants,
keeping stores, keeping markets, and particular
| " in keeping laundries, and returning clothing
correctly. They say their way Of calculating
with their counting box" is better than ours
The impressions created are ofyarious kinds
| The capitalists and all who wish to employ
labor, are impressed with their great usefulness,
for they we'll know that California would not be
so well developed, and that the Pacific railroad
could not have been built with the high price
of white labor, and they look on them as bless
ing to California. The laboring whites are
impressed with an idea that they are a
nuisance in lowering the wages, which, by the
way, is now much higher than in any Eastern
/ State. They engage early in all kinds of bust
ness. We are informed that some come on
their own account and pay their own expenses,
but the majority have their expenses paid at
their own request by companies of Chinese here
or in China, and they obiigate themselves to
work it out, which obligation they are honest
| enough to fulfil.
| In regard to their religion, they seem to be
| Deists, for they profess to believe in One God,
whom they call Josh, and who reveals him
self to them only through his great works, such
as the Sun, Moon, Earth, SC. It seems to
have the effect" of making them contented
and satisfied, and they seem to be less afraid to
die than our Christian people. 1t is hardly
probable that they will ever accept Christ as
the Son of God, and the labors Of the mission
aries, with years of residence in California have
not had the effect yet of causing one In mil
lion to become Christians. 1t is not supposed
that there is one Christian among them in
California, and it is doubtful if there is one in
the world. They make sport Of the idea
MEXICAN men, as they call the whites, could
kill the Son of Josh, or Little JOSH" as
they call him.
They agree in one God and one religion, and
| they say We have too many religions, and that
heathens and will ultimately join them in their
religion. 1t is net probable that they will ac-
cept any other creed, for they abuse the Jews
! for killing Mclean mans JOSH. Some of
them may accept the American religion of
Brigham Young They are no doubt increas-
ing slowly, but as many return, and some must
die, while they raise but very few children, they
increase very slowly at present They still i'm
migrate here IN considerable numbers, and they
all expect to go back alive Or be taken back
dead, but many of them will give it up and cast
their destiny with u.s. particularly the children
who are born here, and many native Chinese
who go into the interior and are forced by cir
cumstances, where they on y meet Americans,
to learn the language and adopt our habits.
| There are many conflicting opinions about
their being here, and they will yet be used by
parties in political strife, but the writer, after
due consideration of the subject, would venture
to advise that the true policy for this country
to pursue towards all foreigners is to give them
fair play and equal rights with all other citizens
| (when they become citizens) and let their labor
have fair showing in competition with other
| labor
| This liberal course has in short time made
us powerful nation, and we should not change
it. Equal ri ghts in politics and religion brings
equal rights In all things. G. ". G..