The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1869-10-12

our hntipodes Their habits arc as op-
passta 10 ours a. the direction N their
bodies We stand feet 10 feet in every
thing. In boxing the compass taey say
"Kestnbrth instead northwest. seAst
south. instead of southeast and their
compass needle points south instead o.
north. Their soldiers wear quilted pet.
hcoats, satin boots, aud bead necklaces,
carry umbrellas and fans, and go 10 a
night attack with lanterns IN their
hands, being more afraid Of the dark
than Of exposing themselves TO the enc
my The people are very fond Of fire.
works, bnt prefer 10 have them in the
day time Ladies ride in whcel-bar-
rows, aud cows are driven in carriages
While IN Europe the feet are put in the
stocks, in China the stocks are hung
round the neck In China the family
name comes first and the personal name
afterward Instead Of saying Benjamin
Franklin or Walter Scott, they would
say Franklin Benjamin, Scott Walter.
Thus the Chinese name Of Confacius,
At
Kung is the family name,
Ia the recent wars with the English,
the mandarins or soldiers would some
times run away, and then comnit sui
eide TO avoid punishment In getting
on q horse, the Chinese mount on the
right side Their old men hy kites,
whlie the little boys look on. The left
hand is the seat OF honor, and to keep
on your hat is a sign Of respect Wis
iting cards are painted red. and are
four feet long. Ia the opinion OF the
Chinese, the seat Of the understanding
is the stomach They have villages
which contain million Of inhabitants
Their boats are drawn by men, but
their carriages are moved by sails. z
A married woman, while Young and
pretty is a slave, but when she becomes
old and withered is the most powerful,
respected, and beloved person in the
family The emperor is regarded with
the most profound reverence, but the
empress mother is greater person
than he When man furnishes his
honse, instead OF laying stress, as we
do, on rosewood pianos aud carved
mahogany, his first ambition is for a
handsome camphor wood coffin, which
he keeps in the best place in his room.
The interest Of money is thrtY-six
per cent, which, to be sure, we also
give in hard times TO staye off stop
page, while with them it is the legal
rate.
We once heard bad dinner describ-
ed thus: The meat was cold, the wine
was hot, and everything was sour but
the vinegar This would not so much
dispease the Chinese, who carefully
warm their wine, while we ice ours
They understand good living, however,
very well, are great epicures, and some
what gourmands, for, after dining on
thirty dishes, they viii sometimes eat a
duck by way OF finish. They toss
their meat into their mouths to tune.
every man keeping time with his chop
sticks, while we, on the contrary, make
anything but harmony with the catter
nf our knives and forks. A Chinaman
will not drink a drop of milk, but he
will deyour birds nest, snails and the
fms OF shark, with great relish. Our
mourning color is black, and theirs is
white; they mourn for their parents
three years, we q much shorter time
The principal room in their houses is
called the hall OF ancestors, the PIC
lures or tablets Of whom, set up
against the wall, are worshiped by them; I;
we, on the other hand, are very apt to
send our grandfather's portrait TO the
garret.
Such are few OF the external differ
ences between their customs and ours.
But the most essential peculiarly Of
the Chinese is the high value which
they attribute to knowledge, and the
distinctions and rewards which they
bestow on scholarship. All the civil
offices in the Empire are gwen as re-
wards of literary merit. The govern
ment, indeed, is called complete des-
potism, and the emperor is SAID 10 have
absolute authority. He is not bound
by any written constitution, indeed; !;
but the public opinion ofthe land holds
him, nevertheless, to a strict responsi-
bility. He, no less than his people, lis
bound by law higher than that Of
any private will--the authority Of Gus
tom. In China, more than anywhere
else. what is gray with age becomes
religion. The authority Of the em-
peror is simply to govern according to
the ancient usages Of the country, aud.
whenever, these are persistently viola
ted, revolution takes place and the
dynasty is changed. But revolution
III CAina changes nothing but the per-
son Of the monarch the unwritten con-
stitution Of the Old usages remains IN
fun force.