The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1869-07-30
THE CHINESE nv AMERICA.

, Journal, in which the writer treats of The
immigration ofthe Chinese to this country
their infusibility with other nationaItics,
their national pride, population, antiqui-
ty, and probable future in this country
He says: The people of the Atlantic
States unacquainted with the Chinese
: population, regard their immigration to
this country in the same light they would
the importation ofan equal number of The
negro race from Africa.
But the Chinaman and the negro are
human beings Of n very unlike character
and nature. The difference between the
two races is as the difference between an
intensely ignorant but docle child, pIas
tic and plant as clay in the hands ofthc
potter, and a grown man, sharp but very
narrow minded, opinionated and fixed in
character. The negro, when brought to
this country, is a simple barbarian, with
nothing to unlcarn, and whose highest
ambition is to initiate the superior race in
words, acts, and manners. The Chinese
have civilization and history OF their
own; a vanity which causes them to look
down ON all other races; habits Of thought
rendered permanent by being stamped
upon uncountcd generations.
To limited extent the Chinese become
quickly Americanized; but their Ameri-
canization is only superficial. They learn
to bay and sell, to labor according to
American modes, just as they discard the
umbrella shaped hat, wide trousers, and
thick paper shoes for the felt hat, panta-
looms, and boots; but they retain all their
essential habits and modes of thought
just as they retain their cues. The Chi
namen attending hop field, digging a
ditch, or firing an engine in California,
is just essentially Chinaman as his
brother on the other side Of the Pacific,
working with the same tools as his faith
ers worked with eighteen hundred years
ago.
The American and English missionaries
who for thirty-nine years, at cost of &c.
900, 900, have with but triAing success
been laboring in China, know full well
how intensely this people is wooded to
the customs and habits Of their ancestry;
how unwavering their trust in the relig-
ious faith and ceremonies which have
come down to them from time immemo-
rial.
The Chinese, as people, are so much
like Americans as to believe that their
civilization, political economy, social usa-
gcs, and religious creed, arc superior to
all the world beside, and that they are
superior race. We make the same claim
ourselves. In the Chnaman's view the
difference between his civilization and
ours is all in his favor. We claim, and
of course, with justice, that the difference
is in our favor. Wejudge China and her
civilization by the masses of her most IL
literate and degraded population now on
our coast; they, with equal justice, judge
of us and our civilization, by the associa-
tons of our "forccastles," "dead- falls"
and Grail road gangs"
There are few intelligent, well-bred,
liberal Cinnamon among us, but the mas
ses are from the lowest class in China
But there are some things which give to
the lowest Chinaman a certain conscious
dignity which claims respect. For ex-
ample, he knows he has country. Time
was when men were proud to say, ''I'm
a Roman citizen" with equal pride we
face the world to say, 'I'm an American
citizen" The Cinnamon with like con-
fidcnce, claims to be subject of the
''Son of Heaven"
We are proud of our extensive terrific
ry, vast prairies, mountains, lakes and
rivers. In all these things the Chinaman
has right to boast of his country; for
China is as large as the United States,
even stretched to its utmost extent by
our Fourth of July orators. A China
man might ask you to open to the map
of North America, and leaving British
America out of count, to add together all
the square miles of all other divisions of
this continent, from the North Pole to the
Isthmus of Panama, and then with an
excusabIc pride of national glory he
could inform you that the domain Of his
Emperor is equal to all that.
The great recommendation of the
Chinese labor is its chcapncss. Nopeo-
pie in the world are such close econe-
.mists. They will live well, according
to their ideas, where an Anglo, Saxon
will starve. A little rice sufices them,
little pork added constitutes high liv-
ing little chicken the highest of lux
ury. Go into Chinese habitation and
you find every inch utility. A room
ten feet square will bunk dozen, be-
sides aAfording workshop, kitchen, and
eating room. Reduce wages to the
starvation point for Yankee, and the
Cinnamon will not only live better than
at home, but lay up money.
Large numbers of Cinnamon are al
ready employed as servants in hotels,
boarding houses and families, taking the
place of girls in chamberwork and cook
ing, in which they quickly become ex-
: perts. For twelve months large part
of the immigration has boon boys from
ten to sixteen wears old, who immedi-