The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-08
RETURNING OHINAMEN.

From the N. Y. Herald.
The steamer China, which left San Fran
cisco on Monday, the 18th inst, carried away
besides an American Minister to Japan and
several Consuls to Japan and China from the
United States, Great Britain and Belgium
and large batch of missionaries to China
no less than eight hundred and five returning
Cinnamon, and three hundred and thirty
seven thousand dollars in treasure, most of it
destined for Hong Kong. Thus the relations
of San Francisco with the extreme Orient are
steadily increasing. 1t has been said that the
majority of these returning Cinnamon have
gained money in America, but that many of
them, perhaps almost all, go back to their
native country in consequence of the hostility
manifested towards them by the California
population. The cruel treatment and unjust
legislation to which Chinese immigrants to
California have been subjected seem to en-
lightened minds at once selfish, silly and
short-sighted; although popular instincts
are rarely altogether unjustifable, md
the prejudice against Chinese immigration
may be partly accounted for by the fact that,
Notwithstanding its demonstrable material
advantages in the future development of the
wealth of the Pacific slope and of the semi
tropical Southern States not only the vices
of the Chinaman, but his apparent incapacity
for moral improvement, his stereotyped habits
as a sort of moral fossil and the manifest in
feriorty of his political to his industrial capa-
bilities make it still an open question whether
it should be encouraged or discouraged.
Meanwhile, it has actually begun and is
rapidly increasing at an almost incredible
rate And each of these returning Cinnamon
will be living epistle to a widening circle
of acquaintances at home, who will be
eager to seek in America the marvellously
high wages and the plentiful food of which he
will tell such surprising tales. Every letter
enclosing five-pound note and sent horle by
the Irish, or Scotch, or English, or German
immigrant to the United States has been in
strumental in swelling the tide of immigra-
ton to this country. So each Chinaman who
goes home himself, whatever his immediate
motives for returning may be, will prove to
be more efficient than all his fellow-passen-
gers, the missionaries, in multiplying the
number of his compatriots who are to be
brought within the influences of American
civilization. No people are more attached to
their native soil than the Chinese, and large
part of the transportation business between
San Francisco and Hong Kong consists in
sending to the latter port the corpses of
Cinnamon. Whether the Cinnamon go back
alive with money in their pockets or are car
ried back dead in their coffins their patient
industry while here deposits permanent ad-
dition to our national wealth. In this con-
nection we are glad to say that in New York,
at least, efforts have been seriously made to
supply with suitable instruction the few
Cinnamon whom we see selling candy and
cigars at our street corners. On Monday
evening the Chinese school, founded by Mr.,
and Mrs. Railsback, at the Five Points House
Of Industry, celebrated its annual festival.
Chinese dishes and music on Chinese instru-
ments, as well as speeches in both Chinese
| and English, were features of the occasion.
The intelligence and rapid progress of these
Chinese pupils, who devote their evenings tc
study, are applauded by their teacher. WheI
they also go back to China they may become
| teachers in their turn.