Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-06-30
ODD CHINESE CUSTOMS.

John Chinaman has many queer ways
worthy, as we of the West will agree.
of nation standing head downwards on
the other side of our globe. The Chica--
90 Tribune summarizes some of them
thus, in contrast with our Occidental
way:
The mariners compass is made to point
south, instead of north, by putting the
index on the opposite end of the needle =
rider mounts horse from the of side;
instead Of backing shoes. they whiten
them with chalk; the old men Fly the
kite, while the boys look on. An Amer
lean, as an act of hospitality, treats you
to glass of wine. A Chinaman intfo-
duces you to his dead grandmother in her
coffin, He shows you his own. coffin
with as bland politersess as Frenehman-
would show you his pictures or an Eng
lshman his dogs. To Express his pleas
ure at meeting you, he does not shake
your hand, but his own, moving them
up and down as if he were pumping out
his feelings, and the gush was slow. In
stead of taking off his hat, on coming in
to your presence, he takes off his shoes.
As mark of special honor at a feast he
seats you at his right, and sends your
ladies into an Inferior room, to eat by
themselves, So that you can get as drunk
as you please without gratifying their Gu
riosity Unmarried women are regarded
as of very little account but mothers al
ways rule their children and grand-ohil-
dren, to whatever age they may attain
Here, on the contrary, pretty young girls
command all who approach them, and the
rule of oh ldren over their parents is only
less perfect than their sway over the
grandparents. Here you ask father how
many children he has. and he answers per-
haps, three. In China he would answer
zone child and two girls" When man
marries, his mother acquires the rightte
''boss" bis wife as wei ven as s ..nss.., which
is very eonsoHng to all parties. The
mother-in-law is consoled by having one
more to boss over The husband is con-
solcd by the feeling that his labor is di-
vided. The daughter-in-law is eonsoled>
by knowing that she'll do the same when
she becomes a mother-in- law. A book is
read from the left of the page to the right.
from tina bottom to the top, and begin
ming with the last page and ending with
the first. The written language is not
spoken, and the spoken language is not
written, SO that two persons mag be able
to understand each other perfectly by wri-
ting when neither can comprehend q
word the other may say. The detectives
sound tom tom as they 60 through the
streets, to warn rogues and thieves that
they are coming. The tax collectors are
Regarded, not as officers of the govern
ment, but as licensed thieves, authorized
to take al they can get ithout exciting
any instructions which they cannot them
selves suppress, But one of their wisest
customs, worthy Of all imitation is when
they get very angry with their friends
and nothing but vengeance can slake their
fury, they kill themselves, in the confident
belief that the enduring remorse of their
friends, at having been the cause OF their
death, will far exceed their own Temporal
ry and trifing inconvenience in dying. =
This brings the sweets Of yengence with
in the reach of every deserving young
man or woman L enables every af1ict-
ed person who can afford to invest five
eents in ratsbane, or half that sum IN rope,
to punish his enomies 10 his hearts CON
tent without ever being subjected to trl-
al, except BY Coroner's jury, who would.
generally 6ud yerdics of complete justi-
6cation.