The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1870-06-30
ORIENTALISM IN NEW ENG
LAND.


The Chinese at the Lapstone-OurP Pho
tographs of the Pigtails All My
and "Ah Sing" in their New Home
North Adams Mass June ID correspondence OF the
Boston Advertiser.
All My is short Of statue,
slightly built, and his beardlsss face sug.
gests that he is yet but boy but we
must not Judge his age BY home stand
ards. His eyes seem half shut, so mar
row are they, but they are keen and quick.
His skin is dusky, his nose fat, his teeth
prominent Half his head is shaved close !;
on the crown is coiled the long braided
cue Of let black hair, terminating In
tassel, which would be hanging about
All Mys heels were be In full dress. His
cue is shorter than those of some OF his
comrades, as he is young there are some
of the party which just touch the ground.
It is the dearest possession of China
man. and the one member of the COM
pany who is old and bald, wears a false
one, pined to his paue the Lord knows
how. All My has saved the heads of
some ofhis comrades since he got Ia from
his long Journey, and has had the same
service performed for himself as the
browning act of thorough ablution which
has left him as clean as wax. His hands
are very small, and delicate and soft as =
woman's, owing, perhaps, in some meas
ure to bis wearing long sleeves and hav
ing national habit of clasping his hands
together in the overlapping ends, as in
a muff. He wears blue nankeen blouse,
made in China-with much care of stitch
ing, fastened by frogs and small brass
buttons; loose trowsers of the same stuff;
stockings like any body else, and wonder
fully easy little slipper like shoes. the
toes pointing a little upward, the sole an
inch thick, Of white pressed wool. His
head is anonymously covered with
common soft hat, of American manufac
ture, Mr.. Simpsons agent finding him.
self obliged to provide for all his charge
in this respect before quitting San Fran
cisco. All My bears himself rather shy
inspect him. He is studying English
with all his might, and loses no opportu
nifty to gain crumb Of information
"What you call p he says, plucklng at
the couch by which he stands. Bed,
we answer. eyes, | know, bed he re,
plies, shaking his head, and pointing still
more vigorously, 'but what you call %
Mattress. we reply; and whoever
meets All My for the next hour will hear
him softly repeating, with much motion
of the jaw and manifest difficulty OF
combining the syllables, "Mat-tress
mattress, until he knows it perfectly,
and is ready to absorb another atom OF
knowledge in the same slow way.
Pass we now into the next room, used by
the new colonists as sitting room and
dining room, furnished with benches and
tables. and lighted with gas-an unneecs-
sary piece of liberality on Mr. Sampson S
part, as the laborer's contract and expect
to provide their own candles-but adding
much to the cheerfulness OF the place.
Here again the place swarms with China
men, in great variety of interesting oc-
equations. But before we begin to ex-
anime them in detail, MIR. Sampson in
PRODUCES Mr.. Sing" the Chinese fore,
man, who can explain much that would
otherwise be mysterious.
All Sing is not an ordinary Chlnaman.
A young man like most of his fellows,
his face shows brighter intelligence, or
perhaps rather wider culture, than any
of the rest. He has been eight years In
this country, serving the first five faith
fully as a house servant, cook and cham
bermaid, and has made such progress
In his stay as to enable him to command
the great wages, for one ri his race,
which | have already mentioned. He Is
Americanized in many ways. He wears
the garments of our civilization through
out, a remarkably natty boot, fitting his
little foot; but he still cherishes the ma
tive fashions, and has brought in his
baggage for use on special occasions
Chinese shoes of gorgeous embroidery,
and superb coat of sea otter skins lin
ed with silk, which paid prodiglous
duty on entering California. He speaks
broken English readily but being fast
talker of swift ideas it is impossible, for
your correspondent at least, to under
stand him when lie undertakes long
explanation, though his short answers
are plain enough. He reads print pref
ty we'll, lodging the hard words as a
child would. He has taken an English
name for common use, be 'Charlie" in
everyday life, and "Mr. Sing" only on
state occasions. More remarkable than
all, he has joined the Methodist Church,
and brings letter of credit from his
San Francisco pastor to the clergymen In
North Adams in the approved way. L
should not hesitate to predict full con-
gregation next Sunday, to hear the new
members recitation of experience. Still
another of Charles requirements was
brought out by an incident of the journey
hither. At Omaha the bitter hostility
of emigrants from the East towards emf
grants from the West begun to make
Itself heard. A big somewhat tipsy
Irishman, forced his way into the car,
breathing menaces of violence, and drew
his loaded revolver upon the foreman,
who strove to prevent him. Charlie,
with one motion, seized the fellows pis-
toll hand and held it harmlessly aloft,
and at the same instant drew his own
revolver and held it against his breast.
.'You leave" said All Sings gentle
tones. me shoot you. Me just as
quick shoot you as not. " And so he
backed the astonished Irishman out of
the car aud down the steps, IN way
that showed he had learned something
besides religion In eight years spent IN
California and Nevada.
The young men who fill this room, rest
ing from their journey and waiting to be
set at work, are neither smoking nor
drinking, talking obscenity nor quarrel
ling. as some classes of immigrants | wot
of would be likely to be; nor are any OF
them Absolutely idle. Here one is read
ing with evident ease and rapidity Chin
ese book which he has brought with him.
Your people can all read" observ-
ed to All Sing. "We have some imml>
grants come here who can It read.
Ii is edifying to watch the Chinaman' S
amaZement.
No read English, you mean p
<'Some who cannot read at all, In Their
own language
''What for not learn, when children ?
Lazy? Bad? Fool?