Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-01-12
John Chinaman,

w haJ manner OF man is ne i! very
black of hair, very low of stature, and
not thing of beauty. In laughter he
shows his gums horribly. But he is
not the Man Who Laughs, except
among his own mates. With Ameri-
cans, when he is not addressed, he is
immovably serene, silent and serious.
He is a born gambler. Whatever
his age or condition, games of chance
with ludicrously trif1ing stakes
possess a wild fascination for him.
Every California town has its Chinese
quarter; every Chinese quarter
abounds in gambling houses. On the
subject of opium, the variance between
his theory and practice reveals the hu-
man nature strong within him. Opt
um smoking, he invariably answers
is bad, very bad and yet six out OF
every seven idlers whom one meets
on an evening walk through the Chi
nese quarters, bear indelible evidence
of the habit written on their jaded
CHASTITY features.
He is gregarious. He must have,
not one, but several friends, to whom
to whisper solitude is sweet.n No
Practicable pecuniary temptation will
induce him to come to the Eastern
States, unless half a dozen or a dozen
of his comrades are to accompany him
and live with him. He loves to dwell
in towns. Even as a house servant he
does not sleep under his masters roof
if he can possibly avoid it, but goes to
the Chinese quarter to spend every
night with his comrades. He will
work as late as he is wanted, however,
without complaint, and he will be on
hand at any required hour in the
morning. He is a great night bird
and his turn is eOnvivial. He and
his mates join in frequent little sup
pers, which they keep up till
nearly daylight. The materials for
these nocturnal banquets are believed
to be contributed unwittingly, by
Johns employer, and brought away
surreptitiously in Johns basket. His
mistress often keeps her most valuable
stores locked up, and issues only a
weeks supply to him at time, but he
is frugality embodied, and can make
gleanings enough for the midnight
suppers, and sometimes, perhaps, for
supplying himself with pocket money
besides.
John prizes the pennies. An offer
of half dollar more per month may
take him away from a household to
which he seemed warmly attached
But his people are so numerous in
California that it is easy to fill his
place. Agents of the Chinese COmpa-
ny on furnishing a servant, warrant
him for one year, and if he runs away
or proves dishonest, send a substitute
instead. Still, ladies who wish to avoid
change, often keep Johns pay half
dollar or dollar in arrears to
make sure that he will not leave with
out fair notice. Girls in California for
general housework, receive in gold,
$50 per month, and upwards. China
men obtain about the same prices,
though some skilled cooks obtain from
S25 to $40, and boys are hired as low
as SO. Governor Blaisdel, of Nevada,
tells me that he leaves his house for
weeks under the charge of his Chi
nese steward, without the least appre-
hension. Such trust is not uncOm-
mon, though of course it is sometimes
abused. a firm in San Francisco
lately found that a Chinaman who
had been with them for years, and
was trusted as fully as the partners
themselves, had stolen several thous-
and dollars worth of goods, little by
little. Still, on the whole, the Chi
nese compare favorably in point OF
honesty, with the house servants of
any other nationality obtainable in
America. In general morality they
seem superior to every other class OF
masculine servants. Some ladies fear
to trust them with their little daugh-
ters yet with their almost universal
employment, 1 have only heard of
a single instance in which any imprO-
priety was attempted by them. In
quietness, tractableness, and imita-
tiveness, they are certainly unequall-
ed --AHqnfic BIOTEhylL