The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-02-13
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The Character and Habits Of the
Chinese in America.


The Character and Habits Of the
Chinese in America.
John Cinnamon is a sort Of museum
in his character and habits. We mus
be pardoned for giving detail" OF til
mingled promiscuously, RI, 20. !. 'er the
museum style. His New '.'r comes in
February. For the Cinnamon Of limit
ed means it lasts week; for the wealthy
it may endure three. His. consumption
Of fire-crackers during that period is
immense. He burns strings 9 yard in
length suspended from poles over his
balconies. The uproar and spluttering
consequent on this festivity in the Chin
ese quarter of San Francisco is tre-
mendous. The city authorities limit
this Celestial Pandemonium for week.
He does not forsake the amusement
of kite-fying even when arrived at ma
turity. His artistic imitation OF birds
and dragons float over our house-tops.
To these are often affixed contrivances
for producing hollow, mournful, buzz
zing sounds, mystifying whole neighbor-
hoods. His game of shuttlecock is to
cork, one end being stuck with
feathers, flying in the air as long as
possible, the impelling member being
the foot, the players standing in circle
and numbering from four to twenty
Some show great dexterity in kicking
with the heel. His vocal music to our
ears seems monotonous caterwaul.
His violin has but one string; his exc
cution is merely modified species OF
saw-fling.
He loves to gamble, especially in
lotteries. He is diligent student OF
his own comfort. Travelling on foot
during hot day, he protects himself
with an umbrella and refreshes himself
with fan. In place of prosaic signs
on his store-fronts, he often inscribes
quotations from his favorite authors.
He is q lover of flowers. His bal
comics and window-sills are often thick
ly packed with shrubs and creepers In
pots, He is not speedy and taciturn
eater. His tea-table talks are full OF
noisy jollity, and are often prolonged
far into the night.
He is lover Of the drama. A single
play requires sometimes months for
representation, being like a.serial story,
continued" night after night. he
never dances. There is no melody In
the Mongolian foot. Dancing he re-
CARDS as species Of Caucasian insanity.
To make an oath binding, he must
swear by the head Of cock cut of be-
fore him in open court. Chinese testl-
mony is not admissible in American
courts. 1t is legal California axiom
that Chinaman cannot speak the truth.
But cases have occurred wherein Che
being an eye-witness) the desire to hear
what he might tell as to what he had
seen has proved stronger than the pre-
iudice against him and the more ei-
| fectually TO clinch the chances OF his
telling the truth, the above, his nation
=, form NJ oath. has been resorted to.
He has among us some secret govern
ment Of his own. Before his secret
tribunals more than one Mongolisn has
been buried in Star Chamber fashion,
and never seen afterward. The nature
Of the offences thus visited by secret
and bloody punishment is scarcely
known to Americans. He has two chief
deitiss-a god and devil. Most OF his
prayers are offered TO his devil. His
God, he says. being good and we'll dis
posed, il is not necessary TO propitiate
him. But this devil ID ugly, and mus
be won sver by Offering and petition
Once . yen, wherever collected in an,
numbsr, he builds . nimsy sort Of tenn
pie, decoratss il With ornaments Of tin
sci, lays piles Of fruit, meats, and su
CARED delicacies on an altar, keeps ~
night and day . steady crash Of gong.
and installs therein some great, unccuil
wooden idolA When this perioq Q