Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1873-02-15
JOHN.
The Character and Habits of the
Chinese in America.

Chinese in America.
John Cinnamon is a sort of museum
in his character and habits. We must
be pardoned for giving details of these,
mingled promiscuously, rather after the
museum style. His New Year comes in
February. For the Cinnamon of limit
ed means it lasts a week; for the wealthy
it may endure three. His consumption
of fre-crackers during that period is
immense. He burns strings a yard in
length suspended from poles over his
balconies. The uproar and spluttering
consequent on this festiyity i'll the Chin
ese quarter of San Francisco is ire
mendous. The city authorities limit
this Celestial Pandemonium for a 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, buz-
zing sounds, mystifying whole neiGhbor-
hoods. His game of shuttlecock is to
a 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 a 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 a diligent student of
his own comfort. Travelling on foot
during a 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 lover of flowers. His bal
comics and window-sills are often thick
" 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 a lover of the drama. A single
play requires sometimes months for
representation, being like serial story,
continued" night after night. He
never dances. There is no melody in
the Mongolian foot. Dancing he re-
CARDS as a species of Caucasian insanity.
To make an oath binding, he must
swear by the head of cock cut off be-
fore him in open court. Chinese testi-
mony is not admissible in American
courts 1t is legal California axiom
that Chinaman cannot speak the truth.
But cases have occurred wherein (he
being an eve-winess) 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 eff
fectually to clinch the chances of his
telling the truth, the above, his nation
al form of oath, has been resorted to.
He has among us some secret govern
ment of his own. Before his secret
tribunals more than one Mongolan has
been buried in Starr 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
deities-a god and devil. Most of his
prayers are offered to his devil. His
God, he says, being good and well dis
posed, it is not necessary to prOpitiate
him. But this devil is ugly, and must
be won over by offering and petition.
Once a year, wherever collected in any
number, he builds fiimsy sort of tenn
pie, decorates it with ornaments of tin
sci, lays piles of fruit, meats, and SUI
CARED delicacies on an altar, keeps up
night and day steady crash Of gongs,
and installs therein some great, uncouth
wooden idols. When this period of
worship is over the "iosh-house" dis
appears, and the idols are unceremon-
iously slowed away among other useless
lumber.
He shaves with an instrument resem-
bling butchers cleaver in miniature.
Nature generally denies him beard, SO
he shayes what sailor would term the
fore and aft part of his head, He reaps
his hirsute crop dry, using no lather.
His cue is piecsd out by silken braid, 50
interviewer as gradually to taper into a