Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-01-31

Is no melody in the Monaghan foot. Dane
ing he regards as a species of Caucasian in
sanity.
To make an oath binding he must swear
by the head of cock cut of before him In
open court. Chinese testimony Is not adj
missible In American courts. II Is legal
California axiom that Chnaman cannot
speak the truth. But cases have occurred
wherein, he being an eyewitness, the de-
sire to hear what he might tell as to
what he had seen has proved stronger than
the prejudice against him and the more
effectually to clinch the chances of his tell
ing the truth, the above, his national form
Of oath, has been resorted to. He has among
us some secret government of his own.
Before his secret tribunals more than one
Monaghan has been hurried In Star Cham
Der fashion, and never seen afterward. The
nature of the offences thus visited by secret
and bloody punishment IL scarcely known
to Americans. He has two chief deities-
god and devil. Most of his prayers are
offered to his devil. His god he says, be-
ing good and welldispesed. IL is not nee
ugly, and must be won over by Offering
and petition. Once year, wherever col
lected In any number, he builds flimsy
sort OF temple, decorates II with ornaments
OF tinsel, lays piles of fruit, meats, and sug-
AIRED delicacies on an altar, keeps up night
and day steady crash Of gongs, and in
| oIu L.. Inn
idols When this period of worship is over
the "josh house" disappears, and the idols
are unceremoniously slowed away among
other useless lumber.
He shaves with an instrument resem-
bling a butchers cleaver in miniature.
Nature generally denies him beard, so be
shaves what sailor would term the fore
and after part of his head. He resps his
hirsute crop dry, using no lather. His cue
Is pieced out by silken braid, so interwov-
en- as gradually 10 taper into slim tassel,
something like a Missouri mule-driver's
"black snake" whip-lash. To lose this cue
Is TO lose caste and standing among his fell
lows. No misfortune for him can be great
err
Coarse cowhide boots are the only arti-
cles of American wear that he favors. He
incines to buy the largest sizes, thinking
he thereby gets the most for his money,
and when his No. 7 feet wobble and chae
in No. IL boots he complains th,t they aft
too much.'
He cultivates the vegetables of his native
land In California. They are curiosities
like himself. One resembles our string
bean, but is circular in shape and from
two to three feet in length. 1t il not in the
least strngy, breaks off short and crisp
boils tender very quickly, and affords ex-
celent eating. He is very careful cult.
vator, and will spend hours picking of
dead leaves and insects from the young
plants When he finds dead cat, rat, dog
or chicken, he throws il into a small vat o.
water, allows il to decompose, and sprinkle'
the liquid fertilizer thus obtained over his
plantation. Watermelon and pumpkin
seeds are for him dessert delicacies. HI
consumes his garden products about hal
cooked in an American culinary point o
view, merely willing them by an INNER
sion in boiling water.
There are about fifteen English words t
be learned by Chinaman on arriving II
California, and no more. With these h,
expresses all his wants, and with this lin
tilted stock you must learn to convey al
that is needful to him. The practice thu
forced upon one In employing a Chimes
servant is useful in preventing a crcum
ocutory habit of speech. Many of our let
ters the Mongolian mouth has no capacit,
7 for sounding. r he invariably sounds
; like I, so that the word "rice' he pronouUc
es "lice"-a bit of Information which nh,
3 prevent an unpleasant apprehension whel
you come to empl ~ Chinese cook. IL
rejects the English personal pronoun, i
and uses the possessve pronoun my IL
its place thus, "My go home," in place o
a ~ go home"
When he buries a countryman he throw
, from the hearse into the air handluls Q
brown tissue paper slips, punclured witt
9 Chinese characters. Sometimes, at hi
I rial-processions, he gives small piec
| OF money to every person met on the road
Over the grave he beats gongs and sets OF
packs of tire-crackers. On II he leave
cooked meats, drinks, delicacies, and light
4 ed wax tapers. Eventually the bones ar
disinterred and shipped to his native land
In the remotest mining districts OF Califor
I mia are found Chinese graves thus opened
r and cmptied Of their inmates. / have il
one instance seen him. so far as lie wa
.
honors to an American. The deceased ha
gained this honor by treating the Chimes
g as though they were partners in our com
i, mon humanity. "Mssa Tom" as he wa
: termed by them, they knew they coul'
trust. He acquired among them reputa
Q ton as the one righteous American in thei
= :. California Gomorrah. Cinnamon wUul
come to him from distant localities, that h
might overlook their bills of sale and othe
documents used in business intercours
q with the white man. Their need of sue
, an honest adviser was great The descend
ants of the Pilgrim Fathers often took ad
y vantage of their Ignorance of the Englis
), language, written or spoken. "Missa Tom
Il suddenly died. l had occasion to visit hi
3 farm few days after his death, and on th
first night of my stay there saw the ARA
" Of meats, fruit, wine, and burning taper
$ on table In front OF the house, which hi
: Chinese friends told me was intended as a
:, offering to "Missa Toms" spirit.-Lippin
colts Magazine.