Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-01-30
For the REPuBIIcAS.
John CHIyANAN,

| MEssRs. EDITORS Having returned
from Beaver Falls, Pa, few days ago,
take pleasure in saying few words
through the columns OF your excellent
paper, in regard to the peculiarities and
oddities of that heatfen race, from my
own observation while there. They
number in all about one hundred and
sixty-eight. The Chinese people are
doubtless one of the most eonceited ma
tions on earth. The manners and Gus
toms, such as met the eye, and attracted
my attention By their newness and od-
dity, first found place in their journals
and combined TO continue the impress
ion generally entertained, that the
Chinese were on the whole an uninter-
esting, grotesque, and uncivilized pig
eyed'' people, whom one run no risk in
laughingat; an. umbrella race, ~ long
tailed celestials," at once conceited, ig-
norant land almost unimprovable. Their
color is a brunette or sickly white, rath-
er approaching a yellowish tint than
fierid. The hair Of the head is lank,
black, coarse and glossy; beard always
black, thin and deficient. The cheek
bones are high, and the outline of the
face remarkably round. The nose is
rather small, much depressed, and near
ly even with the face at the root, and
wide at the extremity; there is, how
ever, considerable difference in this re-
spect, but no aquiline noses are seen.
Eyes invariably black, and apparently
oblique; this is owing to the slight de-
gree in which the inner angles of the
eyelids open, the internal canthi being
more acute than in western races, and
not allowing the whole iris to be seen.
The nrincipal articles Of dress are inner
anG outer tunics of various lengths
made of cotton or silk, reaching below
the loins or to the feet; the lapel on the
right side folds over the breast, and fits
close about the neck. which is left un-
covered. The sleeyes are much wider
and longer than the arms, have no cuffs
or facings, and in common cases serve
for pockets. The shoes are made of
silk or cotton, with thick felt soles,
which keep the feet dry and unchilled
ON the ground; so that the chinese may
be said really to carry the floor of his
house under his feet, instead of laying
it on the ground. The thick soles of
the shoes render it necessary for ease in
walking to round up their ends, which
constrains the toes into an elevated po-
sition, SO irksone that all 60 slipshod,
who conveniently can do so.i The cost
of cotton suit for day laborer need
not exceed five dollars, and complete
silken one, of the gayest colors and
best materials, can easily be procured
for twenty-five or thirty. Quilted cot
ton garments are much worn, and sup-
ply the place of woolen. Their mode
of wearing their hair is surely comical.
The head shaved. to the crown, and
the hair carefully braided in a single
plat behind. Laborers often wind it
about the head, or roll it into ball be-
hind out of the way, when at work
The art Of cooking has not reached any
high degree of perfection among the
Chinese, consisting chiefly of stews of
various kinds, in which garlic and grease
are more abundant than pepper and
salt. Meats and vegetables are cooked
by boiling and frying; but roast or
baked dishes are not common, owing
partly to the greater amount of fuel re-
quired, and the idea that they are more
heating than moist dishes. The articles |
of kitchen furniture in dwelling are
few and simple; an iron boiler, shaped
like the segment of sphere, for stew
ing or frying, portable earthen fur
mace, and two or three different shaped |
earthenware pots for boiling water or
vegetables, constitute the whole estab-
lishment, A few other utensils, as
tongs, ladies, forks, sieves, mills, &C.,
are used to greater or less extent;
though the variety is quite commensur-
ate with the simple cookery. Both
meats and vegetables, previously hashed
into mouthfuls, are stewed or fried in
oil or fat; theY.are not cooked in large
joints or steaks for the table of house,
but hogs are baked whole for sacrifices,
and when eaten are hashed and fried |
again. Cutting the food into small
pieces secures its thorough cooking with
less fuel than it would otherwise re-
quire, and is moreover Indispensable
for eating it with chopsticks.
JAMES B. DAVIS,
PANT NAIIEY- o.