The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-09-17
cnLNESE MlLDS 1ND WIYEN

IIIIAEaoE MIILtN -lAND W A-f9s
There are no spinsters in China eXcep
the nuns, who dedicate their yirginity to
Budha. These ladies shave their heads
like the Buddhist priests, and thus deprive
themselves of the only sign OF gender
the hair dressed Ia teapot paid them
a visit in an old tumble-down convent,
more intricate of navigation than even
the mandarins' labyrinth-like palaces.
Yet. strange to say, in this nunnery
gentleman friend had the entrCe. ! also
noticed that the nuns had male servants,
as in every establishment in China, even
European. For although one may obtain
a woman to nurse a baby, or even, under
pretense of tending a lady, get woman
to squat on the floor of q sick room, it is
very rarely you can induce them to do
any work whatever A nurse employed
bya friend of mine refused to carry the
baby out of doors or roll it in the peram-
bulator, and coolie had to be engaged
for the purpose. The great business of
the nuns is to do the praying for the fe-
male portion of sinners. They visit the
sick, and perform ceremonies over them
which are considered alike beneficial for
this world and the neXt--a sort OF Bud
hist "extreme junction." These women
are reared and brought up for the priest
hood, like the vestal virgins Of the Ro-
mans.
This being the case, could not account
for their singular uglness. Perhaps 1t
was the shaven head that made them so
unpreposessing, and which conveyed the
impression, in spite of my knowledge to
the contrary, that they were lunatics
However, they received me with the
same gracious civility as their handsome
lay-sisters, and INDUCED in thorough
feast of curiosity over me. Nothing es-
capped them until they got hold Of my
parse, when they forthwith began to beg
as hard for money as many religious
Christian danes ] wot of.
ave are so poor" argued the abbess, a
little old woman, crooked, gnarled, and
round-headed like knobstick; "and we
can not 90 out to beg like the monks, who
get so much. Look at our best image of
Budha," she cried, dragging aside bat
tered curtain, with his head knocked
off"
There he was, surely enough, holding
his head on his lap. "Put it on again,"
l suggested, my organ of order being Of
Tended.
at will not stick on" said the old ab-
bess piteously, yet making the attempt,
when the head niddled-noddled in a gro
tesque fashion. "Why, will you not give
enough to buy new one? 1t was your
own infdel cannon balls, when the
Fan Kwie shelled our city, that carried
off the head of our richest and most beau
tiful Budha All that was q dreadful
timel You ought to give us money to
compensate u.s." And the poor old lady
clasped her hands and her long nails rat
tied like quilts.
In truth, the convent, beside its own
natural dilapidation, bore marks of hav-
ing stood the brunt Of the shelling. |
asked howthey managed during the fir
ing? She told me they had crept into
the foundations of the house and the un-
derground passages. There were num-
Der Of girls of various ages, all with the
shaven head, all being trained for this
religious life. One, quite IL little toddler,
u very baby, miniature abbess, very
droll to look upon, but of whom they all
seemed very fond, ], too, was obliged to
indulge the little one by giving her some
coin, though had scrupulous doubts that
they would be employed to mend or fas-
ten Budha's head again.
l am sorry to have to add that these
Chinese vcstals, in common with their
European sisters, are not free from the
shafts ofmalice and scandal. Very naugh-
ty stories are told of them. Poor thingsl
! could not help feeling compassion for
them, and half regretted that did not
assist them them to buy new Budha.
Some Chinese compensate themselves
for shaving the head by allowing their
nails to grow to terrible length. l no
ticed that my man servant, Aa-Sing, was
carefully preserving one, about an inch
long, on his little finger, which did not
need to be brought into play in his daily
occupation. He seemed quite fiattered
that had observed what he considered
his personal charm. He was emboldened
to place q little confidence in me, and
asked with considerable modesty if |
would advance him few dollars over
and above what he was entitled to draw
of his wages-that it would be great ia
vor, and he should do his best to satisfy
me, as he hoped he had done hitherto.
The fact was he wished to take wife, and
the money was to make up her dover
which he had to pay to her parent.
"Why, thought you told me you were
married, Aa-Sing," replied in astonish-
ment, and that your wife lived at Chan
LonP
"That is 3d." he answered simply; "but
/ have now an opportunity of getting one
exceedingly cheap, and such a good
chance might never occur again. Only
forty dollars, madam, and she is every
thing that could be desired"
"But, Aa-Sing," / argued, you do not
want wife just now; you will soon re-
turn to your home again"
reiterated the temptation of extreme
cheapness, like woman who sees a great
bargain she does not require: "She is
so cheap! so cheap"
"What will your first wife say?" l per-
sisted.
"Hah-yahp he exclaimed, seizing up
on this faint objection with avidity, and
demolishing it at once, "she will say it is
very Cneap!
gave up thequestion and let him have
the money.
He contrived to get married during
some leisure moment of my service, with
out inconveniencinig me at all: l saw
his bright little wife soon after, in spick
and span new unmentionables and shirt,
as blue as blue could be or as indigo could
make them, and | confess that had to
come round to Aa-Sing's opinion, that
she was decidedly cheap, and that he had
got bargain. Aa-Sing, in spite Of his
double incumbrance, remained as inval-
liable as ever, and confirmed my opinion
that Chinese, when well trained, make
the best servants know.
CANTON is one of the few towns in this
State, which has not been troubled with
base ball mania this year. The young
men of our town don't see any amuse-
r,orf ir, hr,t;cad Chine hIaok asraq roam.