The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-06-27
The TrMIh About Chinese Cheap
Labor.
Cor. Philadelphia Press. ]

Cor. Philadelphia Press.l
The Chinese are present in every town
and place, but they form no more part
of society than the cattle of the country.
With the negro Of the South, however
black skinned they may be, some affinity
is formed. There is some social inter
course between the races, some sympathy
which links white and blacks as iInlivid-
uals, if not as races but between the
whites and Mongolians there seems TO be
absolutely none. The negro initiates the
whites, follows him in religion, takes on
| the airs and fashions Of the ruling race,
and their aspirations are alike, even il
| those Of the negro are a parody on his
master. The Chinaman has no greeting
| for you, is not Ostentatiously obsequious,
and never converses he goes about his
work as silently as if it were a crime to
speak, much less has he any talk for
talks sake. The ladies who have been
brought up with Cinnamon around them
as servants all their lives tell me they do
not regard them as men, and there is no
more hesitancy about speaking to them
on household affairs than if they were 50
many women. / am told that there has
never been an outrage in all their eXpe-
rlence in California; and every one feels
safe with them in their houses. John
goes about his work methodically and
does not like to be interrupted in his
routine. He not only is tractable, but
bears correction if given by the master Of
the house, with meekness. He does not
like, however, to be hired or "bossed' by
woman, and is very much put out if
the mistress visits him in the kitchen. !
have seen a boy only fourteen years old
who did the cooking for large family,
and served up excellent meals his cook
ing, in fact, was much superior to the
average Of Irieh women If he knows
enough of the language to understand
your wants he needs only to be told once.
He gets up early and has chores done up
betimes, and takes to his duties as readi-
ly as a duck To water. When first intro
duced to the household he is ever silent,
bare-armed, neatly clad in a white
blouse, his head clearly shaved, and his
cue neatly cooled around his crown. But !
he is as incomprehensible as the sphinx, /
and no more amalgamstes or afiliates I
with white society than oil does with |
water. But no one need charge him /
with being Cheap" no, no, he charges
high for his services. Our ladies would
find it hard to pay the common wages of
house servants here. Ten dollars week
for a cook and six dollars a week for a
chamber man and waiter are the ruling
prices out here for Chinese servants, and
no Eastern housekeeper would claim that
this was "cheap labor" John is much
overrated as washerman, for he has
ruined my shirts in three months, and
could do in less time than that if | had
not liberal supply. To-day | tried to
open up a conversation with my washing
John, but he avoided it, and was fain
to give it up as hopeless task. There
is great suspicion of his Christian pro-
fession, and even relious people seem to
leave John severely alone on this topic,
as a useless endeavor. They exhibit but
little curiosity, and though have seen
Chinese children peering into toy shop
yet when l tried to open up
they shrunk away or quickly
''dried up" Speaking of servants, | am
reminded of the difficulty on this coast
say twelve years old, they pay here fif-
teen dollars per month or four dollars
week, and consider themselves lucky to
get one at that. Very few even of the
poorest of the Spaniards will let their
children 60 out, aad almost the only
chance is to get one out of the Catholic
Orphan Homes. 1t is easy to see. there
fore that housekeeping in Eastern style
is an expensive luxury out here. The
old rule Of twenty per cent. extra to pay !
officers serving ont here should not be
abolished, even if greenbacks and gold
have Appropriated. II