The Red Cloud chief., 1877-01-11
Wong Chin Foo.
Don't Add an IxiTa Letter ard Read II
Fool" for he Wasn't.

stract of a lecture delivered before tn,
Sunday Lecture Society in that city, b,
a Chinaman, on Domestic Life in China
which is interesting, sharp, and some
times sarcastic:
He was dressed in a blouse and a gar
ment much resembling Il petticoat, made
of dark blue stuff. a little skull car
and queue oTnamented his head. He il
very bright and intelligent in appear
ance, and speaks English with grea,
fluency and accuracy. He said in brief
The problem OF Chinese immigration is
one of great importance. l remember
the strong feeling in China against the
Christian missionaris who came
amongst us. We thought them bar.
barians. / find the same prejudices
here against us. You have only heard
Of us as the missionaries have seer fit
to tell you; you have heard but one side
of the story. You can hardly Judge us
by those of us whom you have seen,
for the better classes do not come. They
say that we have nu religion, and do not
treat our women well. i will teach YOU
better. We have the oldest government
in the world, being a nation for more
than G0O0 years. He recounted the va
riOus inventions and discoveries made
long ago by his countrymen, with all
of which the reader is familiar.
1t Is most absurd to assert that a ma
tiOn OF 45O millions, governed for thou
sands of Yeas by law, is not religious
Or not wise. There are fewer murders
committed in all the Chinese nation
than In European nations of forty or
fifty millions. We believe in a great
o, 'erruling power, and you may call it
what 'On please. We call that power
Heaven, meaning immeasurably great.
Our respect for that Being is so great
that not a s., lie person in all the 45o
millions would Ii. te his name i'll vain.
l forgot. some Of our people have
learned English and the swear. Here
In your own country there IS great d.
verslty OF worship, and is - strange
that there should he difference o, Opln-
ion in a country IS large as CHA!
You all have forms and symbols in
your churches; we have them in our
temples. With you they are crosses,
and water for baptism, and bread and
wine; with us they are what you cali
our idols. But You do not worship
these symbols and tokens, and neither
do We. They are all but devices to
bring us into closer communion with
God; TO direct u minds toward Him.
1t Is said that we do not respect
women. l must tell you that like here
there are different classes of society.
The educated Go not enjoy the society
OF the ignorant, and vice versa. At
least 250.OUO,OOO Of u people are edu.
Gated, reasonably. a Chinaman mar
rles a wife for a lifetime. If he gets
ured OF her. or sees another he likes
better, II therefore would get rid of
the first, he can not do it. This NAV no
because there are no LAWYERS there
[Laughterl.
Americans and Cinnamon are oppo-
sites In many respects. You take off
your hat for courtesy and We keep ours
on You Shake each others hands. and
We shake IL own; you drink your
wine cold and your meats hot: while
we take our meats cold and our wine
steaming hot. Your magnetic needle
points north and ours south, but we can
reach the same point by sailing each
according to his own compass. We
do not educate the sexes together
The girls are sent to a private school,
and are v seen studying even by
the males of their own families. The
boys are taught differently. Each ones
head is examined in youth to discover
what he is best fitted for. If he is dis
posed to be literary he is sem to college
for twenty years: if he is fitted for the
plow he is put at it. The first thing
always taught is good conduct and good
manners. Discourtesy to the aged is
unknown among us. Good manners is
a first requisite among us. The mis-
sionaries tell us that these forms are
needless, that we need but believe in
Christ Why only 5000 years ago such
confusion as this implies reigned in
China. Then Confucius came and
taught our presene code. You have but
twenty-six letters and we have $1,000.
Il looks hard. but it is simple. To write
horse we make three strokes for the
name, one for the neck. one for the
hodv. one for the tail, and four for the
lees. For good we have the picture of
a little boy and girl locked arms. For
tho word trouble our 5000 years Of ex-
ner;ence shows us that there is nothing
IN expressive as for two old women to
+o,t to each other. 40 we picture two
mo,ber-in-laws talking. ILaughter.1
And 20 Of many words. We do not
draw all these things fully; we nave
abbreviated them and they are s'ers lot