The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-05-01
THE QUEERESr NATIONS on THE
GLOBE.

400 our most prominent Celestial citizen,
WAN LEE, packed his valise in truly
American style and fitted across the
seas, to take charge of Chinese exhibit
at the Psris Exposition.
Nothing can be more singular or more
apparently inexplicable than the con-
trast between the goods displayed by Inc
Americans and the Chinese. AS the same
class of articles will be exhibited
by these nations at Paris, that they had
at Philadelphia in 1876, it will be oil IN
terest to those who visited the latter TO
recall little OF the show made by the
Flowery Kingdom. Again we can see
those exquisite silks and other costly
fabrics, fine and delicate as gossamer, but
strongly and honestly msdo by hand.
We see the quaint and lauShable char
coal and India ink sketches of boating
parties, or grand receptions, where the
figures had neither arms FOR legs,
and where there WAS nothing
thai represented q back ground
or terra TRINA for them to stand upon, so
they appeared to float around simlessly
in the air. We see the nation that IL
vented gunpowder and brought 1t to
great perfection-exhibiting trecracKers,
spit-devlls, or other pyrotechnlcs which
are beautiful, and wonderfully ingenious
in themselves but are OF no earthly bene-
fit to anybody. We see the people who'
SIX hundred years ago, possessed inner
breech loading cannon than are now made
in Europe or this country-exhbitng as
weapons of war, bows and arrows,
wooden swords, and copper shields.
Everywhere among these chi
nese goods we find traces OF skill,
ingenuity and scientific knowledge, but
we fail to lind the slightest evidence Of
solid common sense or realization OF
what is most beneficial to people. In
the display Of agricultural implements
and products, this ingenuity is not seen.
All is of the meanest and most miserable
description, from the unwieldly tools up
to the vehicles for conveying the gram
or other crops. One thing, however, the
Chinamsn ekcels his "cute"
American brother in, and that
is wheelbarrows. He does not put lit
tie wheel at one end and have sll the
weight and strain come upon the arms OF
the man who works 1t, but he places a
large wheel under the middle Of the box,
and thus can carry three times q heavy
! y load as can the American, and without
halt the fatigue.
From this very old but very boyish
race, our thoughts naturally turn to Its
first cousins of Japan, snd the wonders
they unfold .othe world. Many an hour
did we spend in FAirmont Park idly
watching the quick wltted, nimbIe
tonsued, merry little JaPs at work upon
their pavilion in the early part Of
1876. What remarkable body Of
lsborers they were, talking and joking
with each other in their liquid tones,
And the tools they used-what odd things
they were-ssws resembling butchers
clesvers, with handles like an augur, and
planes of the clumsiest kind. Instead OF
pushing their planes and saws from them
| AS we do, these contrary individuals pull
them toward them, although they cut in
the same way that ours do. II appears
at first sight Us though this would be
hard work, but our sprightly Japs did
not think so and their work
colld not be outdoDe for nestness
or excellence. Nails Of metal were not
employed. Wherever 1t was possible the
woodwork was morticed together, and
when this was impracticable, pegs Of the
same kind of wood as the building wss
composed of were used, and so neatly were
they put IN that no traces of them were Wis
ible. We do not wish to talk about these
things at too great length at present,
| but some other time we will say some