The New York herald., 1879-07-04

commend speed in a horse. not because II emo
bles and sanotines womanhood. but because it adds
to her value as part of her husbands possessions
We stopped and looked at some workmen Glowing
glass. glass vase in a rough state about six feet
high was in the hands of the artifcer and although
the pat OF an infant would have ruined its beauty
the workman handled it surely though il had
been iron The manufacture OF glass Is an
important industry in Canton But we found
porcelain and ceramic ware infinite in variety ana
beautiful,a at the carved ivory and hard wood Can.
ton excels in this and In Grape and silk some OF
the shawls and scarfs masterpieces of texture
and especially some which had been painted ana EN-
broidered. We looked at men beating goiu ieai ana
threading our way into narrow streets and out-of-
the-way places found ourselves among the weavers
of silk. The rooms in which the silk looms were III
operation were small and dark. We noticed cotton
weavers who were at work i'll the open air. Inc
looms primitive aud seemed to have been
Daber oaI aor Of aSOrers WHAT chinese labor viii not
stand is cheap American labor saving machinery;
and although attempts have been mace TO ntroause @
il which would enable the workman to treble the
quantity OF his work and the farmer TO nun ana
clean times the quantity OF rice the FEELING ls
so strong among laborers as to forbid IT, Laoorers
here no matter in what calling. belong TO guhds or
trade unions, aud any attempt to enforce new
mac nine or labor saving method OF labor Is re-
sisted An the capital in the world could not induce
the silk to Introduce the Jacquara l1v.l;
What would then become OF the nimpie nIso,ua na
whose business it to pull the strings and arrange
the warp before the weaver propels the snuthe.
Even more interesting was the time We gave 70
artists i'll lacquer work. Lacquer WORK 30 oeauti
ful when finished and i'll peace ana glory ~
last on my lady's toilet table that 1t Is
mot Se Of it's nannfacturo our artist friend sat
over the finished work with his needle ana prush
and his chalk powder Inc p1"I % sim.s % var,a,,.
ion Over this vermilion dust IL rubbed very much
as gold and silver ana bronze printing is done at
home and the picture comes out ut length in silver
or gold LACQUER work requires trained hand, and
"a You saw the patience and skill bestowed upon his
work bv the artist and knew what = triho 1t would
bring when sold it was disheartening. But the first
thng You learn in Chna-and the lesson is always
present and always coming before you in new
shape-is the cheRpness of human labor and the
profusion OF human life.
BOAT
This question this solemn and expanding ques-
ton which wise men must stand up aud meet some
day-comes upon you in the boat life. You must
know that in China the selling OF children-of re,
male children-is permitted. have heard and read
good deal about the deliberate putting to death OF
newborn daughters as matter of domestic economy.
have not gone largely into evidence on that sub
ect believing that human nature may be trusted for
something even in China. But in Canton the expos
ing of female children on the street selling them
into slavery. or for a purpose worse than
slavery, that they may be raised and educated
for prostitution. is conceded evil. arising
out OF this over population Archdescon Gray prints
proclamation against infanticide from the treas
urer of Heapeh, which reads like temperance lec-
practice e which is dshonoring Heavens retribution
and the wraiths of the murdered children will at
tend the parents. and thus not only fail to
hasten the birth of male child. but run risk of
making victims OF themselves by their behavior"
In other words If parents do not stop killing their
daughters ghosts VIII come aud Avenge the siam.
The boat life pleasant feature to visitors. It
is pleasant when you come and go to your ship as
do every day to the Ashuelot to see floating world
around you to the flower boats, to hear
the sound of music and singing far into the
night. These boats along the river banks.
They are called sampans and are o large. clumsy
boat, varying in size from ten to twenty feet.
The of the boat is arched and this forms
kitchen. dining room and sleeping room. The boats
ply up and down the river. doing what odds and
ends Of work may tall to them. They cluster about
our boat like bees around flower garden II you
90 to the gangway and make signal dozen will
come hurrying aud scufhing and you 60
shore for ten cents Once that you select boat the
proprietor attesds you while you are In port waits
for you the landing ut the vessels side, Some Of
the boats, called flower boats are fitted up for en-
tertainment, and Chinamen in search OF recreation
go board and hear the music and take supper aud
float up and down the river. The boats are In all
cases-in all that observed-managed by women
and on % as
life is their boats, and DEMONSTRATING the
whole Chinese coast might easily say hundreds of
thousands-of families spend their lives on these
frail shells and know world beyond the move
ments of the tides and the dipping OF the oars.
AN ANCIENT cITY
Car ton next to Pekin. the most celebrated Of Chi
cltes the one at least best known to foreign
ers goes back to the fourth century before Christ.
and is among the most ancient cities OF the world.
II was supposed to have been muddy stockAde sur
rounded with bamboo detences. 1t was called the
city of rams. and Archdcacpn Gray. whose book on
Canton is valuable, gives fairy legend the origin
of this appellation. "Five genii. clothed with GER
ments OF five different colors met 1t the capital:
Each Of the bore in his mouth Q stalk of
grain having six ears and presented them to
tine people of the district. to whom the Renii
thus spake:-AIay famine never visit your mar
kets' Having uttered these words, the genii
disappeared, and the turned into stone. "
SO from that day Canton has been known ss the city
OF the Ave rams the Ave genii and the Ave stone
may still be seen by those who care to verify
the legend. The good wish Of the genii has not al
ways been respected, for Canton has known famine
and pestilence and war. and has had at times an
ceptional OF i'll luck. The story OF war.
goes back TO the second century before Christ
rhauf he hef m n dQfpa the i'm
peral forces aud blood ran tor miles, In the sixth
century after the coming Of our Lord there was o
martial emperor whom the people sought to pro-
pitiate by sending a piece OF nne ciotn In those
days. in the present. there were ntnble fingers in
and free as down. But the Emperor thought
the fine cloth an evidence OF ererninacy and
weakness, and he forbade the manufacture of IT,
In the early days there WAS great trade between
India and China, Canton being the gateway through
which most of the commerce passed. presume
that 1t was through Canton that the Buddhist mis-
sionsries passed when they came from the holy city
OF Benares to spread the subtle faith OF the Lord
Buddhs. More than a thousand years ago the iner
chants OF Canton had venturessoi land and sea. But
wild and savage princes came to the throne and we
read ofwars and devastation aud cruelty which it is
not useful to repeat. We reminded too vvidly OF
modern civilization But king came some nine
centuries since whose reign marked with good
omens. 'all the stars flowing to the north. and
with this prince came peace aud tranquility. Under
him and his SUCCESSORS witches ana wizards were
suppressed. expensive ornaments were forbidden 1t
not wed to sacrifice men to propitate demons
and wars for the annexation of territory, against
Cochin China especially. were stopped. In the six
tccnth century Portugal put her foot on Chinese
territory. 1t during that bright aud evanescent
period of Portuguese glory. when 1t seemed as II the
genius of Albuquerque and the faith OF Xavier would
establish Portugal as master OF Asia In these days
the Ming dynasty regned and the patriotic Chins-
man will tell you. with sigh that the Ming days
the golden days of the Empire. Among the
first ports opened to European trade . result of
the pressure OF the Portuguese Canton.
THE TARTAR DOMINATION.
The Tartars IN the seventeenth century, and
about the time that the Stuarts lighting for their
throne IN England the Mings lighting for their
throne in China. There we're wars and rebcllions
consequent upon this Tartar irruption. from which
Canton suffered aud about which II is sad enough
TO read. Why is it. that In world of and
sunshine aud flowing rivers where nature teens
with benefcence and all things made for man,
that he may enjoy them and be happy, you cannot
open any chronicle-Indian, Egyptian. Chinese,
English-without reading OF crimes. Of war, OF
cruelty and desolationY There Is no sadder page
than that which tells how, when Crom well was
sweeping through England. the Tartar came to
Canton and took the city and put hun.
dred Thousand to the sword. Now" says
the Jesuit father Martini. who was here at the