New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1881-02-02

The Chinese IS House Servants.

The Chinese as servants are not all
tnat we have been led to believe by any
manner of means. Their settled deter
animation to carry point, their uncon-
scious air of ignorance of anything per-
tanning to our language when it suits
their convenience, is, to say the least,
rasping. That they are Systematically
idiotic is a stereotyped fact. 10 per-
form a single function of their duty for
once is to fix habit. John must move
from that time on in that groove nor
vary. one jot or title, or he is unhinged
for business. If he boils the potatoes
in the iron pot to-day and you suggest
the stew-pan tomorrow. his occupa-
ton is gone for that day. If you en-
gage him to make four beds and cook
for six, and a seventh is added, that is
sufficient for him to vamose the ranch.
The extraordinary elasticity of our hos
pitality and the wide margin we allow
for addition to the original number OF
a 'small family is beyond his compre-
hension, and he considers it branch
of the family that has been rusticating
in the shade until he is we'll systemat-
lied to his tread mill of duty, when
they suddenly flutter down to enjoy a
siesta at the expense of his labor, and
no extra pay. He has bad trick of
stepping out without the slightest ex-
PLANTATION, and leaving behind him a
slight memento in the shape of HERO
glyphic in some obscure place, for the
benefit of his successor. Then will fol-
low a siege of servants, who suddenly,
in the midst of meal, or in the wee
sma' hours, seem to be swallowed in
the bowels of the earth-they 50 totally
disappear. Some one who has been the
victim of a "mark'' explains. A search
reveals it, a translator reads it, and it
runs something in this style: "No
stay here; you get not one cent? or if
he is vindictive, 'Spirits come here;
pull all the clothes off bad Cinnamon. :"
To be bad they evidently consider thei1
normal condition, for not one considers
himself exempt.
1t was a pleasure to contemplate the
landlady's ''poy" as he moved around
in black pants, a coat cut like blouse,
with flaps on the bottom, white, clean
and freshly starched; his stockings i'm
:naculate. "and his thick, solid shoes
that contrary to all laws of gravitation
stayed up at the heel without the
slightest grip on any thing, busy about
his work. AS he glided in and out
about his duties with that cat-like
tread so like an automaton, one longed
to pull the bell-rope at the back of his
head to see if any one was at horne.
He would pat the bed in place as neat
ly as a woman, dust every little article
with scrupulous rigor, and easily 90
over the gas fixtures. It was fly time
when ne came, and it was thought ne.
cessary to give those articles rubbing
up. That generation of flies has lon9
since been gathered to their forefa-
theirs, but the polishing goes on just the
same.
He is as unconscious, to all intents
and purposes, to your conversation as
the wooden Indian that suggests a
smoke, so that the Jones hired GIRL
across the back fence is not RECALLED
with your chit-chat before it has had
time to get cold. 1t was an amusing
thing to witness how cheerfully he re-
ceived any little correction and his
pleasant "alle lightee,' with which
he Invariably responded. You would
thought him treated to sugar-coated
compliment. Having been for some
time without a vacation he concluded
to leave at most unpropitious time.
In vain were the expostulations on the
part of his mistress, and after numer-
GUS explanations of the Inconvenience
he would cause, her patience exhaust
ed by his sullen determination, she
gives his ears a good boxing. Strange
as it may seem, this had the desired
effect, and he responded with the inev-
table ALE lightee.-Sa'a francisco
Cor. Dey!ver ZTi6une.