The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-04-19
somathing About john.


POINTS WHEREIN THE CHINESE HAVE AssIxI-
LATED THEMSELVES TO AMERICAN cIylLi-
zATiOy.
Seeing the coolie here among us, scatter
cd snarsely as he Is through the different
districts Of the city, we can form no idea OF
the bland. smiling, sly, couciliating John
Of San Francisco, where his people muster
In thousands and their long residence
give him a sense OF ease and security.
There his readiness to adapt himself TO cir
cumstances is seen by his appearing few
hours after his arrival from Canton In an
American hat OF some sort or quality (hav-
ing seen that the pagoda-shaped thing in
which he landed would invite ridicule)
and armed with his inyariabe liDgul
weapon OF defence. a" No, sabe."
Polite and inoncnsive by instinct, clean
and orderly through habit, sneaking and
deceptive from a sense OF weakness, he Is
at once the handiest, least troublesome, and
most unreliable creature imaginable.
To hire one fer q servant without know
/ ing the character Of his last place would be
madness. II his former mistress kept her
house in disorder, had her meals irregu-
lary, and was careless OF her possessions,
all these uncomfortable habits would inevi-
tably be transferred by John to his next
employer. It has consequently become n
standing custom in engaging him In do
mestic capacity TO ask, "Who makee you
sabe work."
This drcadfully ill-used Spanish verb
sdbe is Thus made to do duty in all lenses,
and, being the first word acquired by Ce-
| lestias, is regarded rs almost cabalistic in
| g. n, xroriottr ~ ,naaYnfpfs
munication being complete without its in
corporation, either as q prefix to secure
attention or tag to add weight to its ex-
preston.
Unless prejudice forestalls experience,
the Monaghan is not an unpleasant being
personally, and cases OF strong antipathy
will yield to the patient, cheerful, handy
service he renders; the narrow eyes and
long nails are overlooked in his aptitude,
his ciyility, and, above all, his individual
cleanliness. In his native toilet John is
dependent OH stockings good deal, and
no one ever saw those peculiar blue or
whitish articles OF dress dirty. Bare-leg-
ged he often is, but when he wears stock
ings, no matter what the weather or cross
ings, Johns are irreproachable.
So much for his eXternals. Alas the
medal has another side, and what Bayard
Taylor long since said of the japanese
holds good Of his cousin. Morals he has
none he is born vicious, and his only re-
straints are law and circumstances. Gam
bling is an instinct, and the same yellow
countenance that expands in paternallv
tender smiles at every passing child will
change to the lYid hue OF mortal rage over
"ram-bok," and, grasping long knife
! (hid somewhere behind his swinging
queue), he will stab and cut his oppo-
nent until long after life is extinct and
his body. drained OF blood, lies slashed and
slit like the device Of mailman. His
vices are concealed, and therefore most
dangerous. Like his dwellings, they are
mostly beneath the surface. lie sells pic
turcs-pretty, innocent mandarinesses in
view, and behind q slide are the devices Of
Satan. He stands clean. fresh, and tidy be-
fore YOU, while down in his den lie leprous
creatures. victims OF horrible, nameless
disease, rotting where the rats burrow and
darkness reigns, and terminating pesti-
lence for which there are no disiniectants.
Then he is a heather; a veritable hea-
then, whose wood and stone are not mixed
I'D with the ice OF Greenland nor coral OF
India, but are right here among us, ready
for the missionaries.
How is il that John has attracted so little
attention from that reverend and respected
body?
He must 60; but he has been thirty years
with us, and what has been done for him
Ask him. If you meet him on the out
skirts Of "A mining camp anywhere in the
Golden State, and he will show you pack
OF American cards ready stacked for monte
and treat you to the latest slang Mongolian-
lied.
o, John has had his eyes open; he will
take back TO the flowery kingdom a trick or
two; and if he and his terrible female ac-
compartment have brought Us evil, he as
sured we have our revenge. lie will
not return empty-handed.-Ph ilQdelphia
Times,