Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-06-13
A CURIOUS TALE.
The nIongolian's Queue and Why He
Wears II.

Inc MOngOlian's queue ana why Ie
Wears II.
A Cleveland Ohio, reporter spent
fully an hour in conversing with a
score or more of the Chinese citizens
with view Of obtaining information
regarding the queues worn by Chinese.
There are in Cleveland a number of the
celestials who are intelligent and in
dustrious. One of these, who keeps a
laundry, is far more intelligent than
the average Chinaman, He is neat
and clean in his dress, which is pat
termed after ours, and is more orderly
in his habits and abode than most of
his race, From this intelligent China
man, and from other sources, some in
teresting information regarding the
"pigtail" was obtained.
For many hundred years prior to the
year 1914, the native emperors of the
Chinese dynasty compelled the Chinese
subjects under them to wear long hair
over the whole head, and wear it in a
tuft or coil, something after the
manner in which the ladies wear false
hair switches at the present day. Tie
first emperor of the present dynasty,
who ascended the throne in 1914, de-
termined to make the tonsure of Man
churia, which was his native country,
the token of the submission of the
Chinese of the entire country to his
authority.
1t was not long after he began to
reign that he issued general order
that carried the greatest CONSERVATION
with it throughout the kingdom, lie
ordered the people to shave all the hair
from their heads except the crown.
and to allow the hair on that particu-
lar part to grow long and dress it ac-
cOrding to the custom of Manchuria,
1t required considerable time for the
Cinnamon to become fully accustomed
to this change, but the custom finally
prevailed throughout the lenrth and
breadth of the great empire. 1t is said
at first those who conforned with the
new rules were presented with a tael
of silver After a while all the new
converts to the new custom were
given half a tael Of silver. Then the
present was reduced to only tenth of
tael, and then only an egg was given.
Finally the egg was dispensed with
and no present was given.
The law that required the people to
shave their heads and braid the queue
was not often rigidly enforced by the
penalty of immediate death, but it was
soon an established fact all over the
empire that those who did not do as
the emperor desired, would never
become successful in a lawsuit against
those who did conform, nor would they
succeed in their business, or other en-
terprises and undertaking
About year ago, when the empress
and co-regent died, the whole nation
went into mourning, and in memory
of the deceased the law forbade the
Chinese shaving for month. In the
city of Foochow, the mayor of the
town made the discovery that the
higher powers were being disregarded
and he accordingly made a raid upon
the barber shops, and sixty Chinese
were caught in the act of being shaved
They were arrested, brought before
the mayor, we're heavily fined, and
then severely bastinadoed More than
this, their heads were painted bright
blue, which is the color for mourning
in China, and Coat of yarnish was put
over the paint. Every week while the
mourning lasted the culprits were COM
PEELED to present themselves weekly tc
receive "A fresh supply of paint ant
varnish.
In this country the Chinese who be
come American citizens, and who ac
cept the Christian faith as their belief
do not hesitate to cut off their queues
and dress their hair in the American
fashion. However, those who retair
their native religion, and who intenc
at some future time to return to Chin;
generally retain their queues or pig
tails" as the boys sometimes call them
If a Chinaman were to return to hi
native land without his queue h,
would lose the respect of his country
men and be compelled to leave tn,
country.