The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-05-03
SIGHTS IN HONG KONG.


Fr1ShtIUk D1SS1pAGHOn or tine hE1E1Sn
sailors---Never-C Ceasing ReveIry.
[Cor. New Orleans Times Democrat
One of the first things noticed upon
landing in Hong Kong was the dissi-
patton which is always going on. At
first thought some celebration must be
in progress, but upon making inquiries
I was assured that this was not the
case.
at is always so" said an American
citizen. Every day certain number
of sailors are allowed to come on shore,
and they avail themselves fully Of this
privilege. AS there are some two
thousand of these sailors at present on
board of the men-of-war in Hong Kong
harbor, this city is quite lively most of
the time. 1t is the men aboard these
war-ships who get the widest, for the
enforced idleness of their life breeds
recklessness when they once get
ashore"
These sailors are beardless young fell
lows for the most part, and though
they have staggering and tyrannical
mien, [ should not think that they
would impress the Chinese as very
formidable Walking about the streets
last evening in company with citizen
I saw literally hundreds of these sailors,
crowding the saloons SO thick that you
could not see the counter. Outside
the saloon the street would be packed
with rickishas, for sailor gravitates
toward rickisha the first thing upon
coming ashore. He does not have to
gravitate far, for the Chinese runners
almost attempt the perilous feat of
walking on the water in their eagerness
to meet the sailors half way.
Soon after landing the sailors gravi-
tate toward a saloon, and, numbers
breeding reckless jollity, it is not long
before they cease to be free moral
agents. Then they curse and beat their
rickisha men, and ride about with
scarcely any cogniZance of whittier they
are being carried. AS / have already
intimated, / am implacably opposed to
the Chinese; yet my indignation was
kindled in their behalf at first when
witnessed the brutality with which they
are treated by these sailors. But my
commiseration was all dissipated when
my friend said:
Don't pity them. John Chinaman
is under now, but he will be on top
pretty soon. Wait till the sailors get
stupidity drunk, and they will be ig-
nomiously dumped out by the wayside,
while these long suffering heather
Chinese will proceed complacently to
go through their pockets. Don't mis-
place your pity"
Don't the English make any effort
to check this evil?"
90 no, it is SO common they don't
care to interfere. Once in a while,
when man gets to MASKING things toe
generally and endangering peoples
lives, he will be locked up Gnt1 he gets
sober. But so long as they only injure
themselves, no matter if they do break
the peace, nothing is done about it.
I notice that very frequently, almost
always, the sailors will give the order,
go to the temperance hall" wher
they are well under "the influence,
and. there sleep off their booze. B.
the way, curious though the statemen
may seem, the manager of the Hong
Kong institution is getting to be con
frmed sot He has been inebriated
now for full week The moral senti
ment that will tolerate such thing
puzzles me.
Despite all the abuses to which they
are subjected, however, these temper
ance halls of the Orient are institu
tions, and really do a great deal o
good They may be found in Shanghai
Hong Kong, Singapore, Madras, Bonn
bay, Calcutta, Yokohama, Kobe, and
for aught I know, in all the cities o
the far east For $1.25 a day sailor
and travellers who want to economic
are entertained in frst-class style, ant
at the end of the year the citizens make
up the deficit in the running expenses