Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-20
Sights in Hong Kong.

Sights in Hong Kong.
One of the first things I noticed upon
lAnding in Hong Kong was the dissi-
ration which is always going on. At
first thought some celebration must
he in progress, but upon making in
Guiries | was assured that this was not
the case.
1T is always So" said an American
citizen. Every day a 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 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 once they get a.
shore
These sailors are beardless Young
fellows for the most part, and though
they have q staggering and tyranni-
cal mien, | should not think that they
would impress the Chinese as very for
midable. Walking about the streets
last evening in company with q citi-
zen, l saw literally hundreds of these
sailors, crowding the saloons so thick
that you could not see the counter.
Outside of the saloon the street would
be packed with rickishas. for a sailor
graVitateS toward richisha the first
thing upon coming ashore. He. does
not have to gravitate far, for the Chi
nese runners almost attempt the peril
Gus feat of walking on the water in
their eagerness to meet the sailors half
way.
Soon after landing the sailors gravi-
tate toward 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 scarce any cognizance of whittier
they are being carried. AS have al
ready intimated, / am impIacably op-
posed to the Chinese; yet my indigna-
ton was kindled in their behalf at first
when / witnessed the brutality with
which they are treated by these sailors.
But my commiseration was all dissipa-
ted when my friend said:
Don't pity them. John Chinaman
is under now, but he will be on the top
pretty soon. Wait till the sailors get
stupidity drunk, and they will be 10
ANONYMOUSLY dumped out by the way
side, while these long-sutfering heath
en- Chinese will proceed complacently
to go through their pockets. Don't
misplace your pity"
Don't the English make any effort
to check this evil?"
80 no, it is so common that they
don't care to interfere. Once in a
while, when man gets to smashing
things too generally and endangering
peoples lives, he will be locked up I'M
til he gets sober. But so long as they
only iniure themselves, no matter if
they do break the peace, nothing is
done about it. +"
notice that very frequently, almost
always, the sailors will give the order,
Go to the Temperance hail." when
they are well under ''the influence, "
and there sleep off their booze. By the
way, curious though the statement
may seem, the manager of the Hong
Kong institution is getting to be con-
firmed sOt He has been inebriated
now for full week. The moral SEN
timent that will tolerate such thing
puzz eS me.
Despite all the abuses to which they
are subjected, however, these temper
ance halls of the Orient are institutions,
and really do great deal of good.
They may be found in Shanghai, Hong
Kong, Singapore, Madras, Bombay,
Calcutta, Yokohama, Kobe, and, for
aught | know, in all the cities of the
far east. For $1,25 day sailors and
travellers who want to economic are
entertained in tirst-class style, and at
the end of the year the citizens make
up the deficit in the running expenses
Cor Mean Or cans Times Dp2720cynt