Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-13

Empire and Hts People-s'.J j oIn'' Who
Emigrates, and His Better Brother
Who Does NOt-Some Notable Diff
ferences.
Shanghai Correspondence
Considering the age of the country,
its size, and the irrepressibility of its
people, as has been shown during the
last quarter of a century by the way
IN which they have spread themselves
over the worlds surface from our own
land to Australia and from Panama
to Cuba; to say nothing of how they
have taken possession certainly In
commercial sense), of many of the
islands in the Malayan archipelago,
1t is very strange so little should be
known of China and its people. Or
men form their ideas of the
character Of the Chinese from the men
they have met with as washermen or
street coolies, and their notions or
knowledge are pretty nearly bounded
by the fact that there is a great wall
OF China and that it is the country
whence we draw our largest supply of
tea, not knowing Or losing sight.of the
fact that we have positive written
proof that, while the nations of Eu-
rope were in the lowest state of bar
barlsm, China was in the full enjoy
ment, of various arts and sciences,
which we are only now getting to
know much of. Even many of our
amusements. other than chess, the
Chinese are quite familiar with.
I spent a good many weeks in Can
ton, visited from time to time different
manufactures, watched with a great
deal of interest the different modes of
work used-ivory polished and cary
ing, gold and silver working, ETC.,
and, much as [ had always been as
tOnished at the beautiful work and it's
delicacy in ivory carving, was much
mere astonished when saw the tools
used which are of the rudest and most
primitive character.
AMONG OTHER FUNNY SIGHTS
was a real Ftrue ,''Punch and Judy"
show, with the performers speaking
in the dear old squeazing falsetto
vOice-Of course the figures were not
exactly the same, but the idea of this
wonderful show was precisely the
same as those so dear to the youth of
England. [ went one morning to the
execution ground" but there was no
average from fifteen hundred to two
thousand criminals are annually de-
capitated in this place. The mode of
execution is very simple. The prison
ers are placed in rows, all pinioned,
and when the word is given the op-
orator walks along and usually with
one stroke Of his sword whips off the
head from the necks. The bodies are
then carried away to be buried, but
the heads are picked up, as occasion
serves, and are fixed in cages or stuck
on poles, according to the celebrity or
notoriety of the deceased. Sometimes,
[ was told, these heads were secured
by visitors and kept as curiosites. The
day before my visit a dozen men were
marched into this ground and had
their heads struck off.
In Canton, is college supported by
the Imperial government, and in this
college many of our present attaches
to the different Chinese embassies
have been educated. The gentleman
who has for many years been and is
an English professor in this college I
met on many occasions. At dinner
at his house [ saw different pupils of
his. They are all Tartars of the mill
tary caste. [ may here mention that
not even the old French nobility pride
ed themselves more upon their blue
blood than do these Tartars. Caste
has IN China very hard and fast lines.
For the most part these students were
from 70 to 35 years of age, and many
OF them spoke remarkably good En-
gllsh, and were most companionable,
gentlemanly men. Many of them
were good whist as well as chess play
erS.
Probably it will be allowed that
the Chinese as people are about the
most, if not the most industrious
people IN the world not very quick,
but steady, persevering plodders. AL
loving this, [ do not think John is
one bit fond of work for works sake
than anyone else. It is considered
mark of gentility to have very long
hnger-nails. The horney appendages
VI OhO upper C1dSSSS dIG uOb ulSI6lN
nails, they are veritable talons. The
height of ambition on the part Of the
working classes is to be able
TO LIVE WITHOUT WORKING,
and have a store, and true happiness
is reached, apparently, when the pro-
prletor can sit in the summer time in
that shop in a state of semi-nudity.
BY the way, there is a peculiarity
about this semi-nude state worth men
tloning. 7 have been so accustomed
to see III my wanderings ''niggers"
naked that l never noticed any indel-
lcacy or appearance of indecency, and
IN fact, would be far more likely to
notice the fact of a negro having
clothes on than being without. But
a Chlnaman looks Extensively indie
cent in his summer costume. [ am
now only speaking of the coolie, or
lower order of shop-keepers, whose
dress. consists usually of trousers with