Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-12-09
THE ORIENT.
A TRAVELLERS VIEWS OF THE
FLOWERY KINGDOM.
The Chinaman in His Native Land
A Primitive, Squaiid Race-An
Ancient Temple OF Worship.

UNIoy staff received from San Francisco a
hurriedly written note, as follows Friend
-: Have just got in from my Asiatic
journey, and will pass through Sacramento
tomorrow evening on my way home to
Fulton. n. Y. Meet me at the depot"
The note WAS signed Harry Comstock. J"
Knowing Colonel Comstock as a gentleman
of wide experience as traveller in foreign
lands, and one whose published letters and
interviews have always been full of inter-
est to the public, it was determined to
secure more than few minutes converse
ton with him, and for this purpose the
recipient of the above note went
to Suisun TO meet him Colonel
Comstock was found in one of the luxuri-
Gus Pullman coaches, the center of an
interested group of ladies and gentlemen,
whom he was RECALLING with pleasing
sketches of his travels and experiences
among the Chinese. the Tartars the Jap
anese and Coreans. The reporter, after a
most cordial reception by All Comstock,
found it necessary, for the sake of polite
ness. to forego for time his selfish inten-
ton of applying the merciless journalistic
anger. and had 20 content himself for more
than half an hour with being a listener to
the somewhat general catechiZing which
the great traveller was undergoing at
the hands of the circle OF amateur inter
viewers. Later on he managed to get his
victim alone in one of the unoccupied
compartments of the sleeper, and had the
satisfaction of obtaining a prolonged pri-
vate conversation with him.
Now, Colonel, / want you TO tell me
sonnet HING ahgut vot1r fri tEbpp I last
heard Of you, you were thousand miles
or SO IN the interior of the Chinese EN-
pire, apparently travelling on the burri-
cane deck of buffalo. Was that the most
convenient means OF travel at hand, Or
were you just posing on that hideous-look-
ing beast for Photographic effeci?'
Ny dear fellow" replied the Colonel,
that photograph represented a bit of
everyday experience of mine. Know YOU
there ere neither railroads nor wagon
roads in China, and these buifaloes which
differ from the American species, are ut-
iized as beasts of burden and by travellers
Outside the one small spot in China where
Europeans and Americans make their resi-
dence, there are no horses used, and abso-
luteiy nothing nearer a public highway
than mere path. These paths, beaten
hard by
THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF TIiAHPING
BY the natives. run in every direction, and
there are no crossroads sign boards TO HELM
the traveller lind his way through the broad
expanse of the FIowery Kingdom. He
must rely upon his attendant, who acts as
his INTERPRETER"
" fou must have had some strange ex-
periences. and have seen much to interest
your
- Yes, indeed and yet, after ALL there is
little or 80 pleasure in journeying alone
among these selfish stolid Mongolians
They live in novels, their food is vile, and
their whole method of living is little
better than that of so many swine In
deed, in many instances the hogs and the
Cinnamon occupy-if not the same sleep
ing apartments-at least the same domi-
Gle. The traveller is obliged to undergo
many unpleasant experiences. He must
carry his own blankets with him and be
content with the corner of hut and
bunch of dirty straw. spread on the
ground. for his lodglng-place. If the YER
min do not run of with him during the
night he considers himself fortunate"
As the Colonel spoke, far-away look
came into his eyes, and his fingers invol-
unfairly sought the back of his neck in a
pincer-like effort to nail something. He
was recalled from his reverie by query as
to the feeling existing among the Chinese
of the interior toward European or Amer
lean travellers
Oh, THEY ARE FRIENDLY ENOUGH"
He replied. In fact, they are rather in
different to the whites You have to
pump the stolid creatures pretty hard to
get anything from them. In some parts
they look upon us with a sort of awe, as if
We were las of course we are) superior be-
ings and when a Chinese mother wishes
TO frighten her disobedient offspring into
submission she tells it that if il doesu t
behave the awful white man will take it.
This is potent argument with Monaghan
children
Well, but are not the Chinese more or
less incensed at Americans for the latter's
harsh treatment of their countrymen out
here, and because of the attempts that are
being made TO keep them out of America ?"
No, not bit of it. The fact is, You
may travel for years among the Chinese
and never hear America spoken of. The
masses there don't seem TO be aware of the
fact that such a country as this exists. And
even among the few that do know what is
going on. there is no feeling over the
subject. The Cinnamon at home care no
more about the fate of those that have
wandered from the land of their fathers
than they do about the result of the next
local election To be held in Sacramento.
learned absolutely nothing in China about
the Wyoming massacre, except what | read
in the papers received from home.
IF ALL AMERICA WERE CLOSED
Tightly against Chinese immigration to-
morrow, and all the Cinnamon now here
were next month landed in Hongkong, the
event would scarcely produce ripple upon
the surface of everyday affairs in China
Outside small mercantile circle in each
of the leading ports these matters are never
discussed, and | assure you the people are
positively indifferent about them
But they can hardly be unmindful of
the occasional acts of cruelty that are
visited upon Chinese in this country"
a assure you that if there is one thing
about which a Chipaman can be absolutely
indifferent, il is the life of one of his coun-
trymen. Why, Chinaman never thinks
of lending hand TO save another from
death. One day, while | was visiting some
friends on 4 vessel in port, an aged China
man, who was peddling vegetables along
the dock, had the i'll luck to upset his m
pau, or small scow, and as he struggled in
the water, the other Cinnamon about him
q paid no more attention to his cries than if
he were dog-not SO much, III fact, for
they would have saved dog. | shouted
10 several OF them TO 90 TO the old man
rescue; and. rs they did not stir, ordered
my servant 10 try and save him. but he was
IS stolid as the.rest. then ran and got q
rope, and threw it TO the poor old fellow
Just in time 20 save him from drowning.
When ! got him on board the vessel, /
asked my boy why his countrymen were
so Indifferent as to the fate of the old ped
der. He explained that whenever China
man interposes to save the life of another,
the latter
REcoMEs a CHARGE UPON HIS REscUEE
For life He must work for him, support
and care for him. Hence, few Cinnamon
are saved from death in that country
Since that incident l have had abundant
proof of the fact, for in going up one of the
principal rivers during the late floods saw
scores of poor creatures lose their lives
simply because nobody would help them.
We, as Christians, may deprecate the cruel
ties and murders inflicted sometimes upon
the coolie invaders of the free soil of
America, because such acts are repugnant
to our religion and our natures but we
need not lie awake nights wondering what
Will be the effect throughout China when
the news reaches them that All Thief was
shot the other night while robbing hen
roost or a sluice-boxn
: Is there not a great deal of wealth in