The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-07

moral panorama or other spectacular enter
tainment that this reception was held. The
$50 callers were served with tea and cake by
the fair hands Of the handsome twenty-five;
songs were sung to them by the hostesses,
and, to further make themselves agreeable,
and to commend the ways of civilized maid
enhood to the disciples of Confucius, the
young ladies joined theirvisitors in the merry
pastime of blowing soap-bubbles, all ''romp-
ing about together like children"
Now there can be no doubt that this scene,
viewed from an aesthetic stand point, was pleas
ing and picturesque. Those Of us not privi-
legged to be present can each picture for him
self the attractive appearance made by
twenty-five handsome young American
women romping with $50 Cinnamon arrayed
in native holiday attire. The agreeable char
acter Of the exhibition was further enhanced
in its social aspect by the delicate and airy
suggestiveness of soap-bubbles No heather
could fail to be set at ease by this appreciative
reference to the washee- washae business.
Looked at from another direction, possibly
purely worldly one, the reception is open to
some objections. There is, Of course, no
reason even Of selfish nature, why the effort
should not be made to reclaim Chinaman
from the error of his ways and to make civ
s1i1ad bo;no opd Nbr;o@;o, o,% &c b;ro For
be it from the Journal to insinuate that the
snatching Of Chinese laundryman's soul
from the burning is not commendable act,
or that when saved it is not worthy of having
safeguards set around it. The question
which suggests itself in this connection is as
to the advisability of assigning to
the handsome young ladies Of the
community this particular form of
missionary work. Admitting however, their
fitness over that of the fathers and mothers in
Israel for imparting religious and moral in
struction in Sunday school, it must be in
sisted that the propriety of entertaining their
heather pupils and proteges on the terms of
social equality implied in romping with them
is not clearly apparent. The pious argument
that one soul is as precious as another in the
sight of the Lord is not disputed, but if APP
plicable in this case would be equally so were
Irish, OF Polish or African laborers to
teke the place of the Cinnamon. 1t may
be doubted whether the parents of the twenty
five handsome young women would willingly
permit their daughters to even engage in
teaching men Of these races in Sunday
schools. Certainly they would look with hor-
the romping of the young women with guests
of this class, or the delicate attention of join
ing in the characteristic pastimes of the reel,
the polka and the "cake-walk." 1t may even
be suspected that the missionary zeal which
animates the girls themselves would cool be-
fore the prospect of entertaining Patrick or
Sambo in the manner suggested. But if this
class of persons are not regarded as
fit pupils or associates of refined
anu iiiHoCeu1 young Wotuou, why
should this familiar treatment of Cinnamon
be permitted and smiled upon by those in au-
thority? The Chinese residents of this coun-
try belong, as rule. to a social grade certainly
as low as that from which other foreign laborers
come. That they are less ignorant or better
fitted for decent and polite society is ques-
ton which must be decided promptly in the
negative, if the descriptions appearing every
few weeks in the Chicago papers of the local
dens and dives where they most do congregate
are to be allowed any weight How Chicago
parents, even those most jealous for the con-
version of the world, can look complacently
upon the friendly, though pious, communion
of their cherished daughters with leprous-
tainted, opium saturated heather, it is diff
cult to understand. In the eyes of the unre-
generate, at all events, it would seem more
fitting should the twenty-five handsome young
ladies refrain from romping with the Chi
nese colony until it has been at least partially
civilized, and also, that this conversion should
be left for elderly and, so to speak, hardened
saints to bring about.
SURGERY AND CRIME.
Practical surgery seems in fair way to in