The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-18
CHINESE WAY OFDo1NG BUSINESS.
How the Prof1t-Sharing System Is
Made a Success

0cSSO~O'
New YORK, March III recently dined
with Moy Sing, wealthy retail grocer of
New York After dinner l questioned the
old merchant on tho Chinese mode of doing
business. He talked freely, and seemed
proud of their system. IAN employee is one
of our family. We give him wages, board
and lodging, and look after his habits and
associates. We also give him an interest In
the business. Thus our year 5777, which
closed on Feb 10 in your calendar, was a
very fair year. My head clerk receives $50
a week, board and lodging. Besides this
he received on New Years as his interest
81 800 cash. My other clerks received
smaller amounts down to the porter, who
got 500 odd. This is their interest in the
business, and not a gratuity, as with
Americans. We believe in this profit
sharing, as it helps honesty and self-reSpect
On this account embeZZlement is very rare
with us, and can go away to Chicago or
China, feeling certain that my business
will not suffer i'll my absence.
Promising the old merchant to call
again, | next visited All Hee, n successful
hacker of gambling games. Chinese gamb-
ling seems cniehy confed to fan-tan a
species of odd and even in which the house
deducts per cent. from all winnings, the
chances 10 win and lose being equal, and
u
may win $4,000. The gambler stands
higher with the Celestial than with us bar
barians Their lowest classes are strange
to relate, criminals, actors ana tailors. The
gamblers have good social status. they
are organized under trust" whose object
is to protect the banks against crooked
players and players against crooked gamb-
iers. AS far a. | could learn their trust
seems comparative success.
CItt nntn h1N Yat.ix ia -
gambler we found him reading, and Chinese
reading is a conncal although comfortable
pastme. Instead of sitting or standing
they lie down on bunk upon their right
side. so that the light from either lamp or
window fails over the left shoulder on the
book. They draw their knees close up TO
their chin, allow the book to rest on band
| and bunk. and in this dormous attitude
pursue their literary pleasure.
After a few commonplace remarks
asked the name of the book and was told
that it was "The f irly History of the Chi
nese Empire" ! venturcd a word OF sur
prise and was surprised in turn. Sand All
| Hee: THE best reading for Il man is his
| tory, the next poetry, the third science and
| the last novels or historical romanceS
Other reading is u vast OF Tune POETRY
gives the greatest pleasure and is the favor
tie amusement of our people, a common
social feature with us Is a poejlcal competi-
ton. Any number of candidates enter the
contest and pay over 80 the Treasurer an
entrance fee, which varies from a quarter TO
a dollar A committee OF ono. two or three is
appointed, who select the first, secoad and
third best poem. The authors divide tho
pool, the first receiving half, the second n
third and the last a sixth OF the amount
som times they purchase valuable prizes
instead of dividing the cash. The most sue
cessful writer we had was a Brooklvn
laundrymen named Wong Wing Sing, who
carried of over seventy prizes in five years.
These contests are very severe and the CON
dtinns IMPOSED hard 10 fulfill. For exam
pie, in one competition, each poem had 20
contain four lines of eight words each the
first word of the last line TO be dragon
and the last word # the last line ship"
Wong Wing Sing, who received the first
prize, wrote the following, so far as | can
put it into English:
Dragon that rules the waveess sea of death,
When lie dreaming on my loved ones lip
And thou dost come 10 take her mortal breath,
Let me sail with her homeward in thy ship.
The second was awarded to Moy Lee, d
gambler. His lines were:
Dragons destroy each work of human hands
The hand, the worker and the workmanship;
But not the dreams from undiscovered lands,
Which sail toward me in hopes phantom
ship.
examined the history he was reading
and found it to resemble the pictorial prin-
erS of my boyhood. To every few pages Of
closely printed reading matter there were
outline sketches of kings, emperors, gem
erals, ships and battles. IL was odd 10 Lear
! the almondeyed gamester talk in broken