Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-19
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9ailn - Eagle
CHINESE CUSTOMS.
An Amusing Lecture by an ORR
entail Humorist.
Foo Paw, the Idol Which Protects Every
Celestial Experimentation of the
Signs Used by MongoIians Domi-
Gued ia the United States.
brooklyn Eagle.l

tBrooklyn Eagle.l
Yam Phon Lee a young Chinaman with
a very dry way of saying very funny
things, stood in the hall of the young Men s
Christian Association the other evening,
clad in the garb of his countrymen, and
wearing the national cue with skull esp
surmounting it. He talked for an hour or
more about Chinese customs, endeavoring
to correct American mistakes. When the
lights went out the map of China shOne out
on big sheet over the platform, and Mr.
Yam Phon Lee continued his lecture with
the aid of stereopticon. He said in part:
The first thing which strikes even the
casual observer in China is what to for
eigner seems to be oddly in the people and
their customs The contrast between these
and those prevailing in the western hemi-
sphere has afforded an endless topic for
newspaper wit and satire. This would not be
the case if the origin and meaning of Chi
nese customs were understood by the gen
tlemen who make merry over them, for
their laughter arises from wonder. and
wonder, as a great writer SAYS, is the re-
suit of ignorance. l viii attempt tonight
not so much TO trace these customs 80 their
sources as to show their right to exist-to
show that their character OF liberty is still
valid. Let us first consider the customs
which surround the advent of those little
angels which we call babies. Under every
bed IN China there is a little idol and censor,
dedicated to Poo Paw, or aunte. This
takos the place Of the maiden aunt in Chi
Ma, for yse nave no maiden aunts there.
/ srT I'D to
tecU every iauy. This. Of course,
Isu OF our superstition. A
Eew days after the bir5l "A chris
ienias ceremony takes place and i name
is chosen -Cr sbe chi.d Names il China
are u1ta-uee a5iynaL. They are taken from
ne Dictionary because Of their happy
rer instance, take my name 1t
-. a-a Eeal- q - imperial favor My
grandfather had expectations OF nv be-
coming a great Mandarin through the
bounty OF the Emperor. Of course you see
that his expectations were not realized.
Laughter Those names which you see
On the fronts of tie Chinese shops are not
tae names Of people. They are business
tIt.es or notices, something like your Re
liable Insurance Company Hop Sing
means Int to prosper" A drug store bear
nG the sign Chung Sing Yong" means
Long life 10 all" Lung Fat" does not
mean that the owner of the sign has fat
lungs; it signifies prosper and get rich''
We have custom Of giving pigs feet and
ginger to mother after the birth of a child
The pigs feet are boiled in ginger and
are supposed to be very nourishing
About a month after the birth Of
the child we have a ceremony which
we call the full moon" Il is the
custom then for friends and relatives to
make presents of cloth and cakes and Jew
elry. Sometimes the parents thereupon
give feast and send back to the givers of
presents slices of roast pig, for roast pig is I
great dainty in China. Tho I
next event in the child's life is the cere-
mony of shaving when the embryo cue is (
formed Americans have a wrong notion
the cues. 1t is merely worn in
China because IL Is the fashion, not because
1t has any religious significance. | am fire.
4uently asked whether, if l went back to
China, / would wear my cue! Yes. l .
would, but not growing upon my head. .
What IS 20 prevent my wearing it like this
Caking Oh his skull cap with the cue at
because it would be very uncomfortable for
me to walk through the streets there with
out it. l would be pelted with sticks and
stones and other substances, for the people
would say: That man is Christian, be-
cause he has given up Chinese fashions"
Cinnamon got their cues in the first place
from the Manchu Tartars. A civil war was
reigning IN China al the time, 1910, and the
Emperor of the Manchus was invited to ally
lImself with ore of the chiefs He did. and
after ne conquered the common enemy he
his ally also, and became the ruler
ii China. lie introduced the cue by force
Trough an edict 10y wnlcn he sentenced to
all VINO would not wear cues
So we got the cue by force at first. Since
hen it has become popular and is now the
hing 10 wear in China Our costume also
very considerable notifications
at the hands of the Tartars. Previous to
heir coming the dress of the Chinese was
much more pretty than it is now. l saw in
1 paper not long ago, portrait of Con
ucIus wearing a cue and dress like this
Tou see ME wearing. 1t was about as APP
Dropriate as bangs would be upon the moth
II of the Gracchi. Laughter. II is very
hard for children TO learn the Chinese Ian
,uage because At consists of words of one
y llable only. AS there are forty thousand
words in use and as the organs of speech
ire limited as to the variety of sounds they
an make we have many words with a dozen
liderent meanings each and some with even
more. II is hard also to learn our written
language, because there are IS many char
letters as there are words. These characters
we're pictures Of the objects meant by the
words IN the first place. but they have been
,reatly modified, and could not be recog.
llled as the pictures of any thing now.
| on hear IL said that children turn their
'acks on the teacher when they recite.
hey do; there IS no catechisipg Of chill
.ren IN the Chinese schools; they simply
earn a thing by heart aud 80 up ana re-
'eat 1t. IheF turn their backs 50 that they
Ray nor be able to see The lesson The fer
uie Is frequently used in Chinese schools,
hough 1t has long been banished from
hose Of America. The teacher Will prompt
nee or twice, but the third time his ferr-ule
ONES down. So that the education of bows
nd girls in China proceeds under consider
bic difficulty Girls go 10 school till they
re eleven or twelve years of aye. Il is
OF deemed necessary for them to know as
luch as boys. II they can write letters
, their fances they Will do very We'll.
SprIghtIy Uncle Elijah.
tAuanta Constitutional