The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-22
CHINESE WHO LIVE ON TICK.

Curious Practices and the Annual
Square-up About New Years.
A writer in the North China Herald of
Shanghai, lately, takes for his theme the
peculiar Chinese practice of settling debts
just before New Years day, which has often
been praised by western observers, but
which he does not applaud so much. The
custom has, he says, its roots in three
causes. First, that everybody owes some
thing; secondly, that n great necessity
exists for shor6 settlements, and, thirdly
that no one will pay a debt until he is
forced to do so. Tyrannical custom compels
most persons to live beyond their means
Marriages and funerals are the ruin of the
people. The farming classes are in per-
petual difficulties, while the small traders
work on such narrow margin that fire.
quent Accommodation" is essential.
On the other hand, the balances in the
hands of creditors are so small that no one
can afford to leave his money out of call for
more than few months Finally the uni
versal habit is to avoid discharging liablj-
ties if possible. So at New Years time
there is perpetual sequence of flight aud
pursuit. Creditors hunting reluctant
debtors are themselves hunted by hungry
creditors of their Own. The nation, in
| short, revolves in vicious circle, and its
only period of brief pause is New Years
| day. The double anxiety of a Chinese i'll
| the twelfth moon is to find some one else
and not to be found himself. Any particu-
lar creditor hunting any particular debtor
| will find that he is himself autic lpated by
| swarm of other creditors hunting the same
| game. 1t is greatly to the int est of all
| parties that no claim for debt should get
into the courts of law. for this would mean
| that not only the amount in dispute, but
all the rest of the property of both parties
would be in danger of being wasted.
For these reasons it is the role of the
de tor to represent that he is harassed by
importunate creditors to such an extent
that he knows not which way to turn. In
ninety nine cases out of a hundred the
creditor is compelled to "call again" Then
the debtor sets his wits to work to invent
new occasions for begging for writ nolle
prosequi. II the creditor were to relax his
hold and cease his claims, that would be the
end of them for an indefinite period per-
haps forever, and this he knows as we'll as
any one. Therefore, once having taken
hold. he keeps his grip. like the jaw of a
bulldog, till he gets his pound of flesh
| Eternal vigilance is the price at which this
is to be won; eternal vigilance is what the
Chinese creditor has large supply Of
To avoid the creditor altogether is a prime
| object Of many debtors during the irving
period which follows the winter solstice
Many are the individuals who feign sick
ness, and who cannot, therefore, be seen
| VINO do not venture on the street for many
days before the close of tue year, and who
live, in fact, the lives of thieves until Just
at the close of the last dav of the year
Then they emerge from their obscurity in
time to get their heads shaved for the new
year, and have the keen joy of knowing that
they have eluded the vigilance of their re-
morseless foes. The Chinese debtor who
succeeds in evading or parrying the claims
of his creditors at this critical epoch finds
"a city of refuge" in which for the time he
is safe On New Years day, or one soon
after, he may possibly call upon his creditor
or his creditor may call upon HIM.
Each Is arrayed in his best, and each is
full Of polite phrases. The creditor may be
inwardly swelling with wrath and fury at
the thought that this cunning wretch did,
after all the pains taken TO prevent it. make
his escape. The debtor may be full OF
smiling self-complacency to think how well
he played some Of the numerous tricks of
the season. But neither the one nor the
other would ever dream of abiding TO such
affairs at this festive time. Business is
tabooed, contrabanc of war, interdicted by
the law of the realm, and so the de tor is
out upon another stadium of his existence
the fangS of the adversary whetted in secret
are restrained from the flesh for the time
and he walks the earth with sense of in
constraint to which he has long been a
stranger.