Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-11-29
CHINESE TEIEGRAPHY.
The Manner in Which the Celestial
Office Is Managed.

Office Is Managed.
AS usual in all officially conducted en-
terp ises in China (and the Chinese gov
ernment acknowledges no union of cap
italists for large enterprises apart from
official management, little encourage
ment is given to the general public. In
the case of the telegraph. the charges
are high, averaging about one shilling a
word, more or less. according to dis
tance. This tariff is, with thrifty people
like the Chinese, quite prohibitive as far
as social messages are concerned; and
for business purposes its use is confin d
to the few wealthy merchants in the
larger towns, and by them it is used
very sparingly.
In the less important places it is not
open to the public at all, although the
needful stations and operators are to be
found there. AT one such station, in the
town Of Shin-tan, in Hupeh. we once
tried to send a message. After much
inquiry we at last found our way to the
Tienpao Chi, or lightning dispatch
office, =" and were shown to an old out
of the way two storied Chinese dwell
ing house. Climbing up an inconven-
iently steep ladder we reached the upper
story, which consisted of roony loft,
with rickety loose plank floor and no
ceiling beneath the uncemented tile
roof. The apartment had every appear
ance of not having been swept or gar
nished since the day it was constructed.
AS our eyes gradually grew accus-
toned to the dim light admitted through
the small paper windows we perceived
in one corner a curtained trestle bedstead
illuminated by diminutive opium
smokers lamp, in another corner tele-
graphic signaling instrument with silk
cover to protect it from the dirt, and
couple of the usual stiff backed wooden
Chinese chairs. A few clothes trunks
and tumble down wardrobe completed
the furniture AS we entered a man of
80, handsomely dressed in silk, arose
from the bed and welcomed us to seat.
He received us with great etfusion and,
to our surprise, seemed really pleased to
see his haunt invaded by barbarian.
A lad of 1S or less, also gaily dressed
in silk, produced the ho5pitable tea and
could not accept my message without a
card from the taotai, or governor, who
resided 40 miles distant, and with which
he advised me to provide myself on a
future occasion. The lad, who turned
out to be an operator, trained in Shang-
hal, had merely to report on the condi-
ton of the wires, which he did daily by
telegraphing to the next station the
English words "All right" The rest of
the English he once knew he appeared
to have forgotten.
AS to the elder man, the manager,
sociable 500 Glow man. he talked of
himself as an exile among savages, with
no society, no occupation, and no amuse-
ment. He thoroughly enjoyed visit
from one who came from the civiliza-
ton of Shanghai, and seemed deeply to
regret our departure. He particularly
lamented his hard lot, in that having
bought 1000 English words of a native
teacher of English in Shanghai at a
cost of So per hundred $50 he expressed
himself), he had now only use for two
words and he had almost entirely for
gotten the remaining / 90} -[Q QIarterly
Review