, 1890-02-07
CHINESE PRESENCE OF MIND.
q Philosopher R~sEtsz IN I~nxtancs Of TIL,
yYvus4rrfw1 kaS o-.

- I'm AuAkanCa 81 Inor
wvna-rfxd Bsx oout-sd.
nh h not along The broader lines of 10
s4sl life alone that We can trace race char
acSeristios and dtxanctions,- said = seedy
looking Individual IN front of n CHESTNUT
street hotsi, buteoning up a well worn taIl
overcoat closely to his throat SO as 10 con-
ceal the still moro wc- WINNER coat be-
meath, and drawing on, with c~arelsss fns-
ts~diousness, 3 Psir OF Kid gloves thai weru
badly m need OF repair. His general
appearance WIS that OF a broksn down
sporting man or a ward poiitlcian who
had been subststtng for many months on
the expectations of an appointments when
tho civil service law Is repealed; his an
was that Of a millionaire just sauntsrtng
out after having enjoyed a sumptuous
dinner, but, according to his own state
n,eut, he WIS reisber.
Il am a student Of social soisnoe," he
sid. ''xsd nothing delights ns nsoss than
10 study NATIONAL psculiartsies and char
socerisics ~ tboy are revealed IN thu
trivial occurrences Of every day Liza.
TO Illustrate, 1 won't into a NhtAk
street Chinese laundry the other evening.
Tho hsathen had nsgbsosed 10 Sand my
lfnan home That, hovsvG, did net
sriko me ms araco pecuharity; II n rsther
. class characteristics common 10 all hun.
rynsen no matter what thcr nationality.
But something oocurred while L waited
Ha~< did striks me.
1T wN lust shout dusk. Tho streetz
wsre crowded with people going home
from work, and IN the room hall a dozen
Ohfpemsp were busy huning ut different
sbhs. A GOAL oil hemp mat hung In the
snfk window had Just been Bshtod- A
good deal Of oil hed been spilled on tbs
sutaide OF the bowl m filing it, and sod
aenly this caught FIRE ard bAsed UP, NOT
only endsneering tho red curtains draped
about tho window, but sh~reeeening "a
oausc an explosion of the lamp.
"A Chinaman ON the far side of the
oom saw tho fsmes and uttered a zangle
exclamation 10 call tho attentton OF thu
others. That was tho only sound made
by any of tho ehcstials, and nsne OF them
left their work except ono nimble ffttis
fellow, who jumped lightly aud quickly
into tho window.
But the flames had been seen from
tho street, INT instantly tho room WIS
f1lod with pessers by, who rushed niadIy
in, each n shouting directions at the
top of his rs{oo.
Throw tho lamp into tho streetf
Dash ws*er upon itr Run for a police
nan 'Ssriks the fire atarmr they @iad,
and one spcited individual yelisd: Take
= club sod smash 1t to piscosP
-Asanwhile tbs lisslo Ckn.aman In Nc
window had quickly se1xed 8 largo, anaaY
cfo$h from hs table, and WIKI his fsilew
counwymen hooked calmly GA s.a4d al
b confusion snd hubbub he wrapped
n around h burning lamp and hsld Il
there TIL the flames wsrs ooopAsLy
-notheded. Then he quietly rs.urnsd Va
his work vtthout stopping for a no1nen
30 discuss The occurrence, but It was
several minutes before tho sxoftvment
dfod out among tho Cauoesiuzts who had
crowded in and they were roady 10 dc
part.
"Now this difference of behavior h
h face of danger and amid exciting
circumstances docs certainly indicate q
Fundamental and characteristic differ.
enoe between the oriental and the oooi.
dental races. You may say that the
conduct of the Cinnamon resulted merely
from oriental apathy, or you may sttrib-
ute IL to the ~fatalistio habits of thought
e~ngondered by eastern religions, or you
may say tllnt tho occurrence furnished
a ounfrmztion Of Herbert Spsnosr's
theory shat hurry and overwork have
resufsod m a condition Of nsr vous insts-
hnisy among all the races Of this west
Blu wtatever you attribute 1t 10, 1 tell
yeu the Chinaman's method q action Is
the best when you nave 10 deal with a
coal oil lamp that Is sbout exploding.
-You couldn't lend mo a dime, could
you, 10 pay my a farS 1 wAnt 70 Es<
10 RfehrnSud, whore l sm annouapesd Va
leoeurs before q eeuolars ef the hse-
soPh4cs Essists." - Phl<islphAa n
qutru.