Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-07-05
LIFE IN CHINA.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CELEsTIALs
AND cAUCAsIANs.
All Trades and Occupations Car
ried on in Public.
From the St. Louis GlobeDemocratl

| A remarkable characteristic of Orient
ais in general, and of the Oh inese in par
ticular, is the fact that they seem to have
no nerves. The people of the Caucasian
race become worn out by the repetition OF
the same action for any considerable length
] of time, but Orientals, when once taught
to perform any task, will keep at it from
ten to eighteen hours day, year after
year, without seeming in the least affected.
Every one has seen Cinnamon in their
laundries working into the late hours of
the night without appearing ever to be-
come tired, and these PEOPLE are fair sam
pies of the Orientals generally. They are
simply, to all intents and purposes, ami
mated machines, capable of performing
the same task without any more sense of
fatigue than though they were made of
steel and rubber.
| There are many remarkable differences
| between the Chinese and the Caucasians.
The natives of the "Flowery Kingdom"
appear to do everything in way con-
trary to that in which it is done among
us, and therefore many of their customs
and manners are to us extremely curious.
Their styles of hair-dressing are wonder
fully complicated. We shave our faces,
they shave their heads; when we enter a
house we take off our hats, they remove
| their shoes; we shake the hands of our
| friends-when two Cinnamon meet each
shakes his own, grasping the right hand
with the left and vigorously manipulating
| the two up and down; we put backing on
our footgear, they cover theirs with chalk /;
at dinner we begin with plain food and
end with dainties, they commence the re-
past with the most delicious desserts and
end with plain rice; we write from left to
right, they IN contrary direction we
bury our dead people, they place them in
collins and keep them in their homes; we
put yokes on the necks of our oxen, they
| place them on the horns of the beasts.
| The Chinese family life is regulated on
the principle that the father is the head,
not only of the family, but of all the fam
lily connections. The children marry and
raise families of their own, but neither
age nor parental dignity exonerates them
from the authority Of their father; in
deed, the parental principle enters into
the religion of China and makes it wor-
ship of deceased ancestors. While the
Chinese are, in their way, pious, their
piety is simply matter of barter and
sale: they covenant with their deities to
render certain services provided a quid
pro quo is returned, but if the gods fail in
this, the Chinese do not hesitate to insult
and beat their holy statues, and even
threaten them with destruction, provided
better behavior is not guaranteed for the
| future. Mr.. Taylor, in his observations
on the Chinese, noted case where an old
man vowed certain offerings to his gods
providing his fishing expeditions were
successful. The fish did not bite, and the
old man not only deprived his household
deities of their allowance of rice custom
arily placed before them, but even went
SO far as on the next fete day to give them
no fireworks, but a sound thrashing in
| stead.
In their family relations the Chinese are
very affectionate, at least so far as they
understand the term. Parents will make
any sacrifice for their children, but purely
for fear that the latter may not duly pro-
vide for the comfort of their souls after
| death. The children are not slow to re-
| ciprocate, but often show their affection in
what, to the Caucasian mind, seems
curious method, for the most acceptable
present child can make to parent is a
handsome coffin. About this sooner or
latter indispensable article of furniture,
the Chinese are very particular and many
man having suddenly come into possession
of money will expend it in providing for
himself neat casket, which he keeps in
his house, and of which he cannot be de-
prived by process Of law, even by his most
urgent creditors. A coffin is queer pres
ent for child to a parent, but scarcely
less grotesque is the present OF rod or
bundle of switches, which parents fire.
quently make to their children, for in
China. Solomon's saying, Spare the rod
and spoil the child" is devoutly believed.
Chinese homes of the middle class are
scarcely worthy the name. The houses
are slightly constructed of bamboo and
wicker mats, the furniture is conspicuous
by its absence, for the family sit on the
floor; in the inns the guests sleep on top of
large brick oven, which fills nearly one
half the common room. In private houses,
where the expenditure necessary for the
oven cannot be made, the Chinaman and
his family sleep in their clothing on piles
of straw. Speaking of clothing, however
there is one fashion universally prevalent
throughout the length and breadth of the
Middle Kingdom. As the cold weather
comes on, in order to accommodate their
clothing to the weather, the people add
garment after garment, until in the dead
of winter the natural size of Chinaman's
body is apparently doubled As the weather
moderates and spring comes on, one gar
| tla,
the apparel is reduced owhat may on any
summer day be seen in the laundries of
this country.
Chinese meals are taken in courses, and
state dinner sometimes has between
twenty and thirty Of all sorts of viands,
from bird-nest soup to candied fruits OF
all kinds unknown to the West. There is
common superstition that the Chinese
do not hesitate at rats, mice, cats and
dogs, but this is mistake. 1t is true that
the abjectly poor, in starving condition,
will make meal from the flesh of these
animals, but the general food of the Chi
nese is as good as that used by people OF
corresponding rank and fortune in any
other land The most important differ
ence in the manner of eating consists OF
the use of chop-sticks, which are about the
length and thickness of an ordinary lead
pencil. They are of wood, ivory, gold or
silver, are both held in the same hand
and with their assistance Chinaman will
empty a bowl of rice in an incredibly short
space of time.
The stranger walking the streets of a
Chinese town will witness many sights tc
him extremely repulsiye and unusual, for
most of the operations of life are carried
on in the sight Of the public. Even many
occupations with US restricted to indoors
are in China publicly conducted in the
streets. Under the shadow of some con-
venient tree, or in the shadow OF conyen-
iently overhanging roof the peripatetiC
barber will be seen shaving the head
cleaning the eyes, ears and nose of his Gus.