The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-12-18
IN TWO LANGUAGES,
Simple Means Adopted for Handling the
Malls Between America and China.

The manner in which the Chinese
mail is handled in this city is a matter
which is little discussed and much less
understood. 1t is generally supposed,
however, that n Chinese interpreter is
employed in the Chicago post office for
the sole purpose of taking care of the
Chinese mail matter. But such is not
the case. The government has never
seen the necessity of employing an in
terpreter. for letter addressed in Chi
nese hieroglyphics has also duplicate
address written in the English language,
thus avoiding any misunderstanding and
putting the Chinese letter on the same
footing as a domestic one.
When a Chinaman wants to send
letter to his native country he first Sc
cures the services of one of his country
men who is converSant with the En-
gliSh language. In his own handwrit-
ing he places the address on the cnvel-
ope, and then the services of the inter
prefer come into play. This individual
writes in English on the back of the
envelope the same address that is writ
ten on the opposite side, thus enabling
the mail carriers and post Office clerks
to handle the letter from the Chinese
point of view as though it was for do
nestle delivery. The letter, duly
stamped, speeds its way across the
continent to San Francisco, and from
there is put in one of the mail ships
bound for China, When the letter
reaches it's destination it goes into the
post office and is delivered in the same
way an ordinary letter would be ham
died in this country. With the Chinese
language on one side of the envelope
and an English translation on the other
it will easily be seen that no difficulty
whatever is occasioned the post Office
authorities in either country in its trans
mission. Thus what at first sight
seems difficult matter is, indeed, quite
simple.
The reverse process is employed by
Americans in China who desire to COM
municate with friends in this country
Instead of having the Chinese trans
lated into the English they hire an
Americanized Chinamau and have him
write the address in the Chinese Ian
and surely through both post offices.
The Chinese are poor correspondents
and only write a letter under the most
urgent circumstances Out of the vast
Chinese population in Chicago the post
Office clerks say that not more than a
dozen letters pass through their
hands in day, and these are
written chiefly by business China
men on business matters They OBJ
serve the minutest details in letter
writing, however, and make the closest
inquiry as to how each letter should be
sent. Probably more money is sent
through the mails by Cinnamon in pro-
portion TO their numbers than by any
other foreign element of their class.
Hardly day passes but that three or
four Cinnamon get money orders at the
post Office in amounts ranging from ten
dollars to one hundred dollars Chi
cago Tribune.
FIREFIIES AND TuEio Iicu-s-
American Firefiies. English Glow Worms.
Tropical Lantern Flies, aud Centipedes.
Firehies have been put and are even
to this day applied to some curious
uses. In Santo Domingo and other
West India islands they are employed
for lighting purposes, being confined in
lanterns, both for going about the
country at night and for the illumina-
ton of dwellings. by attaching one of
them to each foot while travelling in the
darkness they serve as guide to the
path. They are also utilized in Cuba
and elsewhere for ornaments, where
with the gowns and coiffures of ladies
are adorned on festive occasions One
can read by the light which a few of
these insects give. One point that may
be urged in behalf of these frefiies is
that they kill mosquitoes, finding in
the latter their favorite prey.
The ancients were probably unac-
quainted with the species of fretiies
which are so familiar in this country,
because the most remarkable of these
are peculiar to America. The great
lantern flies of southern Europe and
Asia, which are sometimes called fly
ing glow worms" are allied to the boat
flies and water scorpions. On the other
manu- Cle HIcDltS vi IIlC tIOplCS hlS
beetles The latter are of somber hue
in the daytime, and it is only at night
| that they show their lights.
The English glow worm is the wing
less female of winged beetle. Some
suppose that the light she bears is be-
slowed for her protection to scare away
the nightingale and other nocturnal
birds. Others, however, believe that
the gift Of brightness is the very lure
by which her foes are assisted to dis
cover and devour her. Much specula'
ton has been INDUCED in as to the
nature of the glow worms light, which
is not put out by water nor seemingly
capable of giving forth any heat. 1t
has been asserted that the light diff
| fuSing substance contains phosphorus,
! but this has never been proved. Ger
tainly it is incapable of communicating
ignition to anything.
Least attractive among the insects
which give light are the sO-called 'elec,
trio centipedes" crawlers with
many legs. which have been likened tC
serpents' skeletons in miniature. They
move in a Snake-like fashion, forward
or backward, leaving behind them d
bright track of phosphoric light. How
ever, they are most accustomed to APP
pear in the day time, when the illnmina
ton they afford is not visible. -Wash
ington Star.