The herald., 1893-09-24
LETTER BAG.
The East and the Chinese.

The East and the Chinese.
EDITORS HERALD: Between 1849 and
1857 the arrivals of Chinese in this
country had been about 5000 per an.
mum, and allowing for those that had
s'made their stake" and returned to
their homes, there were something like
10000 Of them here in 1868 when the
treaty of amity between this country
and China, commonly known as the
Burlingame treaty, was entered into.
The Chinaman mp to that time had
Pacific coast, where, owing to the alb
produced by the discovery and develop
the east and by the building of the Pa
general expectation that, as soon as the
rough edges wore off and social condi-
tions became more settled here the
Chinaman would fold his tent and steal
away as silently as he had come: for
caused no serious apprehension.
The ink on the Burlingame treaty was
hardly dry, however, before its evil
CACCbb OOChll0 aPphlOAbs AhO OulnC6C
began to fairly swarm into the country.
They filled California and began to slop
over into other sections of the union.
the shoe factories of Massachusetts.
Then the trouble beganl A great alarm
spread throughout the east. The charm
ing oddity of the celestial character,
which had 30 interested our New Eng
land fvfapAa xuho ofuAtad
tance of 5000 miles, no longer occupied
their thoughts. The expressions,
'coolies," ''vile pagans," disgusting
dregs,' ETC., were heard on every side.
Such men as Senator Wilson of Massa-
chusetts (afterward vice-president) and
and Representatives Ben Butler and n.
P. Banks from the same state-the latter
house committee on foreign relations
but voiced the sentiments of their con-
Htituency when they inveighed against
and villifed the habits and character of
poor John" in terms that would have
done credit to Dennis Kearney. Wendell
that "coolie labor was worse than slave
ldUOls Anu oil bAlb UCCau6O u ltW OOZCn
industrious, inoffensive heathen had
precincts of the old Bay state!
Californians may well blush at the
recollection OF such intolerance displayed
in any part of this free country.
Well, the result OF the panic was that
the Chinese were deported back to
California, "where they belong" ap-
parently.
Our good Puritan friend, having &C.
Quilted himself like christian and
brother, sat himself down in the cool
shadow of Plymouth Rock, mopped the
from his heated brow, and
famed himself with his broad
hat. His fluttering heart ceased it's
agitation and he was soon in the proper
mood to resume his briefly interrupted
contemplation of the abstract beauties
OF the Chinese character. Something
after this fashion did he muse:
"What a delightful and improving
pastime is the study of human nature,
as exemplifed in "the little
brown How philosophical he is withal.
What peculiarly interesting habits he
has, and how picturesque bis costume.
How quickly he learns our ways, and
SIOW CubClJ ilO Culhb OuI lhukudK6s Anu
his religion-tena of centuries old-how
delightful. Ah what shame tits that
those rude California people should
be so lacking in culture and refinement
as not to perceive and appreciate, as we
do, these beautiful attributes of the Ce-
lestial's nature. What grand oppor-
tunity is offered for the spread of Chris
tianity had the Californians only the
fnl 60 q L.
BILE that they will allow one hundred
thousand disciples of Confucius to leave
their shores in ignorance of the truth d?
Nay, nay; it must, it shall not
be. We will proselyte them our
selves, and then, when these hundred
thousand Chinese do eventually return
to their native land, they will 60 as 30
many Christian missionaries to spread
the gospel among the benighted millions
of Asia"
Our Puritan friend having determined
upon the highly moral course, rises upon
his hind legs and sets about its accom-
plishment with his usual dieinteregted
zeal in the cause of humanity-safely
distant in Boris boola-gha or California.
Twenty-Five years have passed, and
though 1t ls true that the Chinese are
still pagans, still there is no reason to
lose hope. Several of them have been
converted" to Christianity, and there
are fair prospects, of converting several
others in the future, if this abominable
Geary law can only be nullifed and if
the Chinese only keep away from New
SEwARD CoLE.
Colegrove, CAL, Sept. %, 1898.
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Money and CommoditIas.