The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-06-15
JOHN CHNAMAN.
| Seen at Home, He is by No Means a BAD

Sort.
81 really do not think that he is
quite as black as he is painted, writes
Mr.. Clement Scott from China. / am
quite aware that the heather Chinee
is peculiar All Sin is quite as tricky
at home as he is in America. He al
ways has his card up his sleeve, and it
requires a very sharp Englishman to
get up very early in the morning in
order to best our old friend, John,
with the fiat face, the yellow skin and
the pigtail. The Chinese tailor who
taps at my door every morning, and is
artfully anxious to clean and press my
clothes, does not depart empty-handed,
in that he has persuaded me into the
purchase of three silk handkerchiefs-
at his own price, not at mine.
"When we cannot conclude bar.
gain, John proposes to toss. But he
has no sublime faith in his customer.
Take it,, says the Colombo jeweler;
thrusting into my hand a splendid
sapphire ring or moonstone ornament;
pay for it when you get home, or re-
turn 1t if you don't want it. | can
trust Englishmen, But John China
man would not trust you for cent.
II unearthed in an old embroidery
store in Canton pair of curtains that
would have made sensation at South
Kensington or hristie's-hand-worlS
embroidery hundreds of years old. but
as fresh and bright to-day as when
kkey~were made. They were, indeed,
worth kings ransom but on this
occasion rs cheap as dirt. | asked the
Old Chinaman II he would allow them
to go home against cash. on delivery.
No said he, twinkling his little beady
eyes: i will let the curtains go home,
and keep you as bond till the money
comes So the curtains remain under
piles of embroidery, and am free from
Canton.
Il am actually free from the acct
dents and disasters that were predicted
If were rash enough to travel unpro-
tected in China. have not met with
one single adventure, and have been
treated by John Ch;naman as man
and brother. To begin with, l was
warned to be on my very best behav-
Tor, and Systematically to turn the
other cheek If | happened to be buff
feted in a crowd. In India and Ceylon
it was all the other way. There was
far too mild and yielding to the native.
A more extended vocabulary and the
stick were earnestly recommended
One morning when ! discovered my
treacherous snaky, long-haired tortoise
shell-combed Cingalese servant on his
knees before the glass in my room,
brushing his oiled and greasy hair
with the best silver bacled brushes in
my bag, / was chaSfed because | lid
not give him jolly good thrashing
and kick him out of the room. They
like you better for it, indeed they do,
said my friend, who knows Ceylon by
heart. But the argument of the stick
would not do at all i'll China, and to
kick up row in Canton is said to be as
much as your life is worth. But came
out scathless, though actually lost
my way and my guide in the most tor
tuous mazes of Canton, and was only
greeted with roar Of laughter once
when tripped up on g. rainy day over
a terribly ominous red pool in the exc
cution yard, where they exhibited for
my ediication three CHASTITY heads of
executed murderers, " hich were thrown
aside as offal under a heap of rags, and
had been allowed to rot for days as the
sealed jars of human heads were full!
In China, can answes for it, they have
not much respect for the dead body of
a murderer. They do not even cleanse
the cross on which he IS done to death,
or purge the filthy pottery ground
where he is executed oi his life blood"
Boston Herald,