The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-01-07
Chinese Anomalies.

Males showing may minor differences
between life in that country and the lands
of the West. As many Of the customs
described seem to have been overlooked by
the majority of travellers, the article is
worthy of reproduction.
The sons of the Flowery Kingdom,
says the journal, are not only the anti
podes of the Europeans from geographical
point of view, but their manner of think
ing and acting is, for the most part, dia-
metricaly opposed to oar own. 1t is,
therefore, useless to attempt to decide what
Chinaman would do under certain cir
cumstauces. In all probability he would
do what we never thought of, give express
sion to thoughts which could never occur
to us, and say things which we would never
say. He laughs when he tells you that
his parents or near relatives have died \
bride who failed to weep and cry, as if
bewailing the death of relative, when
taken to the house of her future husband,
would be looked upon as being without
feeling. Instead of asking, How an.
you?' the Chinaman asks, Have you eaten
your rice? For farewell the Chinaman
uses the expression Go slowly. He not
only asks infinitely as to your health
but also as to your age, and in case
you are advanced in years. he con
graduates you. He asks also the amount
of your monthly income, how much rent
you pay, and adds other questions which
we should consider impertincnt and out of
place. On the other hand, be careful not
to question him as to the health of wife or his
daughters He will introduce voluntarily
his sons to you. But do not hatter him if
you see that his youngest masculine off
spring looks healthy, because, should he
fall sick or meet with an accident, he will
attribute it to you. Although you remove
your hat on entering his house, he puts on
his head covering before receiving you.
He shakes his own hands rather than yours.
He places you at his left side, the position
of honor; and should he help you to any
thing, he does so with both hands. With
look of pride, he may also show you
few boards intended for his future coffin,
which his faithful sons have presented to
him.
If we look at Chinese books, we shall
also see that everything goes from rihgt
to left; the end is he beginning and the
beginning the end The lines are YER
teal, not horizontal, as with us. Foot
notes are to be found at the top Of
the page or in the midst of the text. The
dictionary is not arranged alphabetically,
the Chinaman using his 214 root-words,
and arranging his thousands Of words ac-
cording to them. At times he groups
words according to their sound so that all
words ending in ing, such as wing,
ling, ting, sing, come under one cate
CORY.
The clothing of the Chinaman compar-
ed with our own, adds the journal, also
shows many differences. The rank of the
official is indicated by the number of
varicolored buttons on the top of his official
hat, and instead of epaulettes, gold braid,
ETC., his uniform shows upon the breast and
back figures of birds and animals. The
plume of the Mandarin's hat is not straight,
but curved at the end like the tail of a bird.
The wearing of bracelets is not confined
to women, as men often ornament them
selves the same way. Neither men nor
women wear gloves, but their sleeves are
so long that they often reach two feet be-
You'd their hands, and serve as muffs in
cold weather They are also used as
pockets, there being no regular pockets
in the clothes The beard of China
man about indicates his age. Until 40
years old his face is smoothly shaver.
Beyond that point he allows his moustache
to crow, and when still older his entire
beard Both men and women wear jackets
and trousers. While we blacken our shoes
the Chinese pait the thick soles of their
shoes white Black is the color of mourn
ing in the West, while white-gray blue is
the color in China. Women as well as
men smoke, and both sexes make use of the
fan. If one tears his coat the tailor puts
the patch on the outside
The Chinese eompasses, continues the
''Lloyd," points toward the south and not
to the north, as with us. Neither do the
Chinese use the expressions, northwest,
northeast, southwest and southeast, but
west-north east-north, east-south and west
south In Chinese vessels the cooking is
done in the back parts of tie boats. The
Chinaman turns his name around, his
family name coming first and then his
surname. His titles and degrees of rcla-
tionship are written in the same way.
Instead of saying His Excelency, the
Minister, the Chinaman says, The Minis
ter, His Excellency Out of Uncle Smith
he makes Smith uncle; and out of Mr..
Jones, Jones Mr.. In writing the date,
the Chinaman first writes the year, then
the month, and then the day. Fractions
are also inverted. Instead of saying four
sixths, he says OF the sixths, four. The
blade of his saw is at right angles to the
handle. The cabinet-maker keeps his
measure in his stocking.
The Chinaman mounts his horse from
the right side The wheels of a machine
run by power of man always turn in direc-
ton opposite to that in which the hands of
a watch move Gravestones are always
placed at the feet of the dead: In The
school the teacher sits in corner of the
room, and when the pupil is passing his
examination he turns his back to the in
structor The letter postage is almost
always paid by the receiver and not by the
writer. The peasant places weather
protector above the heads of the oxen
which pump by means of chain pump,
the water upon his rice fields, but he him
self works unprotected from the rays of
the sun. Carpenters put the roof on
house before the walls are ready. The
Chinese Waterman strikes an instrument,
or bell, in the night time to let the thief
know where he is, instead of making the
attempt to catch him. In the countris of
the West children fly kites, but in China
grown persons attend to that pleasure,
while children look on. The shop signs
hang from the roof All stores are open.
In China the mother never kisses her child
or the groom his bride, as kissing is un-
known to the people The devil in China
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