The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-10-30

Their Excessive Politeness Seems Ride
ulous-How q "LittIe Dog" is Re
ceived Into st. Johns College,
Shanghai.

WQ0n q q IN GnS the Rev.
E. L. Il. Pott, who is head master of
st. Johns College, Shanghai, gave to
a Tribune reporter an interesting &C
count of the way in which he receives
a pupil. 1t gives one a good idea of
Chinese etiquette. Mr.. PotE said:
"You wish know how I receive
a boy into the colleges Well,
the fathers of the boys at st.
Johns are usually politicians, mer-
chants or scholars. They are all
Chinese gentlemen, of course. I have
to adapt myself to the etiquette
of the Chinese, and so when a father
arrives with his boy I escort them to
my Chinese reception room, where the
father and I each shake our own hands
most heartily and bow profoundly. I
then say to him:
"'What is your honorable name9"
HE replies: My mean, Insignificant
name is Wong
"Then I say: please be seated"
and point to a seat at the back of the
room at the left hand of the table-the
seat of greatest honor. He Immediately
takes the right-hand seat nearest the
door-the post of least honor. I urge
him to go up higher. He declares that
he is unworthy. Then I catch hold of
him to force him to go higher, and he
takes hold of me to prevent it. We
have quite a vigorous struggle, lasting
some time. Finally he accepts a com
promise, and takes a seat half way up
the side of the room. I sit down on
the seat next lower.
Before beginning our conversation
I send for tea and the water pipe, and
when they arrive I say: Please use
tea
"When he has taken some tea and a
puff from the pipe we talk. He asks
innumerable questions about myself.
A Chinese gentleman never comes to
business for a quarter or half an hour.
Time neve troubles an Oriental. He
begins by asking:
"What is your honorable names"
81 of course reply that my mean, in
significant name is Pott. The next
question he asks is:
what is your honorable kingdomG"
and I am obliged, much as I dislike it,
to say:
''The small, pretty district from
which I come is the United States of
America"
"How many little stems have you
sproutedG' he says. Tu4G is the way
he asks how old I am. 4 have vainly
spent thirty years, I reply.
asking after my father, he says:
Is the honorable and great man of the
household living9' It is shocking, l
know, but I have to answer The old
man is WE'LL
"Then comes: How many little,
precious ones have you7' I reply
gravely I have two little dogs CThe
little dogs are my children) The last
question is:
"How many children have you in
this iuustrious institution Ny answer
is: 4 have 100 little brothers."
"Then he comes to business, and
says:
Venerable master, I have brought
my little dog here, and worshipfully
intrust him to your charge The little
fellow who has been ss.r14,IIDg in a cor
ner of the room, at This ONE forward,
kneels down before me, puts his hands
On the ground, knocks his head on the
floor and worships me. / raise himup
and send him off to school, and arrange
ments are made about his dormitory,
course of study, etc.
THE gentleman rises to take his
leave. I have tormented you exceed
ingly to day. he remarks. oh, no, l
answer, I have dishonored you AS
he goes toward the door he keeps say
ing. I am gone, I am gone and I re-
ply, Go slowly, go slowly AS I fol
low him to the gate in the garden he
says, Please restrain your golden foot
steps, When We arrive at the gaze we
again shake our own hands, bow very
~reverently to one another, and he is
gone.
Their politeness is sometimes al
ried to an extreme which seems anus
ing to us Ihave seen five or six men
haggle for five minutes over who should
first enter a door at which they had
CHANGED to meet. They all urge each
other to go in first. And this ceremo-
NOUS politeness is not confined to the
upper classes If two wheelbarrowmen
meet in a narrow path and one has to
| on IA one side tn lat the other pass. the