Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-30
THECHINESE ATHOME
MANY OF THEIR CUSTOMS ARE THE
REVERSE OF OURS.

Row They Compare with the Japanese.
What Constitutes an Education-No He
rc.iitary Aristocracy In China reo-
nile vary In Different sections.
The samples we get of China in our
country give us very inadequate ideas
of the people. We have here to contem-
plate civilization entirely unlike our
own, but in itseN much more complete
than ours. Inf the presence OF the Chi
,ese. all Europeans and Americans are
oarvenus. These people burned coal
before the Christian era. They invent
ed printing 1000 years before Guten-
berg and Faust hourished, and they
knew the use of gunpowder when our
forefathers were using bows and ar
rows In most things which appear on
the surface they are our antipodes.
They mount horse from the right side
instead of the left, read from left, to
right. say west south instead OF south
west. their mariners needle points TO
the south, the men wear pettlcoats ana
the women trousers, they shave the
fronts OF their heads and not their faces.
shake their own hands instead of each
others as greeting, write their family
| names first and their given names aft
crward, have their marginal notes at
the top OF their books, place a dis,in-
| guished guest on the left and are care
| full not to uncover in his prese wear
| white for mourning, the men sew and
the women work in the fields, and so ON
| to the end of the chapter.
We shall find in China the origin OF
| much that we have seen in Japan. The
| position of woman in the family and So
ciety is about the same, except that the
| Japanese women do not cramp their
feet. and therefore can 90 about more
| freely. The domestic architecture is
| similar. so far as external construction
goes, bat the Chinese houses have no
mats, and the people do not squat on
the floor. Both wear loose, flowing
| robes. which the Chinese button, but
| the japanese do not. In the conversa-
ton of the people the Chinese indulge
| in honorifics as much as the Japanese.
1t is the correct thing to ask your friend
|
house to your miserable howell. or to al
| low his distinguished cup of tea to'de-
| scend to your unworthy self. The Chi
| nese classics are also the classics in Ja-
| pan. and the Chinese ideagraphs are
| used by japanese writer's. Education
] is mainly etiquette. The Chinese have
| 3, 600 rules of behavior, which the edu-
Gated man must know. If a man have
bad manners, they say he is not edu-
| Gated. ~. s-l4 an iDa
| The Chinese sages, like Confucius.
| Mencius and others whose works are
| classics, enunciated high grade of
| ethics. Confucius stated the golden
rule. though negatively, thus: " II there
is anything l do not want done to me,
will not do it unto another His eth
ical teachings take rank with those OF
the Greek and Roman moralists and
the Hebrew prophets. but are without
reference to Supreme Being who re-
| quires ms TO keep his commandments.
The family customs are similar to the
Japanese. Society is patriarchal. The
| family. not the individual, is consid-
cred Marriages are arranged as in ia
| pan to perpetuate the family, and go be-
tweens are employed to settle theterms.
| There is only one wife, but concnblnes
are taken into the house at will. The
wife finds life burdensome when she is
the servant OF the household, especially
of her father in law and mother-in-law,
but when she becomes a mother-in-law
/ ha i,or AM m
warm for her daughter i75la-o
The Chinese have as many genuhex-
| ions as the japanese and numerous
| grades of obeisances to be employed aC-
cording to circumstances. Three prostra-
tons, each with three knockings of the
| head against the floor. are supposed 10 be
| about the extreme exhibition OF respect.
The people vary good deal in the diff
ferent sections. The south of China is
mountainous. and the people there are
smaller, more volatile and brighter
| than in the north, where the crowded
| jewellers on the plains and paddy fields
| are heavier. less eNcitable. not souuick
| to see or act There is no hereditary
aristocracy in China. All the people
are bound to obey the will of the EN-
peror and have no rights he is bound
to respect. There is no caste. as in India.
| The people are classified as natives and
aliens. the latter being subdued peo-
pie in the provinces; cOnquerors and
conquered, with special reference to
the prohibition of marriages between
| the Mantchoo and Chinese, and freemen
and slaves. There are no laws against
slavery. Every native is allowed to
purchase slaves and retain their chill
dren in servitude. but the number of
slaves is small, and their condition is
comparatively easy. Probably there are
no better hammered people in the world
lhan the educated Chinese. They are
also very competent business men, and
as such enjoy an excellent reputation
Cor. Boston Herald.
------ ~.
Marriage Proposal Reform. 81.
| A suggestion is made for legal re-
form which, while retaining breach Of