The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-07
1913.
CHINA AND ITS CUSTOMS.
The American Idea About Cinnamon
Eating Rats Undermined.

GdtlAS 1dCS OnOSTHlASQ.
Mr.. G. H. Bell, the Chinese student of
Emory College, gave an interesting talk
last night in the Sunday school room of
the Wesley Monumental church, on the
manners and customs of the Chinese peo-
pie and the necessity for sending Christ
ian missionaries to China
Considering the time which he has been
in America MIR. Bills pronunciation is ex-
cellent, and the large audience had no
difficulty whatever in understanding all
he had TO say. He said he would not 60
into minute details, but would speak
of the manners and customs of the
Chinese people, and then re-
fer to the need for missionary
work among his countrymen. He said
the Chinese liked to stick to old customs
He spoke briefly of the Chinese govern
ment and the fact that the common
people have no voice in the nations af-
fairs. The emperor, he said was
designated as a tiger by many of
the people, on account of the great
power he possesses. He told about
the executions and the severe punish
ments that Chinese criminals have TO I'M
der go, and said that disobedience TO
parents was considered, according to
the doctrines of Confucius, as one of the
greatest crimes that could be committed,
the offender often losing his head
The people of China, he said, are di
vided into three classes, known as the
highest, common and lowest classes. The
first class comprises the merchants of
standing, officers, teachers, doctors, and
men of rank; the second class, those en-
gagged in the common trades, and the
third class, the laborers or coolies. When
a man once gains wealth he is con
sidered in the highest class. MIR.
Bell said this was not condition peculiar
to China, but he had found it the same
everywhere he went, that when a man
has money, it don't make any difference
whether he has any sense or not. The
first and second classes, he said, never
had anything to do with the third class
The family of the highest class could live,
he said on about s. day,
the family of the second class on
$3.50 to 81 and the third-class on very
much less. His illustration of the use of
the chOpsticks was very laughable He
said whatever the Chinaman ate there
was one thing he did not eat, and that
was rats. He said there was no question
which had bothered him so much when
he came to this country as that about
the Chinaman eating rats 1t was all
nonsense he said. He referred to an
incident in the time of war when a starv-
ing celestial had perhaps made meal of
a rat which he thought must have gone
down in history as custom. The picture
of the Chinaman, with a board on which
was hung lot of dead rats, he said, was
ridiculous. That board with the dead
rats, he said, was the mans sign and the
man seen in China with such sign was
selling rat poison with which TO eXtermin-
ate this class of animals.
He illustrated the manner in which the
Chinese male costume is worn by putting
one which he had on one of the boys
present He showed how the Chinese
women Kept their feet so small, this be-
ing considered a mark of style and
beauty The Cinnamon don't cut their
hair because the absence of the queue
is considered national disgrace, and it
is a sign of a criminal.
The Chinese have a peculiar and inter-
esting way of distinguishing married
from unmarried women. 1t is all in the
way the hair is brushed, the married
women brushing the hair on the back of
the head and the unmarried women on
the side. In this country, he said. he
couldn't tell one from the other to save
his life.
He concluded by speaking of religions
of the country. Contucianism, and Bud
dhism with its kindred idOatrous faiths.
Christianity he said was much needed,
and it had come at last. He spoke of the
foreign missionary fund. the noble work
of those engaged in furthering the cause.
once NHflSIldnlUy was cdfrleu
into China, he said, men and women
in large numbers had joined the
churches-churches, schools, and chart
tai Bile institutions had been built in many
places in the southern part of the empire.
Out of 465, 600, 900 people, he said, only a
little more than 10000 had embraced the
Christian religion. More workers are
needed, especially in the northern part of
the empire where they are few and far
between.
Mr.. Bell will remain in the city for
some days and may make another ad-
dress before leaving Savannah.