Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-31

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who have offended it.
Suggested by q Romance.
Romance and tradition dominate the
minds Of the Chinese who emigrate to
America. Tales of fairies. demons and
geni. warriors and ne.romancers, drawn
from the inexhaustible stores OF their pop
ular literature, amuse their leisure. 1t is
from one of these histories or romances
that the plan Of the Heaven and Earth So
ciety Is said ty some Of the Chinese 10 have
been derived. This tele is accounted one
of the ten literary masterpieces of China.
1t is an account of the lives and adventures
Of a band Of one hundred and eight chival-
rous robbers. who lived during. the reign OF
the Emperor Cheh Sung, $40 years ago.
They drew to their ranks the outcast and
disaffected from all parts of the country.
Living in the Businesses Of the mountains.
for many years they successfully resisted
all attempts to subdue them. devoting them
selves to succoring the poor at the expense
of the rich and oppressive officials whom
they plundered.
The Chinaman has become well estab.
lished character in the popular literature OF
the United States. The professional humor-
list has paid his respects to him, and the
play wright has made him figure as an
amusing parsonage in the drama: But the
almond-eyed oriental of contemporary
humor and Of the stage is creation OF
fancy rather than reality. He talks and
sings in ''pidgin,' or business English.
though. in point Of fact; he is usually al Al.
most Of the Immigrants come from districts
remote from the cities where 1t serves as
the trade language in communications WIN
foreigners. A desire to learn the language
of his adopted country seems to be one OF
the highest ambitions of the imported
Chinaman. He realizes the intrinsic value
of such knowledge, for 1t may enable him
ter In some shop in Hong Kong or Canton
On his return to his native country
The differences in speech and tradition.
and the influence of tribal sentiment, serve
as elements of discord in the Chinese COM
munities. Thus they are divided into lit
tie cliques, which are constantly quarFei-
ling, as the disputes Of each Individual are
apt to be taken up by his relatives. Inese
uuarrels give rise to endless talk, and often
SO engage the communities that for time
everything else is forgotten. Usually they
are only wars of words. In one reported
instance a man was brought from ais
tant city, and all his expenses paid. simply
to say bad things at the other party in
trifing dispute. The Chinese seldom come
to blows. They are not given to crimes OF
violence, and such assaults by Cinnamon
as are reported in the daily press are COM
mitted as a rule by professional criminals,
who are held in detestation by all the bet
ter class of the immigrants.
Chinese Characteristfcs.
The notion that the Chinese are aston
ished at our civilization and its mechanical
conveniences is a mistake; they take 1t
entirely as a matter Of course. They have
much less respect for our laws than for
their own code. which rests upon public
sentiment in their little communities. No
organized form OF self-government exists
in any of the Chinese colonies in our cities.
In the east the Six Companies exercise no
authority whateveF.;sThe colonies are de-
mocracies. which regulate their own af-
fairs. They have MOI priests Of any religion.
Many laundries rand shops contain small
shrines, before which incense and candles
are burned. Gamblers make offerings to
the god Of war for fuck. The Chinese are
extremely afraidfof ghosts-particularly the
unlaid spirits of rforeign devils"
The Chinese in this country make great
use Of both the post office and the tele-
railways They are unwilling to take our
medicines, and they will not go to hospitals
If they can help 1t. They believe that
when man goes to- a hospital he always
dies. They say there is a devil there that
catches and kills people. The notion cur
rent among them that a Chinaman who
has lost mis- queue would be put to death
should he return, to China is probably due
to the fact that the, cutting of the queue
forms part of the ritual Of the rebel Sc
cret society, membership in which Is pun
ished with death by the government