The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-02


of Staying female babies 1t Is custom
which thu missionaries have combatted
from the beginning, but as 1t has peen IN
bred through untold generations II Is not
easy to eradicate.
was interviewed this morning by Vice
roy Ii Hung Chang writes Yam Phon Lee
from New York to the Philadelphia Press
To be sure I went to the Waldorf TO IN
terview him, but, as on former occasions
the viceroy himself turned interviewer.
Uncle Sans guest was in dishabille
when he received me. He wore no head
gear; his intellectual forehead was shown
to advantage A long velvet gown reach
| ed nearly to fis boots. He was seated IN
an easy chair slipping coffee. He at once
began to ask questions In this manner;
Li-"Who do you say this isY
DR.. Mack-"This is Lee Yon Fee (my
Chinese name), one Of the government
students. He graduated in an American
college some years ago and delivered a
speech on the Chinese question:
h-"What do you. earn per month";
Reporter-'1 average $50 a month.
Li-"Have you family"
Reporter-"No. your excellency."
Li-"What are you doing?'
Reporter-"I interpret in courts and
transact business for my countrymen."
Li-"You, OF course, help them in the
| courts?
!
! them"
The reporter then spoke OF the request
OF the Nashville exposition managers that
| China make an exhibit az their fair next
year, but Ii smiled and shook his head.
Americans have too many expositions,
said he, I'VE can't do anything. Is
! Nashville in South American"
On being told that Nashville was in the
! United States, Ii asked II it was on his
way to Canada. Then Ii continued his
cross examination:
Li-"Any of the Chinese merchants
here rich?'
Reporter-"Not very"
M-"What sort of houses do they live
in? Do they build them or the Ameri-
cans?"
Reporter-"They hire stores of the
Americans and live in them, too. Many
of our people are engaged in laundry
work, hence the more ignorant of the
Americans look down on us as people.
Li-"Huh! Do they obey the laws?
How otherwise do they violate the laws
of the country besides smoking opium
and gambling?"
Reporter-'SThey violate the Sabbath
law more often than any other, be-
cause they are not used to keeping the
Christian Sabbath
Li-(Meditatively). at is a good thing
to observe the Sabbath"
Just then DIR. Irwin came in, asking
the viceroy to see a Chinese student,
who is studying in Boston.
| Li-"Does he wear American clothes?"
DR. Irwin-"Yes."
Lii don't want to see him; he is be-
come a foreigner"
The interview was then gracefully ter
minated by the viceroy.
Twenty-eight members of the great Lee
clan were honored with an audience by
their great countryman, Ii Hung Chang,
yesterday morning in his reception room
at the waldorf
At the Waldorf they were ushered into
the premier's presence by Consul SEE. He
was especially gracious in manner. The
delegation of merchants stood in a semi
circle as he appeared and stood at the
center, clad in a yellowish velvet gown
and dark blue silk jacket. He wore a
skull cap and the regulation boots.
The premier said smiling: II have waiv-
ed ceremony and worn this costume be-
cause you are all cousins of mine.
Lis twenty-eight cousins knelt down
| simultaneously at a signal from the con-
sui and bowed their neads to the ground
four times; then they arose and resumed
| their former attitudes.
The viceroy smiled again. 1--WE all belong
to one family, do we not7' he asked. All
his cousins bowed assent except Lee Vow
Lii then asked where his cousins hailed
from and responded to the answers with
HUH" Then he asked:
who has been in America the longest?'
Mr.. Fong, the spokesman, said: II have
been here twenty-four years"
Learning that Mr.. Fong had family
here, Ii asked: do you teach your sons
Chinese as well as English?"
1--WE do
Then said the viceroy: '"Those who only
know English are of no use in China. II
is not necessary that they should be eX'
pert essayists, but If they can compose
letters in their native tongue and write
fuently, that is all sufficient. We have
many ports open for commerce, factories
are to be established railroads built and
many enterprises are going to be started
such as banking and nsining. We need
men who understand both Chinese and
foreign languages"
BY this time the great man had seated
himself and had taken few puffs of to-
bacco from aNwater-pipe held DO his lips
by an attendant
Resuming, he said: why is it you pre-
) fer doing business here to doing it in
Gilman" u,-t
Because, exchange is in our favor we
get gold and every dollar we earn here
can be exchanged for two dollars in Chi
ma"
Huh! But who are your customers
} Do you sell to Americans as well as Chi
| nGSet
, I'VE do"
do you import any porcelain? Our
porcelain is the finest in the world"
I'VE import q small quantity
There ought to be big profit In selling
poTeelain. What is the duty?"
Fifty per cent"
Then Ii smote his bosom with the palm
of his left hand and. shaking his head, ex-
claimed: TOO high! Too high! Stin, the
high prices here give you a good profit.
Is there duty on tea?"
mo"
"Why?"
Because none is raised here"
Then said Ii sadly: 1.-The tea trade Is
not profitable because of competition
from Japan, India and Ceylon Now there
is more profit in porcelains. You should
put your money in some porcelain fac
tory. l will help you to start one We
are going to forsake Anticipated methods.
Instead Of each man going into business
with small capital on his own account
we propose to form big companies, such