The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-21

capture. so- q sore Glars Il e ssgr tss
custom FER rae A~tsA 10 appear u bare
fset- ossheSeses hair ard nexsSes attire. IS
thonSa SIZE hz1 f1Ss bes1 Sesze1 from Der
cossca ard ca-rseS 80
1Tnnsstlatssv ekas = sri Is married As~
frant teeth are pasles cut. Tn.S b. OF
FNnne1 craasasy : Sene Ter tws reasons
kRTSs f1as she nay nns be aha 20 &ss
Fer st1ssaA'.S II ang Htfls sczusSss, quarrel.
si-Ss sAoazd. saaE STE may aose aer attrsc-
1fsaeSs Tor ctaer inca The sane pgsr-
els-e oasaASS = japan. where brides are
eozapelle1 20 hlacken xhegr sesth.
or All ths gaesr ;hsuEs n Msao-Tse tho
very aaeSzsSs IS ire ea1s.sct q the hus-
a1n1 Whenever has stfe gives N5~th to
eaAs1 As Scoa rs the child IS born the
metAsr gets - ard attends 20 her house
2osd duties. vale she father taxes her
pace IN bed VIA rae Infant. He stays
SsssTe teT = Touth. while his wife nurses
am aSSidaoasly aH the iiEae. Al the era
of ne month be gets mgA announces that
NJ IS quite well ard strong again and
there IS general rejoicing. ThlS period IS
called The ~oourR&e
Nhas llttle religion there - IS conani
% o2H worship and she sacrifice OF white
BANS 20 the memory og ancestors. There
= alSo Segst-res3gsees rsfe OF disrn lSSl0-
tire devil from a LAD. for which = straw
goat i made. carried through the streets
ard subsequently set en FIRE BY the boy.
The government IS purely patri&Tchiai.
ire old men administering the affairs q
each elan. mash as IL was once done in
Scotland. wlthoa; she slightest attention
being paid 20 the Picking government. This
IS the more remarkable. as the Chinese
empire surrounds the land % the Mao
Use on ali sides.
Despite their SeFnI-barharaus condition,
the people hold old age an8 their women
IN great reverence. The women hardly
deserve the respect shown them. for they
are pretty generally given over 70 look
ing upon and consuming large quantities
Of wine when x Is red. and lying proulis-
eaously around on the hl.IsideS 20 sleep.
They are not very modest in their attire.
either. which consists OF n Jacket. open
in front. and 2 skirt reaching 20 the
knees, without trousers or any other gar
ment.
There Is one trait about the women
that should commend them everywhere.
Although they are r8ssioHately fond Of
strong drink. they are equally passionate
IN their foadness for cold water. applied
externally. They ara elean. No more
would they pass q DAY without bathing
than without breathing. The Chinese.
who have very little 10 say in favor az
the Miaa-Tse, admit that even In the
height OF winter the women battle daily
in the cold mountain streams.
They have no isils. no paapers ana tev
criminals. Ii a man falls 10 pay his debts
or cheats. the aggrleved party promptly
goes and digs up the bones OF his adyer-
sary's ancestors and holds them as Sc
curlty until the debt Is paid or the wrong
righted. Then he reburies them. This is
a more serious affair TO a Miao-Tse than
We can easily comprehend. "a II deprivas
him OF all standing IN the community. az
well as all self-rsspect, for there II is
thu custom every year 20 dig up an an
cestors bones and wash them. IL he neg
leets IL or can't do Il he ia q blot on the
nation.
OF course they are superstitious~ To
fcretell events they manipulate bits Of
grass in some fantastic way. Spears Of
grass also figure prominently in their
games.
The clans on the borderiand have been
wont TO make predatory excursions into
the Chinese empire and help themselves
20 anything they found lying around loose.
To prevent this the government has re-
Gently established strong garrisoHs at ire
quent intervals all around Miao-Tse land
10 protect the chicken-hearted Cinnamon
who live In the adjacent villages and
farms Occasionally a hand of Miao-Tse
hrigands will swoop down and ''eat up
one Of these garrisons, but the Celestial
empire quickly replaces IL and II Is never
missed. Wherever the brfgands make q
capture they lead the prisoner Off with a
wooden hoop around him. II the spotis
are not sufficient TO satisfy them II is apt
TO go hard with the prisoner.
The population of Miao-Tse IS an abso-
Iutely unknown quantity. IL probably
foots up 10 million souls. perhaps much
more. for the territory Is all Inhabited.
and some Of the villages are very large
The name Miao-Tse applies 20 tho whole
race. Sometimes Il is spelled Miauize-
There are four general divisions OF tribes
In the nation, These are known respec-
lively as the Blacks the 'Stirrups.
the ''Bigheads" and the 'Kamboosa."
These four tribes are again subdivded
into some forty clans.
should Or. Bastian succeed In opening
the way for civilization and commerce 10
this people IL win indeed be a crowning
glory 10 his long and successful career.
IL Is an interesting fact that he start
ed on this expedition on his seventeen
birthday.