The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-05-11

WASHINGTON, May Especial. 1.-The
old Chinese minister has gone, ana the
new ono is duly installed Mt the legation.
These Chinese diplomats have some queer
requirements of etiquette to observe In
thoir dealings one with another For in
stance, when new minister arrives Mt a
capital to receive his predecessor, he must
go to hotel with all his retinuc and re-
main there five days before taking charge
This Is an act of courtesy to the outgoing
minister. AS the rctinuo of Chinese
diplomat usually consists Of 8 or 20 per-
sons, tho rule IL n good ono for the hotel
Keepers. After tho new man las been in
town five days he may present his crcden-
tials. Then tho old minister passes over
to him the great seal, and this is done
with tremendous ceremony. Not till the
great seal has been transferred does the
new man assume tho Responsibilities of
his post. Nor does tho requirement. of dip
lomatic etiquette end here. The outgoing
minister must not leave town at once.
That would not be courteous to his sue
ccssor, according to tho Chinese notion
He too, must stop at n hotel. Tho time
which he must linger near by, ready to
give any assistance or advice which his
successor may require of him, is fixed mt
4S hours. When the two days have passed,
ana not before, he is free to go his way.
lt Is scarcely necessary to add that all
these points of etiquette were duly OBJ
served on tho occasion of the exchange of
ministers at tho Chinese legation q few
days ago.
The New Minister.
The new minister is already becoming
quito popular here. He speaks fluent Eng
lish, having been educated in London,
where he actually hung out his shinglo
ana practiced law for u time. His COM
mand OF our language gives him trcmen-
dous advantage over any of the Chinese
ministers We have had here in recent
years, and he is making tho most of it.
he Is as curious as Ii Hung Chang. At
all the dinners he attends all tho recep-
tons, and in all his official and personal
intercourse, no asks innumcrabIc cues
tons. by the time he receives orders to
move on to some other capitalize Chi
nose diplomats aro permitted to stay only
three years ut n place-he will be able to
write n big book on what no knows about
America.
PRESIDENT Mckinley bas not yet sought
much amusement ut the capital Beyond
an occasional horseback ride lie sticks very
Close to his work at the White House.
years ago tho president was very fond of
baseball. While u member of congress and
later as governor of Ohio he was frequently
seen Mt the games. 1t was supposed when
he came down here to be the chief magis-
trate of tho nation that his love for tho
national game would be found as strong
as ever Tho local manager built for the
presidents use in the top of his grand stand
nice little box, equipped with dozen
chairs, and sent the key of it to tho prcsi-
don't with his compliments. Mr.. McKjn-
ley promised to make use of it, but up to
this time has not done So
An Amazing Fact.
One of tho most curious things in hui
man nature is the penchnnt which some
men have for getting their skins full of
red liquor at the oldest imaginable places
and under tho strangest circumstances.
was once in tho Mammoth cave with q
largo party of cXcursionsts, and four out
OF five of them appeared to have crnzo
for drink. The disease became contagious,
and In two or three hours tho number of
cases of intoxicationNwas amazing to be-
hold. The strange part of it was that tho
liquor did not take effect till the men had
emerged from the cave into the open dir.
Then 1t camo upon them with most dis
astrous results In New York at tho Grant
memorial exercises was amazed to SEQ so
many cases of drunkenness among the
guests. One would think that there, of oil