The times., 1898-09-12
CHINESE GIRLS.
They, Know About the War and
They Like Dewey.


The following is from an account Of
Chinese girls party in San Francisco, in
the New York Sun:
Conversation is not supposed to be car
ried on while eating. but after the meal
was ended and Han Ong had gone down
stairs to the store. the sympathies of the
Young women were aroused by the visit
or's recital of the sad case of Moy Lo.
This young woman is a prisoner at the
custom house. Collector Jackson having
refused her the privilege of landing in
America because he does not believe the
story of her pretended father, who de-
clares that she was born here. Los plight
was descanted upon at some length by the
girls. who could prove they were born in
California. Two of them wept softly when
they thought of their countrywoman's
predicament Miss Han Ong said in pig
con English:
mo likee Canton; lady gel alice timee
haul lice with a cow. No likee haul lice;
no likee cow
After having uttered this sage speech,
Miss Han Ong paused to see what. if any,
effect her weird English had produced,
and, as she nervously twined her taper
fingers, it was plain that she, at least,
was totally untitled for the duty of haul
ing rice with a cow The other girls
that they might have been put at such
work, but they soon got tired of an
swering questions. and tried to gain lib
eral education by asking a few. They
started TO find out what Americans knew
about Confucius and Laotze; they flung
few mild imprecations at the Manchurian
dynasty-for these girls are all Mongols-
and then struck the topic in which every
Chinaman is interested intensely-the
wars. Miss Han Ong. in the beginning.
referred to the great victories of China
over Japan a few years ago. A mild,
though persistent. effort was made to get
her to acknowledge that China was the
nation that was whipped but she stuck
to her original assertion in a manner so
obstinate and so truly feminine that the
attempt was abandoned. The sense of the
entire party was that China had conquer
ed Japan. AS they were avowed enemies
of the present Chinese dynasty, there was
no apparent reason, except that they were
women, why these girls should be proud of
Chinas bogus victories, but they were
Miss Han Ong, having won her first con-
tention now boldly started out to ex-
plain the war with Spain.
Mclean man. alice timee jump Spanish
mans glound; takee house. COW, duck
alec samee evly thing. Mclean man
heap smat; heap sabe cheat"
The last was said with meaning smile
as though it was the greatest possible
compliment, and she continued:
Spanish man no sabe fight Alice
timee shootee, and no killee; alice same
Japan Hullah foh Dewey"
Such is fame. The name of Queen
Victoria, Emperor William or that of the
Car of Russia would probably have on
ly puzzled these untutored Chinese maid
ems, but when some one says Dewey"
they always add: Heap sabe fight"
Americans have not fathomed the Chi
nese character yet, nor have they realiz-
ed the wonderful resources of the big
empire. No other nationality will rise so
quickly If it has the opportunity Han
Ong came to California when he was a
young man. In his own country he was
merely a laborer. His home here is a
model of cleanliness The women of his
household are good housekeepers and
the young son is as far along in his
studies as most white boys of his age
Apart from all their coQuetry, a serious
motive prompts the Chinese girl to speak
evil of the Celestial sovereign and his sa-
tellites They all hope and expect to see
his downfall. Nearly every Chinaman in
the United States is an enemy of his
emperor. Already many of them have
discarded their queues and no longer fear
| they may be turned into beasts of bur-
den for so doing. They have absorbed
| from Americans a love of liberty and
they are altruistic enough to want a
DR.. Sun Vat Sen. the mysterious patriot,
did his work here well. His kidnapping
| in London proved his sincerity. The