Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-05-16
copyright. 1893. by the Author.l

put mp the price Of their leis 10 double
Christmas trees in the Sunday schools
barefooted boys and girls in white lawn
dresses gathered there to get their gifts
Firecrackers exploded in the streets and
tin horns shricked horribly Now and
then ! stopped the click Of my typewrit-
er to wipe the perspiration from my
brow.
| said 10 myself. Surely this must
BIZ the Fourth Of July" But no. il was
undoubtedly Christmas The calendar
said so. but not trace OF ice or snow
or frost or sleigh riding or any house
hold fires. not even hot air register to
cuddle up to- II was not natural, that's
ali.
Between the tropical weather and
Chinese Christmas tree saw hardly
knew where TO find myself That was
IN orthodox Christmas true enough.
but there was undoubtedly suggestion
OF joss abont it.
No account Of life In these islands
would be complete without mention Of
the deep impress made on them by tb"
Chinese. In total population OF 1Os.-
020 nearly one-fifth are Chinese. They
do everything. even to dressrnaking.
On one street here You constantly see
signs like this: 'Lai Kan, Dresses
Maker, ION Tai. Shoes Maker. and
the Chinese dresses maker and shoes
maker work more cheapiy than white
people will do in these trades They do
their work well too. have many Gus
toners. and what are You going TO dor
Not many people are rich enough TO
pay ont extra money for mere senti-
ment
In agriculture il Is the same. The
Chinaman wades among the swamps
and mosquitoes patiently month after
month till he raises crop of rice for
market Few white men will do it. In
breaking up rice ground he has even
imported hither some Of the queer,
heathenish creatures he plows with ut
home. / saw one Of the things the other
day. brute that seemed to be half
goat, half buffalo One Of our boys in
blue who had been to Manila and seen
them told me they are called water
COWS and that they are really species
Of bison. Of no earthly good for either
meat or milk but that they work like
. mule The picture shows China
man cultivating q ricefeld with water
cow.
The Chinese are likewise almost the
sole market gardeners and poultrymen
around Honolulu. They bring ducks to
market by the CARLOAD. all quacking
and cackling. ducks and Cinnamon
alike. They belong together. ducks and
Cinnamon. Both speak a language no
body but themselves can understand.
From what can learn the Chinese
are better liked and more respected on
the islands than the japanese. They
are believed to be shrewder and more
Intelligent and at the same time more
reliable than the Japs. A sugar planter
expressed it by saying that when IL
Chinaman took it into his head to
"jump his job" he always waited till
the season when work was plenty, so as
70 make sure he could get employment
elsewhere. The Jap, on the other hand.
the planter said. has not reasoning fac
ulty enough to do that, but just quits
Hike dumb brute when he takes it into
his head. no matter what becomes Of
him.
Most important and interesting, how
ever. is the influence of western civiiiza-
ton on the Chinaman himself. He does
not say much, but he sees what be and
his people lack. A great ground swell
from the west is surging against the
ancient oriental kingdom that will
break into fragments the old social and
political life SO surely as the sun shines.
A new China and young China are
coming on the scene. and no internal
tyranny can keep them back. People in
the States. who know the Celestial only
as the jabbering nondescript animal
who comes for the weekly wash. would
be surprised to see some Of the fine,
progressive young men Of the race here
For instance. / am proud to number
among my pleasant acquaintance in
Honolulu Mr.. G. Yaknam. young
Journalist on The Chinese Chronicle.
who in appearance. manners AID intel
ligence would compare favorably with
any swell reporter on New York paper.
I have been to the Honolulu Chinese
Christian church today. The women
brought queer babies. all alike. clad in
long flowing cotton pantaloons ire
spective Of age, sex or previous condi-
ton Of servitude. The things were bril-
liant in red, yellow, blue and purple.
fsvorite pattern being dazzling yellow
with . binding Of purple around the
bottom Each young one looked like
toy monkey upon box Mothers seem
cd 1t home and domesticlike. One had
brought bottle Of milk. and while she
in,bibed the milk Of the true gospel the |
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