The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-06-17
SOME CHINESE CUSTOMS.
How Jehn Clothes Himself tO Keep
Cool in summer and warm
In Winter.

unless searching lnNesuBhuoils aio
made, seem unchanged. However, as
the winter weather comes on, the snow
begins to fall, and the chill winds to
whistle through the cracks in his laun-
dry, or other place of business, he does
make certain changes in his wearing
apparel, which, while they do not show
up on the outside, have the required eff
feet of keeping him warm and COM
Portable.
In the summer time the Chinaman
wears as few clothes as permitted by
custom. The wide, flowing silk coat,
with balloon sleeves, equally wide jeans,
and glimpse Of white stocking in the
shoe, are all he thinks 1t necessary to
wear. other articles are regarded as
superhuous.
At this time of the year such China
man has concealed beneath this same
silk coat and jeans variety of things
designed to keep him warm. During
cold weather the un-Americanized
Chinaman wears at least six or seven
coats. When he rises early ON cold
winters morning the first thing he
reaches for, as rule, Ia silk or
worsted coat, which he dons, tight
fitting to the skin. Then he hastily
gets into worsted blouse, made in the
shape OF the usual outside garment OF
the Chinese, and then has two or three
silk coats to put on, which are followed
by closely-knit muslin coat, another
silk coat, and the top coat, or blouse.
This last Is so made that no suggestion
Ia given of the others underneath. 1t
never bulges, and no flag or edge of the
undercoat shows. His jeans are put on
next, underneath which he wears a
closer-fitting pair of silk jeans. lfpar-
ticularly chilly, he wears extra pairs
of silk jeans. The outside jeans are
made out Of heavy muslin, as Is also at
times the winter top coat
Concerning his stockings and his
feet, the Chinaman who still adheres
| to his native customs In wearing
clothes has trouble. According to the
statement Of Wong Wing, an inteili-
gent Chinaman, no Chinaman who still
processes the religion of his forefa-
theirs is permitted to wear shoesor boots
closed over the instep or reaching above
the ankle, unless he is priest. Con-
sequently In winter the only protection
for his feet that the Chinaman has Is
heavy stockings and having very thick
cork and worsted soles put on his shoes
The stockings Of the Chinaman are not
bought in this country, but come from
China by way Of San Francisco, and are
not common garment. One difference
between them and the American stock
ing Ia that they are neither 10 short as
that of the ordinary citizen nor as
long as that of the schoolboy. The top
reaches Just below the knee, and the
stockings are made Of peculiar kind
of worsted, very finely knitted and very
warm. This completes the winter
, garb Of the Chinaman, which he afiirms
keeps him as warm as he wants to be.
Many Of the top coats worn by them
) are wadded all over on the inside with
! cotton in almost the same way as q
: football player wads his trousers. A
Chinaman will frequently start the day
with all his coats on and feeling cold.
As the day gets warmer and the tenn
perature of the laundry rises he will
!. begin TO shed coats until he has on only
= = two or three. Az rule he Is very i'm
. prudent In regard TO his health, and
= rarely gets through winter without
y contracting bad cold through care.
a lessness in going out without all his
coats on or taking too many off TO get
i cool. There is art In regulating the
a number to take Off or put on at certain
y temperatures very Ie" Oh'naiheu
wear anything like collar about theil