Evening star., 1900-12-15
CHINESE NEWSPAPER ADS.
The Column of Personal Paragraph
Makes Interesting Reading.

Makes Interesting Reading.
From the London Express
China does not boast a very extensive ma
tive press There are, in fact, only five
daily papers published in the vernacular OF
the flowery land. Shanghai and Canton
each support two: the remaining one is pub
lished in Tien Tsin.
These journals are run on strictly busi-
ness lines. They give their readers fair
quantity of news, and an abundance OF
personal paragraphs" many of which are
very personal indeed. But 1T is the adver-
tisements that form the leading feature of
a native Chinese daily. Advertisement
rates rule cheap, and thus 1t comes about
that almost every celestial patronizes at
some time or other the advertising columns
of his favorite journal. He even airs pri-
vate grievances through the medium of the
press.
Here is the concluding portion of an an
nouncement inserted by Tilted swain
whose lady love eloped with one Chou Ling:
Il cannot control my wrath and bitter
ness MY loved one has, it is plain, been
enticed away by this rascafs deceit. How
/ wonder, can mere tailor dummy ike
this succeed in winning her? Surely, he has
not law or justice before his eyes. 1t Is on
this account that l am advertising. Should
any kind-hearted gentleman give me in
formation of her whereabouts by letter l
will reward him with twenty dollars: should
he bring her back to her parents l will joy
fully give him forty dollars. / will most
certainly not eat my words. His kindness
and benevolence for myriad generations,
to all eternity, shall not be forgotten
Another announcement of the agony coll
umn class, written apparently by mother
to who has run away from home,
runs thus:
aIf you delay longer and do not return
| cannot, cannot, bear it, and shall most
surely seek an end to my life. and then you
will stand in peril of death by thunder l
am now at my last gasp, and the family
has suffered from insults most grievous. Ii
you come, no matter how, everything is
sure to be arranged. I have thought of
plainly which your father may still be kept
in Ignorance. My life or death hangs on
the issue Of these few days. Only l pray
that all good people everywhere will spread
this message abroad that the right per-
son may hear of it. So will they lay up for
themselves a boundless store of secret
merit
There Is not much of the broken-hearted
parent about the following:
MY second son, Huai Po. a boy of ten
der years and no parts, was educated at
home i'll the country. and had no knowledge
of the world. Even when we came to
Shanghai last year he stayed indoors learn
ing his lessons, and never left the house
until September 26. when he went out to
get cool and never returned. I ought to say
that the boy was altogether unacquainted
with the customs of Shanghai and the char
acter of the people. and 1 presume he has
been decoyed away by rascals for some bad
purpose. The gold charms he was wearing
and the silver he had about him will not
l am afraid, be sufficient for his necessities
On the contrary. he will be borrowing
money or doing something of the kind. In
that case I will not hold myself liable
Should any Of my relatives or friends see
him l earnestly hope they will command
him to return at once, and SO will they earn
nv gratitude. But / shall nav no monetary
reward
China is happy hunting ground for
quacks. Appended is a translation of an
'ad. typical of its class:
''Our recipe has come down to us from a
ply sician Of the Ming dynasty. A certain
mandarin was journeying in the hill country
when he saw a woman passing southwark
over the mountains as though flying. In
her hand she held stick, and she was pur-
suing an old fellow of hundred years. The
mandarin asked: Why do you beat that old
man.? She answered: He Is my grandson
for am 800 years old and he ia He will
not purify himself by taking his medicine
and so / am beating him The mandarin
alghted from his horse, and knelt down and
did obesance to her, saying: Give me.
pray you, this drug, that I may hand It
down to posterity for the salvation of man.
kind Hence it got It's name-'Fairy Re-
ceipt for Lengthening Life Take it for five
days. and the body will feel light; take 1t
for ten days. and your spirits will become
brisk: for twenty days. and the voice will
be strong and clear and the hands and feet
supple for one year and white hairs will
become black again, and you move as
though flying: take 1t constantly. and all
troubles will vanish, and you will pass
long life without growing old Two dollars
per bottle"
Needless to remark, there Is no law of
libel In China, The celestial publicly heaps
abuse on his neighbor, and the latter re-
torts to the full extent of his vocabulary
1t is delightful system of give-and-take