The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-08-29

tiiUutoi duu correspondent OF several
papers and magazines in China, is a
young man who has travelled cxtcn-
sively over this country, and he be-
licves that the Chinese in every city
and State of the Union have been
obliged to endure humiliations and i'll
treatment beyond all parallel inohis-
tory, save the persecution Of the Jews.
This, he thinks, may have something
to do with the hatred of Cinnamon for
foreigners.
Why says Mr.. GYM, "the popu-
lar idea among Americans is that the
Chinese run this country. They
don't. The expectations of this
country to China amount to about
10000, 900 per year, while China cx-
ports to this country about 81 900, 600
a year. | know that the Cinnamon
would spend their money in this coun-
try if they had an opportunity to do
so. | have often found articles in
both the American papers and maga-
zines which state that the Chinese are
not sociable with any race except
their own, that they ostracize them
selves absolutely from the American
people, that everything they wear,
everything they eat is imported direct
from China, and that they will not
patronize American trade. This is
untrue. The reason that the Chinese
do not buy food here is that they can
not get it. They can get nothing to
eat in the hotels and restaurants here
in Washington or in any other city in
the United States. The proprietor in
variably turns them off rudely, say
ing: You are Chinaman; get out of
here
"The Chinaman cannot get his hair
cut in an American barber shop. l
could not believe this when / first
heard it, and did not untilit happened
to me. During my spring term in the
Howard University this year 1 hap
pened one morning TO step into bar
Der shop On Seventh street, near the
Boundary, and the BARRIERS immediate
ly refused to cut my hair. 'You can't
get your hair cut here, they said.
They did not ask Of what nationality
/ was. l may have been Japanese,
Chinaman, or Korean for all they
knew, for all are alike without the cue.
"The sentiment among the igno.
rant classes OF Americans is one II
hatred and contempt for the Chinese
for no reason whatever. ] have travel
ed extensively in this country from
California to the East, especially in
the New England States and in New
York State, and everywhere I have
found the same conditions. No Chi.
naman can get in any store IN Ralt;.
more at all except, perhaps, one or
two dry goods or grocery stores, and
he cannot enter drug store for even
glass of soda. In this city it is not
quite so bad as this, although in many
Of the hotels and lunch rooms here
Chinaman is not allowed to eat or
lodge.
"How is it possible for Chinaman
to spend his money in this country
under such conditions? He might as
we'll throw it away like stones for all
the good it does him. Twenty years
ago the Chinese were not allowed to
become citizens in this country. To-
day the American women feel it is a
disgrace to become acquainted with
the Chinese, so it is impossible for
the Chinaman to marry here. He must
return to China if he can. There are
countless missionaries 10 China who
busy themselves in writing about
China. 7 eften wonder how they get
their data, for most Of it is all wrong.
All they meet are the common, iguo-
rant classes. They connot speak the
tongue, they cannot comprehend the
customs, yet they write most freely
about the Chinese. I cannot under
stand it. I know that many Of my
countrymen here are ignorant, unedu-
Gated, because they are the poorer
classes, but that is no reason why the
Americans should classify the Chinese
with Indians, negroes, and the like.
Robert Louis Stevenson, in his
memorable journey across the plains
from New York to San francisco in an
emigrant train, was appalled, by the
treatment the Chinese received at the
hands of the ignorant Americans.
"Of all stupid ill.feelings," he
wrote, "the sentiment Of my fellow
Caucasians toward our companions in
the Chinese car was the most stupid
and the worst. They seemed never