Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-10-14
CHINA AND THE CHINESE.
VERY INTERESTING PAPER
Pertaining to the Flowery Kingdom
and Its Subjects, the Cause of the
Present Disturbances, the Charac-
ter of the Natives, and the Neces-
stiles of the Empire by Charlotte
NJ. Terrill.

airy work in China, succeeded n get
ting out of that unfortunate country
after the Boxer outbreak, without in
jury or serious inconvenience. Mrs.
Terrill Is a daughter of Mr.. Robert
Hazlett, superintendent of the construc-
ton department of the Western Union
Telegraph Company in this city, and is
now at her home. She has written for
the Register t4e following very inter
esting paper pertaining to China and
the Chinese:
China is made up of several political d.
visions. called dependencies and provinces.
M~anchuria, Tibet and Mongolia are de-
Tendencies, while China proper is divided
into nineteen provinces. Each has its own
viceregal government, assisted by COVER
nors under the supervision Of the emperor.
Many of the officials receive small salaries
which cause dishonest dealing and
squeezing" In this way considerable
wealth is often obtained. In the early
ages China IS said to nave reached the
state of civilization.
The Christian religion was introduced
and fourished for a time, but was finally
done away with altogether. Many Chris
tan graves of pious Jesuits and others
are to be found in old cemeteries through
out the country.
The birth of "Hoary Old Cathay" dates
so far back that it is almost lost in the
gray mist of ages. The Chinaman of to-
day points proudly backward to the time
when his ancestors ranked among the
great nqOn1eS nf tho txyorId ne n ~ tLeoiAnoo
and even surgery, he win say, "Ah, yes,
many years ago we understood all these
things, but time has worked such changes
that they are almost lost to us low" He
will also tell you that in those days many
of their people left China and sailed for
foreign lands, and that our knowledge Of
art and science has been HANDED down to
us from them.
This recalls an amusing little conversa-
ton an American gentleman had with a
mandarin. In China the foreigner changes
his name because few of the natives ever
learn to pronounce it. A new one as near
like it as possible is selected from the
book of family names.
What is your honorable manner" asked
the polite mandarin.
My unworthy name is Lin" lin English
Woods, answered Mr.. Woods in a most
polite and formal way, according to the
rules of Chinese etiquette.
Then we are related to each other.
Many years ago Some of my ancestors by
the name of Lin, left the old country and
settled in a foreign land. It's just the
same name, and of course we are related. -
OF the character of these people much
and little can be written, so. perhaps, 1t
would be wisdom to resort to the little"
because of my not having lived any great
length of time in the Flowery Kingdom.
Old residents in China tell us that at the
end of ten years one is just beginning to
know and understand the celestial. Like
a Chinese puzzle, he is difficult to solve.
Outward indications point to a sunny, jov-
ial and child-like nature, intermingled
with an almost impossible mixture of dig
nifty and pride. In China the student of
human nature finds an ample sufficiency
of material to work on.
There is much visible worthy of admira-
ton, as we'll as plenty of the opposite quail
tiles, but more latent and undiscovered
by the keen eye of the observer.
In early times these people do not appear
to have been opposed to intercourse with
foreigners, until the conduct of the Span
iards and Portuguese, between 1920 and
1870. excited their hostility. China Is an
agrarian country in the widest md mar
rowest sense of the word. This is the rea-
son why the people look with contempt
on the foreign merchant, just as the Ger
man agrarians do, who believe that COM
mercial men have no other aim than to
rob the farmer of his money
China is a land of learned men. Taken
as a whole, officials cannot succeed with
out passing strict literary examinations
based on Confucian teachings, of which
the religious Difference shown to ancestors
is the basis. With these two cardinal
points of Chinese character interference
comes on one hand from the foreign mer-
chants, and on the other from the foreign
missionary.
Tho Boxers are a sort of religious secret
society, called in Chinese Tho Tuan,
which means, first of righteous har-
ptony." 1t is a very old society, but al
most unknown to us, until the recent
trouble.
At one time the governor of Shon Tung,
whose son was a Boxer, presented the
members with swords and made them a
sort of rural police. to protect the country
| "a - 1AAAA1 AAAE WI ~ ilItf
changes in the society. They practice light
exercises similar 10 calisthenics. They
claim TO be invulnerable and bullet proof.
1t is the common belief thai the spirits Of
ancient warriors enter their earthly bodies
and control them. In fact, they possess
mesmer!c power. which they believe to be
of a spiritual nature.
For several years the foreign newspa-
pers published in Hong Kong. Shanghai
and Tlen Tsin have been writing I'D the
proposed idea of the division of the old
| empire.
For two years every foreigner in China
has been aware and warned that trouble
was brewing. Suppose the Chinese were
| to publish papers in our cities and contsn-
| ually make mention that the powers pro-
pose dividing up our country and taking
| control of the railroads, etc. Do you
| think they wouM stand very long on their
| foundations? Hardly. The very school
| boys would rise up in indignant rage.
There are a few sickly hairs in the
| Chinaman's p.gtail and it may be of bene-
fit to remove them, but he will hardly be
| grateful if in order TO do so We ru.l at
| the whole appendage with both hands.
The partition of China is declared BY the
powers as undesirable. This is simply tha
negative expression Of their po4icies: the
positive expressions remain as yet unde-
, clared.
Tho Chinese arc not in favor n, rarafr,