Evening star., 1900-09-29
A People With Customs That Differ
Greatly From Ours.
QUEER THINGS One SEES In PEKIN
John is a Poor Artisan, but a Good
Business Man.
TRADESMEN


toms is this surface indication of essential
and vital disparities of type. l have set
down here in random paragraphs some
everyday matters intended to throw 1T
tie light on life as / have seen 1t in and
around Pekin.
To attempt to get Chinaman to assign
a reason for anything is futile. One day.
while riding a donkey through the country
west Of Pekin. noticed that the women OF
the country villages. mostly farmers wives
and daughters, did not bind their feet
said to the donkey driver, who was run
ming along beside me, 1.-The country women
do not bind their feet, do they?"
No"
"Why?'
They do not bind their feet"
Why is IL that the Chinese women pino
their feet?'
They bind their feet"
But why do they do it?'
THAT is their custom.
But why is it their custom?
There is no why-no reason whatever.
Ask child
Why did your brother not come 10 schooi
today?'
My brother did not come to school to-
day"
Or, inquire of man:
why is it that the Chinese build pa
CODA thirteen stories high?' and ne VIII
most probably answer, That is the way 10
build pagoda-
Original ConyersatiOn.
The Chinaman is very social, but at the
same time conservative and non-commlttai.
When two Chinese meet on the street
neither of them would think of passing the
other by without stopping and holding
little social chat. 1t Is purely social, how
ever for neither tells the other anything
about himself. The conversation will prob
obi he, 4 irNp af following SiVle.
Are you well?'
well. Are you well?'
We'll. Where you going?"
Down street. Where are you going?
up street. Where have you been?"
Just up there. Where have you been7
Il have been down there. Good day"
Good day"
Marriage is n Lottery.
When the Chinaman wishes to marry the
first requisite is to secure middle man to
transact the business. OF all unreliable
people the most unreliable is the middle
man-who is usually woman. In case the
young man desires to see the bride before
marrying. he bribes the middle man TO find
out at what time he stand on some
street corner and see her go by in cart
If she happens to be beautiful, she is al
lowed to go; if homely, a beautiful girl is
substituted for her, and the young man
goes home satisfied and happy, the middle
man in the meantime pocketing the money.
When the wedding day arrives. the girl is
put in closed chair and carried about for
hour two with great retinue of beg
gars bearing notices or lanterns before
her until the time TO take her TO the bride
groom.s home. She is brought up to his
door. red cloth put upon the ground or
floor. and she steps out of the chair into
his home and by this act is married. One
of the Pekin University students one day
In conversation with the writer said that
the students method Of getting a wife was
better than either the Chinese the for
eign method. Because said he, the
Chinese cannot see his wife before he mar
ries her, and the foreigner has to get his
own wife, while we can see the girl In
church every Sunday, and they have
brothers in the university and we have sis
tiers in the girls high school, we can learn
all about her and then we have some one
to go and get her for US"
/ insisted that ours is the better method
because We can get better acquainted.
But, said he. does IT not make you
awfully angry If you ask a girl to marry
You and she refusesT'
Social Customs.
In introducing people the surname is al
ways given first. in all Chinese nomen-
clature. Although this is contrary to our
custom, it is more reasonable. We say
John Smith; they say, Smith, John. 1t is
the Smith that is really important and nee
essary TO know. The John is secondary.
When two Cinnamon meet on the street
and
each gravely shakes his own hand. If you
tried TO shake a Chinaman by the hand he
would probably regard it as assault and
battery. To lift ones hat to an acquain-
tance, man woman, would be an insult.
White is the Chinese hue of mourning It
does not stay white long, however the
more soiled and dilapidated a Chinese
mourner looks the greater Is the respect
implied to the dead. For this reason the
afflicted ones leave their heads unshaven
until they attain remarkable degree Of
d.sreputability.
Some Diseases and Ailments.
Smallpox is almost universal No pre-
cautions are taken against it's spread
When a child is taken i'll with the disease
h is carefully attended until he has bios
somed out" the Chinese term has it,
when he is allowed TO go out in the street
and play with the other children. 1t is
taken for granted that every one must
have smallpox. the sooner. the better
On all sides one comes across blind peo-
pie. Blindness is mainly the result of
smallpox and IS so common as hardly to
be regarded as an aftiiction. No provision
Is made Tor the blind In the shape of homes
or hospitals. Many of them wander about
as travelling musicians sometimes singly
sometimes in small bands
Badness IS fully as common in China as
1rou, shiny pate" Women suffer most
from IT. This Is partly because of the
greasy hair dressing used, and still more
due TO the fashion OF drawing the hair so
tight on framework that 1t Is slowly but
surely dragged out by the roots When
the center OF a Chinese womans head is as
bare a billiard ball. and only a thin
fringe OF hair encircles the lower part she
pastes a large piece of black cloth on her
scalp to which 10 fasten the remnants and
blacks in the remaining open spaces with
China ink.
Deafness and dumbness are less common
than badness and blindness, perhaps be-
cause there is neither style nor disease Ia
produce them. The Chinese believe that n
wax from the ear touches the lips .umb-
ness ensues. Another belief current in
Pekin Is that a blow upon the soft spot
or an infant $ skull will cause dumbness
Some one once asked me II me Chinese
have the toothache. They have everything
Now that the foreigners are in Pekin the
owner OF an afflicted molar, If he has anv
Foreign acquaintances, appeals TO them ~
pull the tooth. If he hasn't he must iust
grin and bear II. There are no Chinese
dentists. 1t would be hard to find a racf
with poorer teeth
some Chinese Remedies
Headache is also very prevalent. but TO,
this they have remedy, or what the,
allege TO be one. They take the skin OF
the temples. or that of the forehead OF
bridge OF the nose. and pinch it betweer