The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-10-06
EVERYDAY LIFE In CHINA.
YELLOW Ways or DOING THINGS
STRlNGE no WHITE MEN.

. Sinh " IO " HI AZ az II+N'
indebtedness of Speech Lottery of MAJ
riage-Chineso Ailments and Rene
Gaies-Baianess and the simple Process
ct Making IL Wfg--FrtemdIy Feeiinf
for Americans Primitive Ingenuity
of Artisans.
In all the walks of life the Chinaman
is always widely different often eX-
actly antithetical, to us. The diver
gence in customs is, then, of essential
and vital disparities of type. | have
set down here in random paragraphs
some everyday matters, intended to
d little light on life as l have seen it
in and around Pekin.
To attempt to get a Chinaman to as
sign a reason for anything is futile.
One day while riding donkey through
the country west Of Pel1in l noticed
that the women of the country villages,
mostly farmers wives and daughters,
did not bind their feet. l said to the
donkey driver who was running along
! beside me. The country women do
not bind their feet, do they?'
| No"
"Why?"
They do not bind their feet"
why is it that the Chinese women
bind their feet?''
They bind their feet
But why do they do it,"
"But why is it their customY'
There Is no why-no reason what
ever"
Ask a child: "Why did your brother
not come to school to-day?"
My brother did not come to school
to-day, Will be the answer.
Or inquire of a man:
why is 1t that the Chinese built a
pagoda thirteen stories high?" and he
will most probably answer, THAT is
the way to build a pagoda."
The Chinaman is very social, but at
the same time conservative and nom
committal. When two Chinese meet on
the street, neither of them would think
of passing the other by without stop
ping and holding a little social chat.
tells the other anything about himself.
the conversation will probably be
something after the following style;
Are you well?'
"Well Are you well?"
"Well. Where are you going?"
down street Where are you go
ing?
up street. Where have you been?'
Just up there. Where have you
been?"
II have been down there. Good
day"
"Good-day."
When the Chinaman wishes to marry
the first requisite is to secure q middle
man to transact the business. OF all
untrustworthy people the worst Is the
middle man-who is usually a woman.
In the case the young man desires to
see the bride before marrying, he bribes
the middle man to find out at what time
he can stand on some street corner and
see her go by in cart, If she happens
to be beautiful she is allowed to go; If
homely beautiful girl is substituted
for her, and the young man goes home
satisfied and happy the middle man in
When the wedding day arrives, the girl
is put In q closed chair and carried
about for an hour or two with a great
retInue of beggars bearing notices or
lanterns before her until the time to
take her to the brldegroom's home She
is brought up to his door, 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 CONVEX |
sation said that their method Of get
ting wife was better than either the |
Chinese or the foreign method.
Because, said he, "the Chinaman !
cannot see his wife before he marries |
her, and the foreigner has to get his |
own wife, while we can see the girl in |
church every Sunday, and as they have
brothers In the university and we have |
sisters 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 ac-
quainted
But said he, does 1T not make you
awfuly angry if you ask girl TO mar
ry you and she refuses?"
In introducing people the surname is
always given first, as in all Chinese no.
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 i'm
oortant and necessary to know. The
John is secondary
When two Cinnamon meet on the
street they stand at a respectful dis
ance and each gravely shakes his own
1and If you tried to shake China
nan by the hand he would probably re-
gard 1t as assault and battery. To lift
mes hat to an acquaintance, man or
woman, would be an insult
White Is the Chinese hue of mourn
ng. 1t does not stay white long, how
Yer, as the more Soiled and dilapidated
Chinese mourner looks the greater Is
he respect implied to the dead. For
his reason the afflicted ones leave their
reads unshaven until they attain "a re-
narkabe degree of disreputability.
Smallpox Is almost universal No |
are taken against it's
pread. When a child is taken Ill with
he disease he is carefully tended until
Re has blossomed out as the Chinese
erm it, when he is allowed to go out in
he street and play with the other chill
rem. 1t is taken for granted that eve
y one must have smallpox; the sooner !
hn hnttpr ,