The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-07-19
A CHINESE TRAVELLER
DESCRIBES NEW YORK CITY
KEN Wen I'll Writes a Letter to His Brother
in Picking About the Civilization of the
Foreign Devils.

Il their bodies I have not the divine
i light to understand. In fun costume
they are an awesome and terrible
sight, and on occasions when they
meet in the evening to dance publicly
! with men or to the dine with them.
! they are attired in a manner which
/ shall not set TO paper, but of which
shall inform you privately on my
/ return. They have the brazen habit
I of looking one between the eyes, are
j allowed to CAD about at will, and
are acknowledged openly to com
mand their husbands. Do not let
| this be read TO the women Of my
house lest they get pernicious ideas
which only the bamboo may eradicate.
The government of the people OF
, this city has been explained to me
again and again, and yet 1 have no
ability to UNDERSTAND any save <tcts.
The chief mandarin of the city is
chosen because OF his ability to eat
many dinners and to promise things
which he has no intention OF doing.
Here. at least. the manner OF ruling will
be familiar to you. But since the pres
ent chief mandarin has ruled not a
head has been cut off, 1t is not be-
cause there are no enemies OF his ruI-
ing, but 1t is the fashion here for one
official to revile another in safety.
Under this chief mandarin are a body
of lesser mandarins. each one set
against the other, and boards of off,
Gals or no purpose that 1 can imag-
inc. There is actually a mandarin
to see that the streets are clean. and
a mandarin TO see that the city is
healthy-as though these things were
not better left in the hands of heaven
and a host OF others holding positions
OF similar emptiness. The police of the
city are giants. who are sometimes re-
warded for their deeds by gifts of real
estate, but are subject TO Punishment
to wildernesses. inhabited only by wild
goats at the pleasure of their officers. |
Gambling is unlawful. save in the name |
of the great god Business, and opium
smoking is not permitted. cigarettes be- !
ing the only form of unhealthy joy |
that a man may breathe into his nos |
trils and be within the pale.
AS to the strange customs OF these |
people. they are so many and mar
velous that / may not dwell on them. |
No man may have more than one wife |
of his own wedding. but the more chill
dren he has the greater will be his |
glory before the Emperor with the |
Awe-InspiriDg Teeth. From morning |
until night the men work for money in |
ten thousand ways, while their wives |
move at large devising means Of spend |
ing II.
The evening is given up to amuse-
ments of every sort, some of which |
shall describe to you in season. |
Whatever a man does curing the day
or night is printed on papers as numer- |
Gus as tea leaves, and sent out that
the city may read of IL. Indeed, so
l. l,f ~ hof
I believe that when you consider doing
a thing in this country, and go about
1t, you may be likely to read about 1t
before II is accomplished.
The evening is given up to amuse-
ments various as the mind of man can
devise. Women and men gather to-
gether and dance, embracing one an
other before the world. to the tune of
music that is like no civilized music in
heaven, earth or hell. In the theatres
OF which there is one street complete
ly full. great crowds assemble nightly |:
to watch astonishing performances N
which women appear upon the stage
Many men spend the eve
nings imbibing that foreign devil civil
ization of which have spoken The
system of doing so is as intricable as
the Japanese tea ceremony each man,
I understand. being under the obliga-
ton of being treated. as they say, by
every other man in turn. until the walls
and the rugs upon the floor
float about so that one is forced to re-
cline upon them to keep them in place.
At least so / found. The next morn
ing after this process Of civilization
one Is ready for the grave. and yet a
man may risk death for less pleasant
hours.
These. then, are the tales OF what ]
nave learned, so far. in this strange
,ity. Truly. 1 am like a voyager in
another world, seeing things and peo-
pie which the gods surely made when
hey had run out of reason. pray that
your head may endure against the
words which your enemies whisper in {
the ear of the Empress Dowager. Tell
ny wives any day may see my return.
/ am sending you box of this for
zign devil civilization in twenty-four
bottles When the bubbles of it tickle
Tour honored nose, remember your
brother in a far country.
KEN VENT