Evening star., 1903-09-12
CHILD OF THE ORIENT
In Chinese Quarters Young
sters Have a Good Time.
AFFECTION FOR THEM
WELL KNOWN INSTANCES OF
JOHN CHINAMAN'S LOVE
The Fascinating Game of Sauka and
Other Sports of Yellow Boys
and Girls.
AFFECTION FOR THEM

Written for The Evening Star hy Guy T. Vfskniskki
ASK the average missionary in the Chinese
quarter of an American city whether the
almond-eyed grown-ups care for their chill
dren and he will answer in a voice OF min
g,ed establishment and sadness:
My dear brother. these people come OF a
race who sell their girls as slaves. How can
they love their children?'
But despite the fact that he works among
Mongolians. the missionary frames his point
OF view in much the same manner as does
the average American. A Chinaman, pagan
of thousand ancestors. is not in the habit
of taking white preacher into his confl-
dence. Both the missionary and the layman
must judge the Chinaman by what he shows
thern-i stolId, inscrutable countenance and
d tongue that is we'll bridled.
Once in rare while, however. a white
devil comes along to whom the Chinaman
Will reveal his tender side. He may be
moved to do this for many reasons-the
white man can speak the language of the
fuWery hIngdom. mas protected the laun-
dryman from d crowd OF nasging boys, or
he has known John for years. and constant
intercourse trings about the revelation. 1t
IS 10 men of thls sort that such stories OF
the Ch.niman's love If his offspring are told
as that one which has d rich and influential
merchant of New IoIk'S Chinatown for its
hero.
Greater Love Hath No Man"
This particular merchant came from China
some twenty years ago. From the day he
started in ironing shirts prosperity followed
him, and soon he was able to set up as a
merchant in Mott street Then as time
went along and his savings grew, he began
looking around for Il wife. He found her In
the belle of the colony. and soon thereafter
the street was merry with the wedding fes-
tivitieS.
were chidless. and then one morning when
the man went into his store to serve his
customers with tea, his face was filled with
a great joy.
1t is a SON. he told them
a little over a year ago. when the boy
had reached his sixth year. there sud
denly c"ertook him what his father had
offered up many a prayer in the loss
House TO avert-a spinal disease that was
hereditary on the fathers side.
Chinese doctors were called in. one after
another They could bring no relief. Then
although he was good Buddhist. the
father turned TO American physicians but
they. too. shook their heads. Your son
viii not live the year out they said.
The merchant was beside himself with
grief. Money he had a-plenty. but only
one son-and the boy was all the more
precious to him because the mother had
died while giving him life. How to save
through his mind.
At last there flashed to his memory q
day when, far up In the interior of China
far away from his home in Canton-hs
stood with his father in a great, rich. black
field at the foot of a towering mountaiu
His father had taken him there that they
might gather certain roots with which Ia
cure the child of his fathers brother who
lay i'll with some spinal complaint. And
they gathered the roots his father hac
told him that those same roots had beer
used in the family for generations and
had never failed to cure the trouble. He
had been a mere boy at the time-the years
had all but obliterated the Incident from
his memory But now II had all come bach
TO him. and the father took fresh hope
He went into the room where the child
lay. peaked. gradually dying.
Light of my eye" he said. Il am going
far away to get wonderful root that
viii make you well again"
Then he committed the boy to an aunt &
care. and a few days later. when he had
received his return papers he was speed
Ing across the continent for China
In four months he was back In New York
In the meantime he had gone to Canton
spent days in river boat, then Travelled