The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-12-06

One of the chief virtues of Chinese
character is perseverance. 1t goes
without saying that in an old land like
this, !ere the population exceeds 500
to the square mile, living is hard to
get. Great lah"- must be performed
for little pay, but the people work
and without complaint for
their meager rewards. yclr eervant
comes and goes from early until late.
No matter how 1Gany extra duties you
may impose upor MIN, he eyinces no
surprise and makes no Yemonstrenoe.
No race has ever lad the staying
qualities Of the Chinese. When Gen.
eral Grant returned from his trip
around the globe, some one inquired of
him what was the most remarkable
thing he had seen in his travels. He
replied that it was the spectacle of
small Chinese dealer wearing down the
keen competition of O Jew.
The whole Chiness people have this
saving quality of perseverance. The
diplomat exhausts the nervous for
s!gner by h'h cool, calm resistance,
provided there is anything like an
equal distribution of the cards in the
game, and the beggar hangs persistent
ly about the door Of the merchant
until he is given the copper he asks
for. A former emperor sent an army
to quell an uprising in en- outlying
colony, and his troops became discour-
eyed because was no forage 10 the
country Tor them to live upon. He
ordered them to plant crops and raise
their own food, advancing in the
meanwhile, aud although it took this
agricultural army years to reach its
destination, it eventually overhauled
tho rebels and snbdued them.
Doubtless the most striking proof Of
the Chinese trait OF perseverance, is
the persistence OF the candidates for
literary honorg. Tho SANE applicants
will appear ct the competitive exami-
nations year after year to write their
essays and compete for honors. The
governor Of one province reports that
at the last trial he had thirteen cau-
didates over eighty years Of age. This
is remarkable when it is considered
that the contestants ere kept in brick
cells in solitary confinement for sew
"ral days and nights. Numerous in.
stances are cited where grandfather,
son end grandson participated in the
same examinations for the came de-.
gree, as we'll as instances where msr
over eighty years Of age have iua)iy
won the long.coveted honor. ne
Chinese have great vssesatiou for the
scholar. The highest reverence ;s
felt for those who have learning, hence
this extraordinary striving after the
degrees Of knowledge. The old books
tell about.one immortal student who
pored ove- his lessons by the light Of
q glow wo:u, and Of smother who tied
his books to the horns Of his oxen
and studied aB he walked beside them
as work, in tho field. s ,s.=! s.. ;i rs
: All etudenss OF Chinese life slabori,.
ate upon the oheerfulness and content
Of these people who struggle under;
aueh . grinding burden' OF poversy.
They seem 20 bear mp under the pres.
sure Of oil their ills BY. acoepsipg the
spirit Of the old adsge, ::!':sVVh Vhat calnu's /
be cured must bs endured. The,
mechanic working in bis little, shop
until after midnight: oesen in the
dark to save a. cents worth ce OIL:
siugs: as be labors. I. The eoolias,
atraining Of taska Whlsh would break
the will o. men not made of iron, chat
aaa Joke with each other as they pause. 60.
20 Wipe'the sweat ont of their eyes
and straighsen their cramped backs. i.
J One traveller who ascended the np,' il
per Yangtsze hired Ave boys 10 pull
his boat against the current os ,thei
stream. "a describing his trip he ,,st r.:
gerred to their pluck az follows. SfS# 81
7 "0ur .traoksrs elung On their hands,
and feet to the Jagged rocks; id they
pulled The boat up inoh, BY inch. /;
could not fail 70 note the oheesfu
Of these poor coolies whe: earned but
ga Tor Two months hard wIork. Their
only food consisted of coarse iv rics;; ;i,ps
favored with = little fried cabbage;
upon uhioh they we're called ,oi Is .pns
forth sheir strength from II dawns slssS StoS
dark. They were always willing tno n
DO their utmost. and fhayer lost their
temper, =. M /. 8 s!
# r., sao sss, en,.. = :, ~ = !, 5. sso