Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-10-09
CHINESE CONTRASTS
Customs. Dress. Manners and Education in the
fIowery Kingdom. The Hyde Park
Of the Far East

road to happiness, are magnets OF at
traction To John Chinaman, who, alone
In his solitariness. shuffles from n
10 the other, but family comprehend
ing the meaning OF the torrent Of
words that beats on his ear. His
costume Is the one he wore years ago
In China. unchanged even to the red
button on his hat. and his pigtail
hangs down his back In glossy Oiliness
AK though he had just stepped out of
n BARRIERS shop In the hot, reeking
city OF Canton.
The boot Of the swiftly.moving
motor car and the rattle Of carriage
wheels In Park Lane are unheeded by
him; his attention Is fixed on the
men who uphold the rights OF free
speech and the people who listen TO
them. You savee Shanghai" he
says to me with Il smile which shows
a row Of ~glastening white teeth,
when ! step up TO him and claim ac-
auaintance. admit that ! have a
knowledge OF Shanghai, and after we
have talked a little John becomes loo
qnacious In his criticism of the ora
tors near us.
Free Speech and Free Criticism.
you too muchee talkee talkee this
side" he commences. mo can talk
so fashion China side" indicating a
plump. well-fed man, who, with hands
thrust deep in the pockets OF his
trousers. is advocating the instant
destruction bf Royalty IN England
and the adoption Of a republican form
OF government. Suppose any nan
talkee so fashion China side he chop
chop makee die!"
remind him Of the students who
hold forth occasionally In the gardens
OF one Chang Su-ho. in Shanghai, and
den0unce the Chinese government in
flaming language.
Shanghai no belong China SIDE"
John " quickly. PLENTY for
eign man have got there. Number
one Chinaman no can interfere that
side. Suppose young fool Chinaman
ever walkee other side Shanghai he
soon makee die. He belong very
small man; no have catchee plenty
dollars. He alice anne talkee man
this park side. No belong Itch man.
suppose no belong Itch China side can
talkee. England side one big beggar
talkee plentee. Vely queer country
this side"
point out that in England every
man can exercise the right OF free
speech and say what he thinks with
out fear OF anybody. John points
TO an open-air preacher whose de-
nunciations Of the Roman Catholic
church are not being received with
unanimous favor, and grins with
heather Joy.
MY have see.' he says. "plenty OF
foreign men China side talkee all
about Christian religion top side. One
man talkee one thing, n man talkee
other thing. Chinaman no savee
what thing belong right foreign man
talkee. Suppose one Chinaman be-
come alice same Christian, he n
day meet foreign man who talkee he
think all wrong, and suppose he want
to 60 topside must think other thing.
Chinaman vely serious man. He
think vely much what foreign man
talkee and catchee d big headache.
His flends makee laugh at him, and
he too much sorry. Vely o he be-
come alice same he was when a littee
boy and feel vely angry with Chlis-
tian mar.
"Chinaman have got vely- good
'1igion. He no cheat. he no get
dunk, he vely fond his patents. He
likee money foleign man bling China
side. but he no likee 'ligion foreign
man try makee thinkee. My think
you wanchee plenty 'ligion this side"
And John Chinaman walked slowly
to a crowd listening to the ignorant
rawlings Of an atheist whose every ut
terance was one Of blasphemy.