The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-12-27


Special Correspondence Minneapolis
Journal-On Board the Steamship
Minnesota, Nov. 15.-Even before you
leave Smiths Cove in Seattle, bound
for Japan and China, the atmosphere
Of the Orient envelops you until you
again disembark at the northwest cor
ner Of Uncle Sans possessions.
AS you walk along the wharf bound
for the ships gang plank you see
peeping down from a height of sixty
or seventy feet scores of slanting eyes
and before you reach your stateroom
you earn that the entire crew of the
big ship, including few of the minor
officers, is made up of Chinese with
bound for the interior of China, this
wise provision of a Chinese crew
proves a boon for you before your
journey is ended. BY the time Shang-
hal is reached the traveller is so a'c-
customed to the silent, gliding forms
of the Cinnamon on board and so in
nured to their everlasting and curious
peeping that few glances more or
less from unfriendly boxers in Picking
will not disturb his equanimity. Other
wise the scowls of the hostile Oriental
of the interior would be calculated to
spoil some of the pleasure of visit
to the far east.
The Chinese, by the way, are
the best sailors imaginable, despite
the fact that when it comes to run
ming a ship they can't do anything
without the most Internal din that hui
man being can raise. Should it be-
come necessary to trim a sail or lower
a boat, it would seem that the de-
mons Of the lower regions had been lei
loose or that shipwreck was imminent
Hold On to Your Plate.
AS cooks and walters the Chinese
employed on American boats are
highly satisfactory. Provided the di-
ner keeps one hand on the dish he may
be enjoying and keeps a firm hold
whenever he looks away, he will
find nothing to criticise in Chinese
waiter. Otherwise he will find his
food mysteriously disappearing and
will wonder whether he is up against
an Oriental Hermann. Ince you pre-
sumo to talk to your neighbor or dc
anything except address yourself as
siduously to the business in hand
that of eating, the Chinese waiter
Immediately and dexterously whisks
away your food, and is found stand
ing silently behind your chair with
menu card extending, and blandly
winking while patiently waiting fol
your further order. This whisking habit
of the Chinese waiter is somewhat
disconcerting when it happens to
yourself, but excessively amuse-
ing when some one else is the victim
If you can regard it always as a joke
you will get a great deal of amuse-
ment out Of it. If you exhibit i'm
patience you will lose caste with the
"Chinks" who is to serve you off and
on for three months.
There is one other advantage in hav-
ing a Chinese crew. Apparently every
white being who comes in contact
with a Chinaman is imbued with the
belief that he has right to kick and
otherwise maltreat him upon every oc-
casion. Usually he can do this with
impunity. Accordingly whenever an Of
ficer has a crouch all he has to do is
to exercise his rights. A Chinaman is
a great safety valve for an American
seaman and besides if the abused
Chinaman stands in with mo. l boy
he can get back at the officer when
the latter's curry and rice is served
at luncheon, or rather when "chow
is served at tiffin time"
Careful About Stealing.
There is still another good thing
about a Chinese crew from a pas
senger's standpoint. A Chinaman will
rarely steal from you in a way that
you will ever find out. He may take
a few cents each day or a small trinket
from a collection of trinkets and a lit
tie of this and a little of that which
you will never miss. If he does over
step the canons of Chinese thievery,
you will not have to have him ar
rested and appear at justice court to
prove case. You can go down on
the main deck the next day and see
how he looks in stocks where he is
placed and kept in full view of every
one just so that there may be no doubt
in the minds Of anyone on board that
he roal1v iS a thief