The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-09-05
-HNYEE RE7Ek5
on TIT FIX

flower boats on the Pearl River. The
boat Is chartered for the night and three
meals are served.
II our man Is a banker or high-un
official and finds himself free to seek
| pleasure, he may engage In q game %
chess, checkers or cards, or may even
blow himself for a banquet to his
friends; though the chances are, II he
can spare the time, he will go to see his
dear, old mother, who lives In the coun-
try. At any rate, each day at sometime
he engages In some pastime regularly and
methodieally. If he is extremely rich
he may even employ his own story-teller.
The Chinese are great readers and have
many books, but from highest to lowest
they all prefer to listen to the story-teller.
Kite flying Is a favoritc amusement on
the housetops of Hong Kong. and many
Chinese millionaire would rather cut the
other fellows kite string In a kite duel
than to drive a most advantageous bar
gain. Another thing the millionaire
Chinese derives a great deal Of pleasure
from is the inspection OF his furs. In
| Hong Kong there Is Chinese banker who
| owns possibly one of the finest collec-
| lions Of Russian sables IN the world. IL
| Is his pride to show them to appreciative
friends, and he hires a tailor and furrier
by the year to look after them. There
are Is fully-lined long coats In all, and
| each is perfect.
His Business Life.
| Fourteen or Is years ago there was
| a fruit seller who squatted by his basket
in Wan Look street. Hong Kong, opposite
the Soy Hing Banking Company. Today
| he Is one Of the richest men on earth.
| So many accounts have been tolG of who
the man is that in their conflict II Is only
| safe to say by common repute he Is sup
posed to belong to the Wong family, or
/
| under his own name. He adopts a COM
| pany name, for he never goes into any
| thing extensively by himself. His ASSOC
ciates must share his interests. He re-
| fuses to carry all his eggs In one basket.
| Fourteen or Is years ago the fruit
seller, who frequented the docks for his
supplies, evolved a plan for shipping be-
| tween the South China coast and Singa-
| pore. With few of his friends. who had
| a little money saved, he formed a share
! and share company, and, purchasing
| vessel, tried the scheme. II worked. To
| day there are over 10 vessels, steam
and sail, belonging to the expanded evolu-
| ton of the fruit sellers original idea.
Many others are controlled by the same
! company, and they ply throughout the
| whole Of the Orient. The commerce II
| China is SO thoroughly organized that II
| is probably the only country In the world
| where boycott could be hatched without
either official head or tail and make It's
| .fiuence felt IN the United States TO the
point of influencing legislation and COM
| ing treaties. Old John Chinaman may not
be fully civilized, but he has forgotten
| more than some others ever knew about
the commercial value Of retalIatory -aeas-
| ures.
debt Is never outlawed In China. II
you owe thing you owe 1t till It's paid.
| II you don't pay It, your heirs and your
N rvh a1nf IONS in
1t until 1t is paid. Custom IS stronger
| than law In China, for, though the law
may excuse or nullify debt. the intcg-
rity Of Chinese commercial custom de-
Ponds upon the perpetual life Of an obHga-
ton.
Some Of the Chinese In America who
nave picked up a little OF our law OcCa-
sionaIly take refuge behind the provisions
or our statutes. But IL the debtor doesn't
owe 1t In this country he still owes II
In China. And Ii won't be healthy for
him to go back there and try to dodge II.
The blackisr of China Is all powerful.
And In no other country Is trade union
ism so strong. There is no such thing as
acquiring or saving riches from n Job.
Set prices prevail All a clerk or work
man may do to increase his fortune Is to
gamble. All a well-to-do merchant may
do to become rich Is to take n venture.
And the Chinese are the greatest gamblers
On ehFCn. An extremely poor man may
become an extremely rich man In q few
months or years with good run OF luck.
All Chinese believe In luck. SO thickly
populated Is their country, without luck
and an eye ever to the main chance none
might succeed. IL Is not considered i'm
moral to indulge In games Of chance. and
those who never gamble refrain from
so doing through a fear Of loss alone.
Odd Facts.
Every married man must have a son
In China. 1t doesn't make any difference
II he Is the father Of a dozen daughters.
he must acquire son IL he has 10 20 70
the extreme of adopting one 1t is hard
to get an educated Chinese to admit that
1t Is necessary to the correct form OF wor-
ship OF parents, or to give any expana-
tion why 1t is so. Yet all admit the pos
session OF son Is absolutely something
not to be put OF or neglected and say
that 1t Is so because It Is so. 1t must be. R
and Is; that Is sufficient.
In the temple Of the 500 Buddhns in
Canton are several enormous statues Of
the god which are especially approa cbrd
by women desiring sons. Though these
statues are extremely old. they are In
perfect condition, except the big toes.
which have been worn away by the faint
touch of Chinese mothers fingers as they
prayed for a son.
Most Of the travel In China Is by water
routes. The sampan Is the commonest OK
all the craft which ply in the inter- T,
though large-sized Junks may penetrate
great distances from salt water on ac'
count of their light draught. The JUNK
and sampan people live on their boats
and II Is a fact that they tie floats TO ne
boy babies so they may be recovered il
they happen to fall overheard Very few
Of the girl babies are so ACQUIRED.
The town of Cav Moon, In Managing
province, has al3o large river pOpUa-
ton, but there the river folk live on RATS
Four miles Of the water front Is devoted
exclusively to wood-workers and the luin
Der industry, and the flow OF workers 0.
all sorts traversing that water front
reminiscent Of Nassau street, In Ne"
York city, at noon lunch hour. The guy
in front OF the custom house In Canton -
q regular Brooklyn Bridge rush" at al
hours.
The well-bred Chinese pig has the ne"s
of bull and the feet OF deer. sar
pans plying In water highways and -.
ways signal for landings and depariu' :.
by the blowing Of conch shell. N"
towns In the interior have a wall lIS
tecting three sides and a water fr,t.
There are gate keepers at each end %. =
town, and at night the town guard pa.s
the waterfront with 16-shot repea