The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-29

= Ohm CHINAMAN is peculiar gentle
man; a rare, old individual. Repre-
senting, as he does, almost one-third
OF the whole worlds family, and decidedly
the elder brother, he is entitled to much
consideration and no little respect. The
halo If antiquity radiates above his phil
oeophy; the long life of hts race stamps
him as practical. visit to the shrines,
homes, haunts and marts Of his native
land divulges his ideas as to religion.
domesticity, pleasure and business.
To an American his religion seems an
admixture of superstition and philosophy,
and the philosophy predominates. His
home is a blending of love and common
sense, and common sense predominstes.
His haunts bespeak his love Of nature,
and his marts mark him as the greatest
merchant in the world. He is the
shrewdest bargainer of all, for the rea-
son that with him time is not money.
He reasons thusly: Time goes on whether
men Luy or sell, or do neither; but gain
comes only at intervals. Such intervals
mark John Chinaman's lime of doing
business. A Chinese banker of Hong
Kong will spend numerous hours and
walk many blocks, II necessary, before
be will pay for his boys trousers Ave
cents more than he knows en- to he
worth.
To judge China and old John Chinaman.
by his representatives in America would
be like judging the United States and
Uncle Sam by the personnel of q wild
West show In Europe. Moot of the
Chinese in America are laundrymen, or
make their money In stores patronized
and sustained by laundrymen. And the
funny part Of 1t is there are no laundries
IN China. Everybody knows how to wash
in China, and everybody knows how to
cook. All families of any consequence,
however, maintain servant who perform
these duties.
The Chinese who come to America are
almost all from one section Of the coun-
try, which occupies the relative position
and space Of Florida in the United States.
And all the Chinese in America could be
dropped down into the city of Canton
without the increase being noticeable. A
greater number than all ne Chinese In
America live on the river In Canton
alone.
His Religion.
Across the river from Canton Is Gie HoI
Tong Monastery OF Ho-Nam. There are sew
eral names for the Canton River, but the
Cantonese usually call it the Pearl. Thou
sands upon thousands of sampan ferry
boats ply day and night between Canton
and Ho-Nam; and, though the river is not
more than a third of a mile across, so
great Is the jam of river craft that IL
often takes an hour to thread passage
from side to side through them.
Safely arrived on the Ho-Nam side, our
sampan draws into a little slip, or blind
canal. with steps leading down to It, Here
are to be seen bathing boys, mothers
washing miniature squirming images of
themselves and the kind of buffaloes one
sees in magazine pictures of Manila. The
water bufaloes lie nose deep in the
Shiny slip Of water. They are Kidding
themselves Of gnats and flies. as the fox
rids himself of f1eas.
During the noon hour Ho-Nam dIsports
Itself. Porters lay aside their shoulder
poles and Jokes, beggars cease begging,
and multitudes betake themselves to the
Hoi Tong Monastery. The bare or soft-clad
feet of the shifting stream of humanity
give out little sound as they glide and
slip along over the century-worn stones
leading to the ancient home of the monks
Many are bareheaded, are clad in the
himsiest of hlmy fabrics, and wear no
socks, but a pair OF light rubber slip
pers. They are sensible. We are swelter-
ing. The tacks in the heels of our burn
ing 'vicis" cause US to slip and slide
like beginners on roller skates; the flag
stones are SO smooth and slippery.
As we draw near the monastery a drone
begins to make itself heard. 1t is the
drone of human voices and each step
we take brings 1t more noticeably to our
ears. There is no other sound like that
made by a multitude of Chinese when
engaged In hot, noon-hour conversation.
When engaged In any kind of business
John Chinamans voice tones run the
gamut from gutteral grunt to 1taecato
shrek, but in spoken exchange of thought
they become sub-iued. monotonous MUIR
muir. The drone from Hoi Tong's multi
tude IL not caused by religious discussion
John Chlnaman doesn't go In much for
RELIGIOUS Argument He puts mn his tenn
Rles and uses their grounds as a loafng