The San Francisco call., 1908-07-19

tie dIIdlT Is lnlS.
The young naval officer appeared
at dance one evening in ordinary
evening dress. young woman mis-
took him for the brother and said
things to the officer that opened his
eyes. Not informing the lady of her
mistake he went to his brother and
accused him of serious business. The
brother was at that time just coming
into prominence politically. Any dis
closure would be liable to wreck his
party and it would bring disgrace to
a proud house of England The woman
must of all things not know that she
had talked to the wrong man. And
she never did, for she married the
young commoner, giving him a prince
ly income, while the naval officer sure
of remittance spent several years
in travel and study, his tastes being
rather scientific and eventually he set
tied in Hongkong. He often told his
intimate friends that he lived there
because he liked it and his ambition
was to be known as the greatest au-
thority upon the tribes of southern
China, an ambition that was realized
: Travellers who have visited the
China coast have been charmed with
the life and the beauty of the cities
Writers have commented smuch upon
the beauties of Happy Valley at Hong
kong, of the beach drive at Singna-
pore or the race course at Shanghai
1t is the remittance men who have
made these beauties possible. Their
mode of life has made it necessary
for them to have something to oc-
cupy their time. The result is that
racing clubs. golf clubs, cricket clubs.
shooting clubs, country clubs and
scores of others abound.
The club grounds are laid out on
extensive scales. Handsome club
houses, equipped on a scale that as
tonishes the traveller, are found in
every city. Every city has its dra-
matte club and the only first class
theater in the orient was built by the
Shanghai Dramatic club. This club,
by the way, often presented plays
that have made a success in London
before they are seen in New York or
other parts of the English speaking
world. It is the remittance men who
make the club a success. for they
spend most of their time in further
ing the interests of these clubs.
The social customs of the oriental
city are varied and interesting. long
story might be written on the peculiar
tiles that mark each city Thus at
Kobe every one at o'clock takes tea
at the boathouse; at Hongkong they
Shanghai they drive on Bubbling Well
road, The share that the remittance
man plays in society is very consider
able, and society has much to thank
the remittance man for; it is he who
invents new amusements, who manages
the various affairs and sees to it that
everything is pulled off with fine effect.
Not all remittance men are of the
gentleman type, however. Some who
h axrn han ero = at rIf
date have sunk low in the social scale
and they are beneath even the pity of
the lowest Chinese coolie This element
furnishes a large share of the beach
comber class that infests the cities
and gives much trouble to the police.
Drink and association with evil women
have been largely responsible for their
state. Some become involved with the
grating class and sooner or later land
behind prison bars Yet it is a fact
that the Englishman manages to keep
out of trouble, at least trouble with
the police. The China coast has never
been a dumping ground for English
crooks, there being far more of this
element in South Africa, Canada and
Australia. The latter country, with it's
former penal settlements, took the big
ger part of the crooks in years gone by.
England has not furnished all the re-
IIllllduCc UicH diOHB ILLS COdSl AOi Z
are men to be found who claim Den
mark, Sweden, Germany, France and
Italy as their native land. Most of the
Frenchmen are found in Cochin China
and the Germans are partial to the
Dutch East Indies. To the Philippines,
even with its present American control,
the Spanish remittance man still goes,
although the old system of giving
younger sons of Spanish dons and
1oA md lot I'M
him live off the hemp, tobacco and
sugar has now disappeared. Speaking
of America, that country is probably
the only one not represented in the re-
mittance mans colony. America is
represented in other ways, business and
crime, for 1t is a regrettable fact that
a good share Of the crooks and grafters
along the coast are Americans. or claim
to be. However, the subject of graft
ing is large one and 1t must be left
for another story
In dismissing the remittance man, a
word must be said as to the debt owed
him by the world for his establishment
of the great cities of the orient. 1t is a
fact recognized by businessmen and
historians that the cities of the China
coast which are among the great marts
of trade have been stimulated and ad-
vanced to their present prosperous con-
tance men. They so far outaumber
the real man of business that they con-
troll affairs. The well known call OF
the east" as Kiplings 'On the Road
to Mandalay'' so feelingly expresses IT.
is the outcome of the remittance mans
existence. The good fellowship, the
heartiness, the whole souledness of the
people here come from the remittance
man. He hungers for news of the
homeland, for tidings of the worlds
affairs and he is ready and willing a.
all times to accept the stranger and
make him welcome. He makes a gooo
blend and sticks close through thick
and thin. Custom has made him sub
3y.'t of jest, derision and contempt but
be is not to blame for this; 1T is mis-
$-tune. He won't work: he does not
tnow how, but he is willing to act the
cost and serve the stranger; he has
turned stencil hole into PARADISE ne
has transplanted to the orient the Gus
toms and systems of the civilized
world For this he should be giver
all credit The world owes him debt