CHINESE WHIMS AND WAYS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 87, 31 May 1879, Page 3

CHINESE WHIMS AND WAYS.

There is perhaps no nation whose ustonis and ideas one is so prone unintentionally to miso instrue or despise at the I Ibinese The verc name to most people conjures up instaiier [he picturt of -■ slant-eyed pig-tailel creature, who 'rangles his luiu.ii (laughters, and feeds incontinently upon dogs, cats, and rats. Question the correctness of the representatbu, 9t go lurther, and endeavour tc point out -.hat the Chinaman is a human being net much unlike the caviller himself, oi that hi U u3t an entire stranger to heart, mind, cultivation, taste, and so on, and you may rely upon lieing set down as a partisan, or possessor 01 a hobby, or perhaps something worse It is not pretended for a moment that the Chinaman is without defects or objectionable characteristics : nor iudeed that ho is better than a Hindoo, Persian, Turk, or any otherseinicivilised man although there is something to be said in his favour even quoad these other races. Bt.t it may be contended that a Chinaman is not only by no mean* the degraded crent ire which he is nude out to be, but possess** many traits worthy of study, if not of taking copy from by members of more favoured and better gifted nationalities. In China for instance, the left hand is the scat of honour, and a Chinese guest in a Europi au's house may often be observed to be uneasy at finding himself, as he imagines, Slighted by being plat el on the rignt nan i i his host. They are painfully sciupui ius about this matter of seating hosis and guests l'o a European it is most irksome to have to go through the pantomime of bows and grimaces which always precedes the disjo.itioii of guests and host in a Chinese reception-room, aud it not uufrequently ends in the impetuous Aryan's assuming iheseat elos.st to hand,irrespective of all ceremonial rules, whilst tne Turanian sits down in -icsnair mil disgust at having to entertain such a hopjess savage Then, in the matter >f costume, • Chinaman, a.s is -veil known is notable for the length and capacity of his skirts, whilst his wife and daughters wsar —and not unfrequently display—the breeches bilk and satin urj his favourite materials for clothes, and the handsomer the pattern, and more heavy and showy the embroidery, the better dressed be coueideis himself. A necklace of beads form; an indispensable adjunt to the lull dress of every i.anlarin, and a fan is rarely out of hi, baud either when at home or abi oad Ou enturin > a room or receiving a visitor, a Chinaman's first care is to put on his bat, not to take it off: and wl e.'o a friend in Europe might say " Keep on your hat, pray," in China the entreaty would oe, ' Oblige me by dispensing with your hat.,' In Europe a liosl begs his guest to take a seat, aud suits '.he uctio.'i to the word by sitting dowu himself, in Jhiua it would be regarded as the height of rudeness to sit u.. .vu boOrc jvery guest is well seated. In Europe fi:c;ids each other by the banj by aay : «h.-rei.s < ' in .'=•; clips ins . .vi- Ue.ads ogcther an . bQtkea iii-.ii a' uis i*injj In Ufa mat • ie. ~.' v siviui iuios ihr sum: ecce:.tri ua> .; pure-a= is cbservable. A China ■uai ,i=:.s a sinull ..id nly *hvi ?i> fa ,uilia< toim- -will ih- seree visiuj l„0 then it- is '.'oin iiv- i ,ix lines largei than •'•hai Euiopeaut -,r<. u thb haul c.f employing Whan »little more :ere ceremony 'is requisite, tno cai'u is trebled i t sue, alio jn <ci'j formal occasions it gr> .-s iute a yerioe' pauiphlti at several sheets, which, oy '-lit ivay, iciscjiisideiec; correct to return tc the guest At ban quets or formal dinners the guest bring his cord of invitation with turn (also a many-leaved pamphlet;, aud restores it with u solemn bow to the host before assuming lus seat at thd table. Scarlet is tbe usual colour for ill visiting cards, save during mourning, when purple or lavender gray papei is used according tithe extent ol loss titjflb'red; but tbe entire caru 1.- coloured— ">, as with us, tilt edg.; done Here ve tre lemiudeO of anothei instance of oho antagonism ot Chinesb -mo tVesterO ideas, plain white being regarded ac the lotoor d- rigdeot t.K jiouiuiii(; jusluinj,:.o. block .> wu. mourning foi tis parent u- graudparenl or a woman lamenting 'be loss of her husband —in both of which cases the Cod* prescrib l* the deepest mourning—ic expected v. 'it- lad iu white from head U fool; und custom demands that the hut, boobs, fan, and everything about the person, oven down to the end of silk cord whicli is plaited into the quouc, shall be of the prescribed odour.

Contrariety jf j.urpos> «tendi svon to the .wllocation >r wine tainiliar ceruis; as. for example, in the use of the words " right' mid " left " it would bt inelogaut and evon lucorrect in China to state or •♦rite them together otherwise than in ihe shape of ''left and right." . As regards the points of the compass, too, the Chineso method of quotation is quite different if not contrary to curs. Whort we should say, " north, south east, wost" which is our usual form for stating the cardinal point* together, a Chinaman would say, " oast, wost, south, uorth." With

them " north-east" is taanspused iuto i * east-north," " south-west" into " -v-st- t smth." ami sc on. In giving dates { I whe tier orally or in writing, the latter ( more particularly, the VNI state'l first tiMB the .nou'h, ami In-stlv die I dav. Thi la'..;, nioi\ CVfT, never ii"ads I a lettji- j. formal document, out. is si-11 \kays iht :aat tiling appended Sui-' i uauies and nanus no oy the same nil • I of contrary, th» surname Ving vrittei. or stated first, the name last. Titles, when set forth formally nid in full, . always precede the name-, instead of following it as with ub ; and -uriously enough when familiarly used as for instance when «re $ Wsold say, 'Governor inmkins," " Colonel Jones," and <o on i the apposite becomes tin. rule-, and the title comes .as' J A remarkable example of the ;ccen- | tricity of the Chinese tarn of mind is < noticeable in their sch >o|s, where a.- i etea 1 of sil.nc Being inculcated, is :'• might naturally I>- oonsidered so essan* •.id,every hilu is 'xpeetecl . baivl at the lesson tho' a* w oiniuitting tc aieui•ry at tue t p of his voice ; and Mie babel . v-btju is the i'.suit may bt more easily imagined than tiesctibed. When •. boy goes up t'. repeat his lesson, moreover he , d ea ot stand facing"liis tutor, but ,urns . uis back upon bim, and hence repeating i s; lesson goes by the familiar name of ' '.it' my' it. This method of reeita'.ion ',a* »ii excellent ettect in keening the boy i u die i,i vive to avoid mistakes, fir no < S'loner a.ies he commit onu than he is coiled t.. recollection by a smart tap on his closely shaven pate from the. metal , bowl of the lung tobacco-pipe which every ; pedagogue carries tibuut him. The law of contrariety applies equally to books | and the mode ol binding and reading. , In the '.Vest 'lie leaves of a h._,ok are cut leve. Nt tho front; in China they are folded in from ami cat level 'it the back. The marginal ncte of title, chap- ' ter, and page is printed in the front fold, jal; on page aid liali on the ''the , "■hiist :he title, instead of being placed en thft bad. oi a volume is with us, is ■arefulh written - the bottom edge Books ill j library an consequent!.' la.ii' in then sides, with the bottom edge expose .to view. In reading, us is well Known, the Chinese character runs fr>m cop to bottom iii'i 'of' to aght s. hat i> the jtisual of : I) 'Ol : i usl b handled in exaitly the ipptsit" -tyle to hat in whicu ') v es-ern book if manipu- ' laicd Uiothei somewaai mri-us instance >f contrariety oi practi.e i- shown in honorary rewards oonferred hy the Stute fin meritorious service With us, when -, man receives a title i! an hereditary character u levolves upou his heirs hi , Chin;' the case is different Parents am l grandparents benefit by the successful careci of , son, and if dead, posthnmnus honours are ieereed in favour of the deceased The following examples of this eccentricity jf "alii and purpose may likewise he uliuced a Chiuese eques train would never think of mounting lii? charger sat son the off side. Grown-up men gravely fly kites, whilst the boys look admiringly on. They play at shuttlecock with the feet, not. with the hands They drink their wini boiling hot, and much .as a Chinaman relishes champagne -her. ht ai uet it h* invaiialy remarks that it strikes hint with inside. Take up a Chinese-made screw, and the- worm will be found to twists tho contrary way ti that in which European screws arc manufactured

With some research, examples of a like kin-J it is confidently believed, might bo increased manifold , but tho above will suffice to show in how abnormal i mould the Chinese mind is formed as compared to Dura, Not the least remarkable trait in their character is their leliberatenea and self-possession It is rare to find i Chinaman it • loss when surprised into , position fo; which he had not prepare*-! himself. His ready wit, or, foiling that his aptitude for taking refuge in ir, untruth invariably enables him to recover himself when run to earth, and hence he is always i difficult person to deal with when diplomacy is the ground on which he if -.uc metered. And yet to those who understand him, it is seldom difficult to detect whether he Is speaking the truth or no. ana the only weapon that will foil uiin successfully is plain, downright straightforwardness. A curious story apropos of this peculiarity may be told iu oonclufion. A gentleman whe has resided many years ii China, and hae fathomed the character of the people to t hair's breadth was once consulted by •, late arnval as to the best method 'jf re eovcriiifj a valuable ring which had sua denly been missed from off his dressingtable. Parade your servants," he said, and . will inevitably find the thief il the ring uat neon stolen b; some )Q0 in the bouse," hi» theory being thai, a China man cannot toll t lie without simultaneous!) swallowing something imaginary. The servants wore paraded as requested an! the export proceeded at once to question each one in a sharp, authoritative tone, whether ho had taken the zing. The interrogator had not proceeded very far down the row before Hie expected act of involuntary deglutition botrnyed the real culprit when, seizing him roughly by the shoulders, the gentleinax. exolaimed, " Down on your knees, you rascal! you, and you alone, are the thief." The auddenne* of the attack, and the directors of the charge, together proved too much for tho unhappy oulf)rit, and before many minutes wero over le had confessed how he had purloined tho ring, and where it was to be found. The expedient may not be a bad me, but it would scarcely servo a minister's -or a Consul's purpose where he had to do with a tricky or mendacious Mandarin, and at

,hc same time 'o hear ill mind the stereoype 1 injunction of the Foreign Office o be cautious and conciliatory in all his lealings with the native officials Many i serious difficulty, nevertheless in our vluticn* with 'he Chinese, might have Mm prevented from acqturing inconveUOnl proportions had * jodicim- and m-igr-tic -hike been admiuisttrcd at he right time and in right quartan—Sir V H. M"dhurst in Dtlßell'a Family Magazine.