FIRST EDITION. Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874] WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12,1894. A CHINESE DAY SCHOOL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4823, 12 September 1894, Page 2

FIRST EDITION. Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874] WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12,1894. A CHINESE DAY SCHOOL.

The ChinesG of Mastcrton constitute a peaceable and law-abiding class possessing somo admirable qualities, but also on tho otliev band being credited with a low moral standard in certain respects, We bavo reason to believe that at the present time there are settled amongst us members of the Celestial Empire who, without any bad intention, aro exercising an evil influence on many lads in tho community. John Chinaman is friendly towards boys, docs not lecture them, and regards their peccadilloes with a benevolent smile, and so it comes about that Mastcrton boys have got into tho habit of frequenting certain premises, not as customers for fruit, but for the purpose of indulging iu tho excitement of gambling and small lottery chances, and it is pretty well known that some of these juvenile speculators lose all they possess at such little gatherings. Furthermore, we understand that a lad who a short time back was caught red handed, pilfering from a till,was an habitue of these littlo assemblages, and it is quite apparent that petty gambling in a Chinaman's shop is in some instances the first step towards crime. How far lads are influenced by tbefaeiliticsoffercd by Cinnamon for meeting and enjoying themselves in a decidedly objectionable manner wo do not know. What transpires in the more open part of certain premises is tolerably well known, but it is said that some lads are permitted access to the more pvivateportionsof Celestial establishments, and we are not sure that this is an experience that is good for them, We do not desire to judge our Chinese neighbours harshly. Their standard of morals andtheirdomestichabitsarcdiifercnt from the English standard, and it would not be fair to expect them to practice certain virtues which are foreign to their nature and habits. We are more disposed to blame parents who allow their children to spend their leisure hours in Chinamen's homes and enjoy thcro facilities for indulging in improper pursuits, which they cannot obtain elsewhere. It is pretty well known now in Mnsterton that petty gambling amongst lads is an every-day occurrence, It is also well known where the lads meet, and tho identity of many of these young reprobates is ascertained. It is for tho leaders of morality in this town and especially for parents, to say whether an effort should be made to arrest a growing evil which lias already at tained serious dimensions.