DIRTY CHINA.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2221, 2 October 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

DIRTY CHINA.

Iv the course of a notice of Miss Cumuiing'.s recent book on China, the Spectator hays : — The most striking characteristic of China, ami one that we haidly remember to have been brought out so strongly before, is its dirt. AH the wondeiful wealth of carving and guilding which she desciibes in the temples an I public buildings, and even palaces, is encrusted with the dirt of ageA. She goes over a temple which is in process of restoration, and " the bright new gilding seems strangely in contiast with the broken pivxmpnfc, where a careless step would have landed us ankle-deep in foulest mud,"' At Shanghai, " dirt— foulest dirt — is the one impression which remains indelibly stamped on my mind." At Canton, the streets are "most of them duty;" in the temples, " the beautiful carving are deformed and encrusted with dirt." Even in the country the temple panels aie " encrusted with thick coats of dust;" and a farmhouse was "foul with accumulations of cobwebs and Hi blush, every bit of woodvvoik being encrusted with the dirt of ages. Keally handsome woodwoik was so rilled up with dirt as to be almost unnoticed.' But Pekin is worst of all. " Pokin dust * * * is no ordinary dust, to be classified as clean dirt. * * * It is the sun-dried, pulverised filth of the wliole city, which, day by day, as the centuries roll on, becomes more and mote unclean, and is never purified." The watering is done by pouring the slops on the The habits of the people are intrinsic illy unclean. "At meals, they throw bones and scrap* of food on the flour, and spill grease, but never dieain of sweeping out the room * * * * Even in the houses of the lich, the annual cleaning is limited to rubbing up dirty furniture and pasting clean piper over duty window-).' In winlei, " waging is limited to rubbing the Lu.e an<l ix.i k with a il xn n**l witing out in hot witer ; but as to clot lies, they aio never changed day oi niyht. No wonder that s.iull ;v>\ md t\pi.,>id f-uer, ophthalmi i md J'piosy abound in this count iv, as the did in Eiimp.- during the Middli Atjcs, and no wonder th.it; the United Sr tres obj"i t to th" cn.wth of a Ctiiiki'-i' (jaufd in rlicii p>pul < n i , cities. The i niv pirt oi t!i" jn,pu' iti.iu of China nddict' 'l to (li.'iiiliii' 1^ apix, ir-i to li<_ tlio iive r popul itiou, which forms a ,li-tmct fast", aim.) f .1 di-fim t n ition, sp tiding' ir->i r-> whole Dm 1 im ii l .c hut tiuin bulb to deaf ii, not in iirym^ or ;nviny in mtniaire to the 1 m.l populism JJ.it as the wateis of the liViT with which Ihesrf pfople p-ifnui tie ir dolufi mis a:e about as piu« as t/io-i of tii Th i'i:t i at the mam d. tin ige oufM!-, th'- ( \< m arc not much bt'ttoi than. the uikLmii. An is u-ii illy the rise, th<- ie\eis" of the old pxoverb is tine, ai.'l v" liMnluie-.^ is next", ;to yiidll'ie-s. Af'\ tl! " wu-., aii'idiit, th" rno-t - i '"nr, r\,v >< 'en-tie, of (J!uneM» life is it-> ii l'ifi .i. Lempl'^, pi ii^K, aiul Mi.'i' s r i •<!!»■» \u a. liv fine rehtrion of C«iin ii^ are st)j-v\ l-'up, winmi stems to be ob-eived in it^ jiMn-^t form dv the Impel i.il family of J'ekui. Miss Guiilon C^'nunuir, tiianks to the pie-eve of tJenudl Orant and the .is-iiii.wi'f 1 ot ,i nure-'-i'ul Lnirli^h doctor w ilh a yseat Ciuiie-e practice, >naua,_'cd to see moie of the sacred temples at Fekm Lhan aay other tiaveller h.ib done. 'j''ie pilau « and temples lie outoiil' t!ie du^ty town, ;n cool, ■ pal Its of tueii o>\r, ;miu the de^-notion of ) them with thv-ir d.i/zluig j cllow -tiled loot-, and then \v,i!U b!ae, iricen, led, or pile pink, witu u inte in.u'ole steus and tetraco^ ii?mtr out of tiees, and above blue lak- s, n :no-,t att.\\eU»e. In these teni.'k^ the aiioe-t.al Ksnpe'O'3 and the str.-^ ot l.ea\ ► n c! <% v\oi -hipped in pure viamkur, Jiut i"ii:>d t r i -. p-nnitive auce-t ji - '. oi >'np h"e tj.owii ii[> the Badh!>c nnd t:ie Tioui>-t creeds am) cults, and .in elabv ate s\ «tt m ot sacrifice^, p.a\'T-\\ heels, j) i\Ms lor the dead, s nut-, pi 'e^t;-?, monks, hums, and all the p u tnii"i uaha of mcd; e\ i! (Ji'-isti-anity, uith it^. accompanying leri' s of supeiNtitions. J'i.e u)ost pottnfc and piMcticdly iniui'ou-. of th' se is tlic doctimo of I\ng --iiui, or v.md and water, ti.y tluo,y of wlnc'\ is that all goo 1 influents come from the s'.Met south, and all bad influences fiom th.' bk,ik Noitli ; and it is in soni" vv.iv eoane. ted \\lt!i the (ireat Dragon who ucca[iie-> s > piomment a position m ('in v'i 1 ail ><o budding in a Lit_v niustii> nn)\t li'lj'hi than a lother, so ,h to ki v )) oil tne balmy Suiith or a'-ti.u t th > bileiui ot the "North. A i ulv ,lv n.i\ i,nt ii. built, b'e,a'^- it would ill ( Ul!> the gii\e-> of tlie d«.'i<l, u lik . i'"t\> '.Ltn (..iiituiiy sell Ced u ith a . ilw lo thr> Sviutli. i)i.n|, ami windows are pi iced .ncjuiiily in huih s, to avoid the e\ il sp", it--,, win), l,|ve thi* piwns at clie?s, en only move in duecC -tiaight liti' s. hat with ance-t-'i-w oi^iiip and the \<< ig-«-h'ii, it dm < not -e 'in «.ui-pii-»ing that Ihe Chinee .ue til ■ most Toi\ p. .' t U.' on t!<e la. i- f.f the eaith. Even tin ii but'iling-, beautiful ;u> they aie in Lin it w i\ iiic vtil! ail I uilt, a> the photoji ,iph - •>! .M:-s (Jonlo'i L'l.'/ninin^'s t'\v.elit v nt diawii'ga cleaily &hm\ , in the liktiw of tent-. Tne lev eieiici paid to mete a^e, to meie biith, and to knowledge in nn'ie autii|Uity >f classical literature, a;c so mmy u'ltcomeb of thi- ultraToiyivm. Acciding to Mi-s (ioidon Cumnnug, < 'luistianity ib fast making its way in China, .is we'l it may, foi theie is no state ot socety of winch \u ha\e ever read so like L'Uit of the later Roman Empire a> that vi ieh pi cv ails in China to day What will be the result of the introduction of an explo-ne and demociatic force like C'lr.snanity into an ancient but decadent cixihsation such aa China is to day, no one can tell. It can hardly fail to be stirtlmg.

Whey Mi'ltme \ilfhn.i Patti ap'ieired fur the Maplo-nii h.-n fit, on .1 ih I.lth, the st '. ot Oi iii \ ]juv . licit' e, Loiii'Oii, DU'srnteil th j tijip j .n 'lice ot .1 hnely ti >\ < j t 'j; i.dt n () i. otfii (i\u>t (iTi'i riujs v,,b a mii|» of [l'»\\( ■-, the sa'K i» f winch weiemade (if icin^jdul Mr Mapleson handed ro M i.liinu I'atn ,i iri^antu' basket ot loset.. A line wicki'i tupoil or (lowers \\ .1^ nKo «. on^^iv-uoii-* auioi) o 'bt the floral oiieiih:; . A sni;:iilai custom u'utauis to this day in snitir ot t no tow ii' nil t.i'* Lov\ ci 11 hint.', namely, th it ot " s,>ll,n_ ui.inlona at jHihli" i'i^tiu.l. Foi nt'ai 1\ fom centuries, r> J'.^tM- Mcii'lav — luotioii d.tv — the i n < uei or olo.K of St. Goar ciiled all > > in: i^ 1 •'[ilt- to^etner, and to the - !"dd :• sol'l the pnvil-jgo of : with tno ehov.en >jv\, atid her '< , iM'u tin em. > ua, r lhe fees '\\. • >Mto the public puo. box. A'i i> u'ussiastic American yaeht^mau has -jv ie a iai <j;o sum ot money in thecons'tu.-;! m of a steamer, and to impiove oa tlie pitlern to mh-Ii an (.\tvuf th if < it.imavau iii!i'T\ i\n»! e\ > n srean.>lrp<. c nihl in 1 built which would io\ iMiit'.oni, « tiip present le ot na\ a! an hitcv'tuie. liufc she now lies a w uvk at XjaoU-on-the MikLsom. She w,is uon^ti ueted to o\ ;• tlit* u at-oi- utulei steam on the same piiiKiplf and nt i much l.^tei late than tin catamarans do under adil. It may 'oe noted that Qu.it Bntiin has sent moie (Jatholu-^ hi the new Rjiiu-nu-nt tii.m e\ ci mt to W e-stinii^tpr hefoie, namely. ii\ t . Of thes,>, Uo an; Ti»lH'r.vK-- < <U' ('li^iles Ru^.-11. < t ).r , and Mr -T. V>. ".i , "u i i „m\ , \ —^,Jr Homy M.th. ,^, iii 1 . „a ,], ,; ( je Lisle; and ouo liibh Xat.^iiaiist Air T. P. O'Connor.