Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 April 1883 — THE HEATHEN CHINESE. [ARTICLE]

THE HEATHEN CHINESE.

Not “Childlike and Bland?’ but Bude, Bra- „ tai and Disobliging—They Murder Their Sick, ,»nd Dishonor Women. E. V. Smalley in the Century. There is a mistaken notion in the East that the Chinese are always humble and submissive, and much put upon’ and abused by the whites of the Pacific Coast There was a time when the hoodlums of San Francisco maltreated the Asiatic immigrants shamefully, but that time has gone by. Now the Chinaman appears to be as secure in his rights of person and property as anybody. Instead of being deferential and timid, he is often pushing and insolent. He does not give way m the street. He bustles you as rudely as an English navvy. A body of Chinese laborers marching down a narrow street will crowd ladies into the gutter. The Chinese merchants, doctors, and other beonging to the better classes, are as poilte as Frenchmen, but the masses of the Chinese population bn the Pacific Coast are rude and brutal. The chief thing in their favor is their habit of personal cleanliness. The railroad laborers, who are the poorest and most ignorant class, wash themselves from head to foot at the end of each day’s work. All classes are frequent customers of the barber, who gives minute attention to their heads, faces, ears and necks. Among the common laborers there is little sympathy for the sick and injured comrades. If a man is likely to become a burden, the other members of the gang want to aet rid of him as soon as possible. It is commonly believed by the bosses on the railroads that the Chinese doctors put sick men out of the way by poison when they think they cannot be speedily cured. A case was told me in Oregon of a coolie railway laborer who had an arm broken. It was set by the company’s doctor, and was doing well, but the man’s comrades insisted on bringing a Chinese doctor to attend hyn. The doctor came from a distant camp and gave the patient a dose In an hour the poor fellow was dead. In such cases there is no investigation, nobody cares that there is one Chinaman less. The death of a cart horse is of much more consequence. One great difficulty the employers of Chinese labor have to contend with is the superstition of these queer people. Their religious worship consists chiefly in propitiating the malevolent spirits of the dead. If a Chinese domestic fancies there is a ghost in the house he departs at once, and leaves an inscription behind to warn his successors. It often happens that a family will be unable to keep a servant longer than a single da f. Man after man will come and go without giving any reason for his abrupt departure. At last the warning sign is found in the kitchen or servant’s room and expunged; then there is no more trouble. Not long ago two Chinamen were killed in Oregon by the premature explosion of a blast on anew railway line. One of their fellowworkmen declared that just before the explosion he saw two devils come to the opposite bank of the river and heard them talking. Thereupon the whole gang of forty men dropped work, and could not be induced, by threats or persuasion, to return to the spot It was necessary to send them to another part of the line, and bring on a fresh gang who had not heard of the occurrence. It is commonly supposed in the East that the Chinese make excellent servants. Some of them do, no doubt; but I met no housekeeper on the pacific Coast who did not say she would greatly prefer a good white woman, if one could be obtained,to

the best Chinaman. As a rule, the Chinese domestic servants, while they do faithfully,and in a machine like way,what they agree to do, and are shown how to do, they are stubborn and disobliging if asked to go outside of their regular day’s routine of labor. They insist on having their evenings to themselves,and on leaving the house to gamble and smoke opium with their comrades in some dirty den. If for any reason breakfast is wanted at an earlier hour than common, the mistress must get it herself. The "greatest trouble with them is,however,to teach them to show the same defibrence to the mistress of the house that they show to the master. They despise women as a lower order of beings, and cannot understand, until they have been some titae in this country, how a woman can rightfully have authority in a household. The only reason the Chinese are valued as houseservants on the Pacific Ccast is because white service is scarce and very bad. Knowing that they can always get situations, the few white women who go out to service are, as a rule, arrogant, lazy and incompetent.