CHARACTER.—­A Chinaman’s character cannot be known at first.  You might suppose from his way of speaking that a Chinaman was very humble; because he calls himself “the worthless fellow,” or “the stupid one,” and he calls his son “the son of a dog;” but if you were to tell him he had an evil heart, he would be very much offended; for he only gives himself these names Thai he may seem humble.  He calls his acquaintance “venerable uncle,” “honorable brother.”  This he does to please them.  The Chinese are very proud of their country, and think there is none like it.  They have given it the name of the “Heavenly or Celestial Empire.”  They look upon foreigners as monkeys and devils.  Often a woman may he heard in the streets saying to her little child, “There is a foreign devil (or a Fan Quei").  The Chinese think the English very ugly, and called them the “red-haired nation.”

It must be owned that the Chinese are industrious:  indeed, if they were not, they would be starved.  A poor man often has to work all day up to the knees in water in the rice-field, and yet gets nothing for supper but a little rice and a few potatoes.

The ladies who can live without working are very idle, and in the winter rise very late in the morning.

Men, too, play, as children do here; flying kites is a favorite game.  Dancing, however, is quite unknown.

The Chinese are very selfish and unfeeling.  Beggars may be seen in the middle of the town dying, and no one caring for them, but people gambling close by.

The Chinese have an idea that after a man is dead the house must be cleansed from ghosts; so to save themselves this trouble, poor people often cast their dying relations out of their hovels into the street to die!

But in general sons treat their parents with great respect.  They often keep their father’s coffin in the house for three months, and a son has been known to sleep by it for three years.  Relations are usually kind to each other, because they meet together in the “Hall of Ancestors” to worship the same persons.  To save money they often live together, and a hundred eat at the same table.

The Chinese used to be temperate, preferring tea to wine.  There are tea-taverns in the towns.  How much better than our beer-shops!  But lately they have begun to smoke opium.  This is the juice of the white poppy, made up into dark balls.  The Chinese are not allowed to have it; but the English, sad to say, sell it to them secretly.  There are many opium taverns in China, where men may be seen lying on cushions snuffing up the hot opium, and puffing it out of their mouths.  Those who smoke opium have sunken cheeks and trembling hands, and soon become old, foolish, and sick.  Why, then, do they take opium?  Many of them say they wish to leave it off, but cannot.