796 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



followed by all the officials in their offi- 

 cial robes, and cast into the water as an 

 offering to the god of literature. 



THi: DIGNITY OF^ CORRESPONDENCE: 



\A'hile we construct our sentences to 

 make our meaning clear, the Chinese love 

 to conceal the meaning, only giving you 

 a clue by which you may discover it. In 

 epistolary correspondence they are ab- 

 surdly ornate and stilted. For example, 

 a Chinaman, on receiving word of the 

 death of his parent or relative, will call 

 upon some one, perhaps a young lad, to 

 procure a stereotyped letter from a copy- 

 book, one suited to the social standing 

 of the deceased, tell him to copy it, and 

 send it off for him. It must be in good 

 form in any case. Official documents, on 

 the contrary, are terse and to the point. 



The reason for this strange reversal is 

 this : Correspondence is common and is 

 therefore likely to become careless and 

 vulgar in style. Official documents are 

 not exposed to this danger ; therefore the 

 dignity of the endangered style must be 

 sustained. The claims of affection give 

 way before it. The character of an offi- 

 cial document will sustain its own dig- 

 nity. 



The "superior man" never calls a 

 spade a spade, as with us. A "sheet of 

 paper" is a "flowery scroll" because of 

 its possibilities. "Husband and wife" are 

 ''tenor and treble" because of their verbal 

 relations. "A genius doing drudgery" is 

 a "race-horse to a salt wagon." The 

 ])rettiest street in Canton is called "Street 

 of Refreshing Breezes," etc. 



The boy in school turns his back upon 

 his teacher when reciting, to show his 

 humility and respect in the presence of 

 the scholar. There is also the practical 

 reason that he is thus unable to gain any 

 help from the teacher's expression of 

 face. 



The Chinese read from above down- 

 ward and from right to left. Books are 

 printed on only one side of the page, and 

 the page is a double sheet. The language 

 has no grammar. A school is a bedlam 

 of noise, because each child recites con- 

 stantly at the top of his voice. 



RELATIVE POSITION OE THE SEXES 



The position of woman is degraded, 

 but it has become so as an additional 

 attempt to exalt and sustain the superior 

 man. On entering a room he precedes 

 her, and she stands up to address him. 



The superior man rarely hurries or ex- 

 erts himself, because by so doing he risks 

 his dignity. He would be utterly ashamed 

 if anybody caught him jumping a ditcli, 

 for example. The superior man must be 

 carried over in a chair or on the back 

 of a coolie. He is horrified at his wife, 

 or, in fact, any woman, doing any un- 

 dignified thing, such as playing lawn 

 tennis, because, though she is inferior, 

 yet her dignity touches the dignity of her 

 lord. 



The character, however, of this supe- 

 rior man has in practical life sadly de- 

 teriorated. Through ceremony the soul 

 has practically departed from his conduct 

 and the ceremonial body alone is left. 

 Thieving and lying are too frequently 

 considered as less culpable than the in- 

 dignity of being caught. 



A Chinaman mounts a horse from the 

 right side, and with the right foot, and 

 holds the reins in the right hand — all 

 Ijecause he can more easily and safely 

 maintain his dignity, in the doing of these 

 things, by using the stronger hand. 

 When mounted he rides slowly and 

 sedately ; never more than at a walk. 

 He stands his horse in the stable with 

 his face outward, because it is more dig- 

 nified to approach a beast to his face. 



If he meets you on the street in un- 

 dress he will probably pass you without 

 saluting, but later he will return, fully 

 dressed, to confer upon you the proper 

 offices jf politeness. Time and trouble 

 are no object in the case. This is his 

 idea of honoring and sustaining the dig- 

 nity of the superior man in himself and 

 you. 



THE f::TlOUETTE OE THE TABEE 



The guest of honor is placed on the 

 left in China, because in this position 

 alone can the host gracefully and in a 

 dignified manner perform towards him 

 those ceremonial offices of propriety re- 



