Traveller.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 383, 10 September 1903, Page 7

Traveller.

THE LAND OF TBE DIiAGON. Chinese as a nation are exceed■ljXfo in S-y cruel in their choice of punishments for those who offend against the laws. At one time things were much worse than at present, for before the formation of a written cede of punishments it was a common thing for tyrannical diepensors of justice to exercise their ingenuity in devising the most inhuman punishments that could possibly be carried cut. The two commonest forms of punishment for trivial offences are whipping and the ' cangue.' It would seem that the officials who carry out the whipping must make a fine art of ■ihoir business, fox the severity with which

the punishments are carried out depends upon the heincusr-oss of the effenee, and should he be able to bribe the c fli-.iaiß, the public iastigator gives an interesting display :.f hia art by making a great deal cf noise and inflicting very little punishment. The other common form of punishment is by means of tho 'c&ngue.' This instrument of punishment, »3 will ba seen, is a square, heavy piece cf wood with an aperture in the middle, to which access for the effender's head is gained by the arrangement opening m the same manner as our old English stocks. This punishment often lasts as long as two or three months, during which time tho helpless victim is led out every morniDg and exposed to the public gsz a , being taken back again to prison at night for security. In every case the crime for which the offender ia being punished is written on a card and fastened ia a prominent position on his person, so that' he who runs may read '—and take warning thereby. Same other punishments often meted out for minor tffencea are hardly so simple as those mentioned, and show the curious ingenuity that the hardly-civilised Chinaman possesses in the way of devising ciuelty. Kneeling on a coiled chain or on brcken crockery or glass for hours at a timo without any relief being allowed; ankle-Equeezing acd finger-equeezing are punishments frequently meted out to the unfortunate c Senders. The unfortunate being who has merited capital punishment iB lucky if be can expiate his crime by a quick and painless death, for, besides decapitation, the Chinese have another method of putting people to death, known by the suggestive title of 'the slow and painful process.' This method consists simply of hacking people to pieceß while still alive and to vary method at times, crucifixion and sawing asunder sre introduced. Several thousand people suffer capital punishment each year, though they ar6 few compared with those who die from torture and confinement in unhealthy prisons. ' LAUGHING A3 AN AF.T. YouDg women in society are laughing a great deal nowadays. Even those who are not naturally given to laughter sand out peal after pual of musical' Ha 1 Has!' This silvery laugh is the result of weeks and months of special training, and hours and hours of patient practice. Perfection is attained only through private instruction. This laugh is a branch cf musical training applied to embellish conversation in.the most pleasing manner. The girl with a loud, hearty laugh is aU right in the mountain or seaside resort, bub the same laugh is tabooed in the dcawing-room. She realises this, and so Bhe goes to a musical trainer and cultivates a merry laugh which is soft and refinod and delightful to hear. She can laugh in every known key and in every pitch The fusing foik ia a most necessary adjunct to this practice, although a piano or any musical instrument can be used. It is best, however, to use the oldfashioned tunin;? fork, says a very successful trainer of tbe voice. There is a great difference in these silvery laughs, and an art in their proper use. A part of the training is to distinguish the proper Jaugh, proper pitch, aod proper key to express various degrees of pleasure, satire, interest, or merely a light laugh which meaEs nothing. Then there is a bewitching, low-keyed, mellow contralto laugh, which is not possible for everybody to attain. Of course, there is with th6se laughs the necessary expression of the eye, which is to complete the impression one wishes to convey. A YOBKSHIRE STOEY. The lower orders in Yorkshire have net the reputation of being the politest Hor yet the most amiable people on the face of the earth, and the following incident will be accepted by those who know Yorkshire, without a shaddw of doubt or surprise. Some months ago two ycuug undergraduites, whose father had an estate not far from York which they had never seen, took a fancy to go down' there for a part of their vacation, and one of them, wno expected eventually to go into the Church, thought he saw here a capital opportunity to practise his elocutionary powers, and at the Eame time benefit his fellow-man by establishing a Sunday-school in a large disused summerhouse on the estate. So the peasantry from far and near were asked to assemble, and did assemble to a considerable number in the summer-house on the first Sunday afternoon after the invitation was promulgated. Taeir behaviour, however, was anything but orderly or respectful, and the embryo clergyman got an extremely unpleasant impression of Yorkshire manners and piety before the lecture was over. Not despairing, however, he cordially asked all present to come again on the following Sunday; which invitation, to judge by the tumultuous applause that followed, was accepted by the entire congregation. Daring the week a happy thought occurred to him: to give to his hearers, instead of a dry address of the stereotyped kind, a Bible lecture illustrated by drawings t his brother was a very good draughtsman, and after Borne persuasion consented to make a series of sketches in chalk on a black-board, while the budding clergyman delivered a descriptive lecture. Th« subject chosen was the Btory of David and the Goliath; a story full of dramatic power, which he thought would appeal strongly to his bearers; and in thia he was not mistaken. The audience was very large and at first unmannerly; but as the story went on, accompanied by rapid chalk*6ketcbes of the characters and costumes, tho famous combat, &i., the turbulent crowd quiated down and manifested the utmost attention and interest to the end, especially while the sling and its construction were being described. The ycuug preacher returned home highly elated with his success: he assured his brother that they were sowing good seed, and in time an abundant harvest would be reaped ,• it was aa unfilled but fertile soil, and he felt that there was great hope. Half an hour later a man came running to the Manor-house ia a state of intense excitement: • Please, sirs, Master George and Master Harry, can you come and help to stop the riot in the village ? all the men and boys hereabout are a stonein' of each other with slings, like them Master Harry drawed in the pictures to-day. There's nigh onto fifty people in the fight and there's hardly a whole pane o'- glass or a wh.le skull left in the village!'