CHINESE SERVANTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 129, 1 June 1901, Page 5 (Supplement)

CHINESE SERVANTS.

THE WILY VALET'S DIPLOMACY.

Ali the domestic servants in China are meu (writes a correspondent), and in families prosperous enough to employ servants all the housework is done by men. Europeans who live in China turn the entire management of their houses over to their Chinese servants, oud where a person may have one. two. or three servants in his native land, in China he has a dozen or more, costing practically no more than the two or three servants he had at home. It is custcmary to speak of the Chinaman as the ideal servant, but as a matter of fact he is deficient In the intelligence that is required to make a good servant. On an average he may do a certain thing better than an average European servant. That is because he has only that certain thing to do and he has plenty of time to do" it, while the European servant has fifteen things to do and the same amount of time to do them. Given the snme amount of work, the European servant will do everything better and much more quickly than the Cuinaman, and in only one particular will he fall short of the Chinese servant. That is in the matter of politeness. The Chinese servant will never talk back, and he is nlways polite to' your face whatever he may say behind your back.

Iv houses in China where there are several servants there Is always a head servant who is known as the No. 1 boy. The No. 1 boy runs the other servants. If he does not actually employ the other servants he selects them, and while he won't admit it, he gets a part of their wages. That is hia commission for getting them the place. He is more autocratic than the head waiter in an hotel. Furthermore, he gets a commission on every ounce of stuff thfft comes into the house. His master, knows it, but his master cannot help himself, and if he tries to help himself he will get the worst of it, so 11" he is wise he will not try. Every merchant with whom he deals pays the head boy something for the privilege of selling.

The master may buy everything himself and pay for everything himself, and he may think that he has cut off the No. 1 boy's squeeze, but when he figures up at the end of the month he will find that it has cost hinj more money to live than it did before, while there is no change at all in the nevervtirying good humour of his No. 1 boy. In fact, the No. 1 boy is probably LAUGHING AT HIM, and is jingling more money In his pocket than he jingled before the change in the system that was to cut off his squeeze. When a servant wants to leave his place he doesn't say he is going to quit. He tells his master that some of his relatives are sick, and he must go and see them. He goes, and that is the last seen/of him. He never comes back. He quits,'too, on the very slightest provocation, but he doesn't go around looking for provocation like the average European servant. He will not submit to fault-finding. If he has made a serious mistake he will not accept the scolding that he deserves. If he goes off and gets 3runk or spends a night out when he stiould have been at home and his master take's,him to task for it he will give an ex(Su^f) which on itsface is a He. If his master tells him it Is a lie he will quit on the spot, and nothing will Induce him to work for-that master again. If his master knows his business he will condole with him on the misfortune that he ever offered as an. excuse, and the servant will be careful not to offend In the same manner again. He has his own ideas of .what ought to be, and persists in them until he gets what he wants. Hubbard T. Smith, formerly United States Consul at Canton, condoled with a friend who had refused to. employ, a coolie that his head boy insisted on having. Down in Canton, said Mr Smith, it Is the custom when you are invited out to dinner to take your own servant with you to assist at the table. When I employed my head boy Wong ho said, "Master, no have got sugar tongs.'" I told him that I didn't have any sugar tongs, and that sugar tongs were out of i date and out of stylo, and I wo\t!-lu'; have nny. He smiled and said, "I th!nk tnti&te? baa more better have sugar tongs." . Ti>e i;t-xt ul^itt I was Invited to din: wit-! tl'w British Consul and took Wong along with me, and the morning following, when Wong was serving breakfast, he said, "Velly fine dinner, master." "Yes, Wong," I saldj "it was a very fine dinner." "British Consul fine house have got,1' said he. "Yes," I said, "the British Consul has got a very- fine ■house." "Have got velly nice table," said Wong. "Yes," I said, "a very nice table indeed." "Have got sugar tongs,"- said Wong. Well, I just turned round and looked al him. "Yes," ,1 said finally, "the British Consul has got; very nice sugar tongs, and he has got the money to pay for them. I tell you they are out of style, and I WON'T HAVE THEM." "I think it more better," said Wong; and 1 snapped back, "Well, I won't." Two nights after tais I was invited to dine with the Belgian Consul. Wong went along, and the next morning lie said, "Velly fine dinner, master." "Yes, Wong," I said, "it was a very fine dinner." "Belgian Consul have fine place, I think." said he. "Yes," said I, "the Belgian Consul has got a very fine place. "Fine table," said Wong, "I think velly fine." "Yes," I said, "he sets a very fine table." Then there was a silence for a moment, which was broken by "Wong.

"Have got sugar tongs," he said. "Yes," t suorted; "by tUunder! he's got sugar tougs, and he's welcome to tkein, and I haven't got them, and I don't propose to have them, and don't you ever say sugar tongs to mfc again." About a week later I was Invited out to dine with the Italian Consul, and the nest morning at the table Wong said, "Italian Consul have very fine house, I think." "Yes," I said, "tue Italian Consul's house is very nice." "Velly nice dinner, I think." "Yes," I snid, "he gave a very fine, dinner. I enjoyed It." "I think bis table more better than Belgian." "He has a very good table," I assented. Again there was the silence, and it began to dawn on me -what was coming. "Have got sugar tongs," said Wong. I wheeled around in nay chair, and I said, "Darn him and his sugar tongs; darn you, darn the sugar tongs; and if you ever say another word to me about sugar tongs I'll cut your pigtail off. Do you understand? I don't care if every man, woman, and child la Canton have sugar tongs, I won't have them." Wong just stood there and didn't say a word, but as he went out the door I could hear him murmur, "I think more better." I made up my mind that that was the last I would hear of sugar tongs from Wong, for he did appear to be crestfallen. Juat three days after that he came into the room beaming and announced, "Top side Chinaman, front side wantcha see master; shall show him in office side?" "Yes," I said, "bring him in here." Wong went out, and a .moment later returned with a good-looking Chinaman who had a little bundle in his hands. He was all smiles, and he shook hands with himself. Wong retired. The Chinaman dropped on his knees, calmly unrolled the package he had in his hands, and spread it out. There was a dozen varieties of silver sugar tongs. I very nearly fell out of my chair, and I think that if Wong had been within reach I would have thrown something at him. "Who sent you here?" I demanded. The Chinaman smiled innocently, and began pointing out the fine points of his collection. Well, I took a pair, and from that day the words sugar tongs were never mentioned in my house. But I never could look at thea> without laughing.