THE COCKNEY JOHN CHINAMAN.

Lake County Press, Issue 1067, 4 June 1903, Page 2

THE COCKNEY JOHN CHINAMAN.

It is probably twelve years or so since the Ci leslials lirst s-ettled at Limehouse Causeway, win re to-day they reign supreme. 'lhey have some riven or eight shops tin re, and these are on the whole fairly clean.e\ en to our eyes,-which \b-w things so .differently from those of tinChinese. Tlie windows are sM out v« ry roughly with a em ions assortment of articles for s'lie. which dttmd *.!:«• average gentleman from the East, s ich as tobacco, cigaiH, and soap. The amount of the latter which is sold here is simply astonishing. You may see the sailors from ships which have come in the docks hnrd-by from the Chinese Empire go into those little shops and issue foith with great bars of soap under their arms, such as lead you to think that their purpose is to scrub thoroughly clean i very vessel at present docked within a mile of the place! Tobacco has an enormous sale, too, in bimehouse Causeway, for the Clunann n are inveterate smokeis. Opium also is in great demand. Mont of the customers who patronise these shops are the compatriots of the owners of them; They arrive daily from the East or arc returning thithei. Also a few other Asiatics who have been made aware of the proximity of the spot to the.ii landing-place come here to get a supply of tol >aieo. Besides these things, heads, coloured paper, and garments after the required fashion aie all to be had in one or other of tlie^e*establishments, and so no Chinaman need go away unserved. The English people of the neighbourhood give the Celestials an excellent character for peacefulness and quietness. There is seldom, or never, any quarrelling between them and their neighbours. Occasionally tin re are rows among the Celestials themselves, but in that case the English do not interfere, but let. them settle it alone. One marked trait, of which everybody tells you, regarding the Chine.-e In re, is their goodness and kindness to the children around them not only to their own, but to the youngsters of strangers. It is "Seldom that any child asks one of them for money without having a piece given. And from one shop which iw much patronised by the children of the district for sweets I got Several •• casli " which had been taken from boys and girls, having thus been given to them by Chinamen. It is interesting to know what kind of children are the offspring of the mixed marriages in the Limehouse region. Most of the families thus formed have, from four to seven children. In some cases I could not tell the boys fiom ordinary English ones, so little had they the maik of China upon them; but in others it was just the opposite—the brand of "John Chinaman" was as plain as daylight there. What isthenason of this strange difference nobody seemed to be able to tell or to offer any likely conjecture. But there it is, all the same. And it is also intern ting to know that in such marriages the offspring are invariably lalled bv English names, both Christian and surname. Thus I cam« ■"'-' across 'Gus, Stanley, and Alice. The dress of the children is in every respect like that of ordinary English' boys and cirls. even though their parents may dress otherwise. The Chinaman, judging from what I saw. is very fond of yellow and biue in his best f*arnfiiti>, D.eso seemed lo be tiis favourite colours, and on holidays and feast days Lpncboase Causeway is gay with them. While stockings are invariably his gear for that portion of his anatomy which tluyeovir. he would feel it a great disgrnee to hnv* to wear any other colour! As to '.. he inevitable pigtail, which has throughout all ages been tl e sign of the Celestial to the denizen of this land, John, in the East End, has lo be careful about it. in fact—be the words softly spoken! —even in Limehouse Causeway he keeps it. tucked under his cap. that small, flat cap we all know so well. The reason for this is one which we readily appreciate, but which, we must acknowledge, does not rtoany credit tc our Board, v. School teaching of manners and br- " haviour. John is afraid of " tin-small boy "! And with good reason, for whenever that youth down Limehouse way catches sight of some luckless wight with a pigtail showing, he gives the said wight a bad lime indeed. So John has learnt wisdom, and profited thereby.