WILL OF CHINESE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18235, 2 November 1933, Page 3

WILL OF CHINESE

A PHILOSOPHIC DEALER PROVERB OF. AGE SYDNEY, Oct. 25. Application has been made for probate of the will of a. Chinese market dealer, who died recently in Sydney. It is in many ways a curious document. The wall has been translated thus.-- — “The proverb says', ‘Do not detain a, person 60 years of ago for the night; do not keep one of 70 years to dinner.’ These words are true, indeed. lam already 65' ’years old. In these my last years 'i am like a candle in the wind. After my illness in the past month I am always afraid that morning will not vouchsafe evening. During many yeais, by my sweat and blood. I collected some little'money. Its balance is deposited in the bank. IE the unexpected happens. the whole of my things, estate, ahd money shall belong to my cousin, Louis Chong, who shall receive. Thus the matter shall he settled and in order.” The will purports to-have been executed on the 21st day of the Republic —the 4th day of the eleventh month,” and the signature of the testator, Louis On, also known as Ah On, is followed by the words, “written by himself.” Clearly these words do not refer to the body of the document, fqr the testator was a man of little, learning, and the will is obviously tho work of a master of classical ' Chinese. It is exquisitely written in a' language which is said to be beyond the powers bf any Chinese in Australia to render into anything more than appropriate English. It is supposed to have been prepared in China: for the testator by some learned scribe, and to have been executed by him at Sydney.