CHINESE AND AMERICAN CUSTOMS IN CONTRAST.
By Rev. Jee Gam
ON meeting or leaving a friend the Chinese shakes his own hands, while the American shakes the hand of his friend. The Chinese does not raise his hat when saluting a friend, while the American does. The Chinese magistrate keeps his hat on while sitting on the bench; the American judge takes his off. The former is clothed with his official robes, while the latter only wears his every-day clothes. The Chinese seat of honor is the one on the left side of the host, while that of the American is on the right. The Chinese do not let their mustaches and beard grow until they are past fifty years of age, while the Americans let them grow when they are young, and after fifty often shave them off. The Chinese invitation is red, while that of the American is white. The Chinese have white and blue for mourning, while the Americans have white and black. In decorating a grave the Chinese use white, while the Americans use all colors. The Chinese bridal robe is red, while the dress of the American bride is white. The Chinese read and write from the right side of the book and downward, while the Americans read and write from the left side of a book and horizontally. The Chinese surname is placed before the given name, while the American is mentioned last. The cardinal point of the Chinese compass is south, while that of the American is north. The national emblem of the Chinese is the dragon, while that of the American is the eagle. Sons are more desirable to the Chinese, while daughters are favorites of the Americans. In general the Chinese do not think the education of girls a necessity, while the Americans give them equal advantages with the boys. A Chinese young man becomes of age at his eighteenth summer, an American young man at his twenty-first. The Chinese have no courtship at all, while the Americans seem to have too much. Those betrothed in China never see each other until they are married, while the American contracting parties visit each other as much as they please. The betrothal of a Chinese couple is never made without the consent of the parents or guardians, even after they have become of age, while that of the Americans depends upon the preference of the parties themselves. The Chinese young ladies all get married; there are no aged unmarried ladies in China, while nearly one-third of the American ladies remain single. The Chinese strongly believe that marriage belongs to God, and they do not believe in divorces, while many of the Americans believe that marriage belongs to man only, and, therefore, divorce is so prevalent in the United States. The Chinese do not have honeymoon trips like Americans. A Chinese newly-married lady very seldom goes out visiting, and never goes out shopping, while the American lady does as much visiting and shopping as she pleases.—Rev. Jee Gam.