A CHINA PATTERN.
| There has been much obloquy heaped upon the Chinaman ever since he has become an article of importation. He has been morally pilloried on account of the alleged immorality of his character. Some call him a thief; others impute unto him a kind of sub-cannibalism, inasmuch as he bringeth unto his fleshpots that sagacious canine creature known for ages as the friend and companion of man. There be those who proclaim him liar, thief, counterfeiter, and apt practitioner, generally, in all the branches of infamy and crime. That some of these allegations may be true is more than probable, seeing that the city of New York, alone, not to mention the rest of the world, contains not a few individuals known to be liars, thieves, counterfeiters, and apt practitioners, generally, in all the branches of infamy and crime, and who yet belong to races supposed to be far superior to the Mongolian. |
None of the depreciators of the Chinaman, however, have yet impeached him of a fondness for intoxicating liquors. That he smokes opium is neither here nor there, seeing that smoking is not drinking. He stupefies himself to some extent with the drug, it is true, but the stupidity resulting from it is of an amiable and passive kind, quite unlike that of our native or imported rough, whose fiery potations, (word evidently derived from Irish potato,) impel him to imbrue his brass knuckles in blood, if only simply for amusement and to "keep his hand," (with the brass knuckles,) "in." And so, at present, WHANG-HI seems to be a far better citizen than HI! HI! of our low places, nor is there any prospect that he will turn over a new tea-leaf, and forsake his national beverage for the "fire-water" of the Western hemisphere.
Perhaps, in time, our great cities may profit by the presence of JOHN Chinaman among us as a pattern. O happy day! that on which the pug-nosed, bull-necked, brass-knuckled, beetle-browed, ugly New York rough discards whiskey and takes to opium instead. Ere long the use of the comatose drug would effect such a change in the characteristics of our dangerous classes, that the maintenance of so large a police force as we have at present would no longer be necessary. That they would use the drug to excess there can be no doubt, and that is the main point.
Eventually, the brutes might become absolute Mongolians, and develop tails. That would be a blessed illustration of the gradual development theory! With our roughs all turned to Coolies, happily would glide the swift hours away. Let the government take this view of the matter, with which Mr. PUNCHINELLO has here the pleasure of presenting them. If they cannot abolish whiskey, let them increase the tax upon it, at least, and let them take the duty off opium just so soon as our American Chinaman shall have outgrown the use of that fatal narcotic, and introduced it to the favorable notice of our American rough.
With admirable skill, the painter has depicted the heroic maiden as she uttered those memorable words--"Persevere in this measure, and you will lose the confidence of your squaw constituents!" the ladies having pronounced the Captain "perfectly splendid."
In the foreground is seen a wretched widower, clasping with affection an urn, supposed to contain the ashes of his dear departed, who was slain at the polls.