All American In Pekin

Jitmi's Iirooks' Letter to the N. Y. Expresa. How human beings live by the hundred thousands in such u city as this is only to be acoouutod for by their iusi-nsibility to sights and sniells; butthey don't soe. and they don't smell. Eyes and nosos in China ut, indeed, ofton as great curses as tlicy are ranerally bi blessings. 1 should like lo dispense witb a nose till I get back to Aiuurica, or into Qurope, if I eould tben buy it back agaio ! No Bewers, no closets, nodniins. Xo way of 1 tting out of a big city the filth in it ! Tlio streots uncleaned tor two ceuturics, save by the hogs and vultures! The poor are unclad and ünwashed, with skins the water seems ni'viT to liave penetrated, and eyos that are sor - but why pain you to describe? Imagine tho woist of everything in that way, and that worst ia all hore. Novortholess, people do live here, and soiue live magnilicontly. There are some woalthy Chinese. Tliere are many wealthy niandarins. The interior ofsoine of their hopeless exterior looking dwellings abounds In a certain species of luxuries, and in very few comforts. What Pekin is, therefore, onc cannot seo in the streets; and as a foreignor can only with great difficulty get into a Chineso house, no stranger is likely to seo more than these streots. There are sumptuary laws in l'okin wliich forbid luxnrious indulgonce. No mandarín can rido in a Sedan chair, no matter how many buttons he bas won, what their color is, or fans he carries, bút by special permission of the Emperor. The Sedan chnir is the Emperor's prerogative. Foreignera attached O U'ntions use it as representativos ot' home majesty, nd tlie " insolence" ia fcolerated froni necossity ; but no Chinaman venturos upon anything beyond a cart, save on two great days of lito or deatli - the first a marriage procession and the second a funeral. Luxuries are allowed then. The woman, then, the only day of her lifo, rides in a sort of Sudan. Henee, now I understand the commotion made on the night of my entering the city with an open Sedan, and a lady in it. These sumptuary laws I speak of pervado, I am told, all Pckin lifo, and are here especially kopt up to keep tho people as far as possible removed from the luxurios of tho Emperor. They do not exist elsewhere in China, only in this court city, whoro the Emperor is. The mandarín has his especial sable robo, or ermine adornments in winter. As for the women, they seera to be of no account here, saye as mothers of childron. Tho Chinaman takes as many wives as he can support - the Emperor has theiu by the hundred - but the ürst wife is tho rea] wife, tho only mistress of the establishment, and the others are only her housemaids abont the sstablishmont, and tliey all obey her. The Alraharu, Isaac and Jacob lifo is the life in China yet. They have not advancod, in this resDect. a steD bevond the Patriarelis. What a field this wou ld be for Mrs. Cady Stanton and the other briglit, strongininded ladies, who in America aro tor reforining the world - for wotuan is not of the least account here, save to bc pretty and woll painted with white powder aud verrailion, hair long, skewerod and well glued, so that a gale of wind csnnot disturb ït - the whole standing upon two little props looking like bird's claws dono up in sandals, and hore ealled " feet." Alas, women fashions are equally foolish everywhcre! I bet in Japan, once, the woiuan's hair was hor own, and was beaten in the bet. I would not bet on anything about women in China now, frora her head to her foot-claws - from her long nails to the color of her faco. Copper, I should have callod her color, but I see so niany powdered and vermilion faces that I am not certain now tho woman's face is not white witii red chee s, or cheeks a little reddened. Above tho brows is often painted red, with the eyelids, too. I have been reading now for sorae weeks translations of Confuciusand Mencius, and of all other translatcd classics that I could get hold of - and these classics, with tho cominontaries upon them, are legión, filling great libraries; but I am in a great state of mental confusión over them, and only such scholars as Dr. Williams and the British Minister, Mr. Wade, with whom I have made many talks, seom to comprehend tho mysteries of them - but I am convinced they would bo very profitablo studies to us Americans, so far as thoy teach homo government, obedience to parents, sacrifice of self to paren ts. Moráis are the founda tion of PoliticR with the great Chinese philosophtr: " Iïow can a mean man serve his Prineo 'r (asks Confucius) ; when out of office, his solo object is to attain it, and when he has attained it his only object is to keep it. In his unprincipled droad of losing his placo, he will roadily go all lengths." How much in that for tho American mind just now. find tliat out. llore you are, living perhaps on tho vcry road on whioh tho English troops marched to Lexington and ('oncord. In one of tho bMnu of the barn thero is a bolo made by a muskot-bull, wbich was flred as they rotroatod. How muoh do you know of that mareh of theii-s 'i Ilow mticli havo you read of tho accounts that were written of it the next day ? Have you ever read of Bancroft's account of it r or Botta's 'i or Frothingham's ? Perhaps you do not livo by the ro:id that leads to Lexington. Everybody does not. Still you live Bomewhere, ana you live next to Bomething. As Dr. Thaddeus Harria said to me, (Yes, Harry, the same who made your insect book), " If you have nothing else to study, you can study the rnosses and lichens hanging on tho logs on the woodpile in tho woodhouso." Try that winter botany. Observe for yourBelf - and bring togother the books that will teaoh you the laws of growth of those wonderful planta. At tho end of a winter of such eareful study, I believe you oould havo more knowledge of Ood's own work in that realm of nature than any man in America now has - if I except, perhajis, somo five or six of tho most distinguished naturalista. It is stupid onough to learn at school that the Bay of Ood's Mercy is in north latitude 7;5, west longitudo 117". But read Capt. McCluro's account of tho wajtho Raolute ran into the Bay of God's Mercy, and what good reason he had for naming it so, and I think you will Bever forget wherc it is - or look on the woids as only tho answer to a stupid " imipquestion." I was saying vory much what I havo been writing, last Thursday, to Ella, with whom I had a nice day 's sail, and she, who is only too eager abont her reading and stu.ly, said she did not knowwhere to begin. Slie feit her ignorance so ten'ibly over ovcry separate thing, that sho wantod to take hold everywhere. She had been roading " Lothair," and found ehe knew nothing of Garibaldi and the battlo of Aspremarte. Then slio had boen talking about tho long Arctic days, with a traveler, and she found sho knew nothing about the Arctic regions. Sho was ashumed to go to a concert and not know the difference betweou the Uves of Mozirt aml ïfendelnhon. I had to teil Ella, what I havo Bttid to you, that wo cannot all of us do all things. Par loss can wc do thein all at onco. I reminded h(r of the rulo for European traveling, which you may bo sure is good - that it is better to spend three days in i 3ne place than one day in oach of threo places. And I told Ella that sho must apply