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The Chinese organ [10 July 1858]

6 November 2014 · Leave a Comment

[Editor: An article about the passing of a law against Chinese immigration. Published in Bell’s Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer, 10 July 1858.]

The Chinese organ.

— The “Herald” howls about the passage of the Poll-tax on “honest John” like a wolf deprived of her pups. It hugs the delusion, however; that the bill will be thrown out in the Lords.

The arguments by which the celestial organ, or rather the Chinese Gong, attempts to cast obloquy on the measure are absurd in the extreme, placing the irruption of hordes of these uncleanly, cowardly, pagan men-monkeys, on a level with the very moderate immigration from Germany and other nations of continental Europe.

The Gong also declares that the bill will prove inoperative in restricting the Chinese irruption. If its opinion on this point be correct, how absurd to devote its space to abusive articles against the measure.



Source:
Bell’s Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer (Sydney, NSW), 10 July 1858, p. 2

Editor’s notes:
Herald = in the context of Sydney, New South Wales: The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper

John = slang for a Chinese man, as in “John Chinaman” or “Johnny Chinaman”

Lords = in the context of parliament or law-making: the House of Lords, the upper house of the parliament of the United Kingdom

obloquy = a critical, blame-laden, abusive, or harsh statement made about someone or something, particularly when made by many people or by the general public; or the condition of someone who has been discredited, disgraced, or given a poor reputation as the result of public abuse, blame, criticism, or denunciation

[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]

Filed Under: articles Tagged With: laws re Chinese immigration, SourceTrove, year1858

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