ive way to one in which there is a passenger; and though not exactly
on such rational grounds, it is understood that horse, chair, coolie and
foot-passenger all clear the road for a wedding or other procession, as
well as for the retinue of a mandarin. A servant, too, should stand
at the side of the road to let his master pass. As an exception to the
general rule of common sense which is so very noticeable in all Chinese
institutions, if only one takes the trouble to look for it, it seems to
be an understood thing that a man may not only stand still wherever
he pleases in a Chinese thoroughfare, but may even place his burden or
barrow, as the fancy seizes him, sometimes right in the fairway, from
which point he will coolly look on at the streams of foot-passengers
coming and going, who have to make the best of their way round such
obstructions. It is partly perhaps on this account that friends who
go for a stroll together never walk abreast but always in single file,
shouting out their conversation for all the world to hear; this, too,
even in the country, where a more convenient formation would often, but
not always, be possible. Shopkeepers may occupy the path with tables
exposing their wares, and itinerant stall-keepers do not hesitate to
appropriate a "pitch" wherever trade seems likely to be brisk. The
famous saying that to have freedom we must have order has not entered
deeply into Chinese calculations. Freedom is indeed a marked feature of
Chinese social life; some small sacrifices in the cause of order would
probably enhance rather than diminish the great privileges now enjoyed.

A few points are of importance in the social etiquette of indoor life,
and should not be lightly ignored by the foreigner, who, on the other
hand, would be wise not to attempt to substitute altogether Chinese
forms and ceremonies for his own. Thus, no Chinaman, and, it may be
added, no European who knows how to behave, fails to rise from his chair
on the entrance of a visitor; and it is further the duty of a host to
see that his visitor is actually seated before he sits down himself.
It is extremely impolite to precede a visitor, as in passing through a
door; and on parting, it is usual to escort him to the front entrance.
He must be placed on the left of the host, this having been the post of
honour for several centuries, previous to which it was the seat to the
right of the host, as with us, to which the visitor was assigned. At
such i