The New York herald., 1864-10-16
1ae CHINESE m San RI mfRaHcIst,.7
Dssexiptfon az One or Their Temples
Sin9Ular mixture OF Business and b0-
psrstftfon-Josh in His Sanetam sane


I'M California SIX Influential and wealthy Chinese com
panes, which are partly commercai associations ana
partly benevolent oderf and with which all tbs Chineos
who come hilher are in some sort connected These
companies known as the Sam Yep, yeong We, see
p HOP ss 4in ss gs
to this is other consigned or ndentnred to
Tsxy 81 yns Of the sad
country men, bound TO look alter them in health ana
sieslsss 70 long ?! their ccnnec.oa with the company
China They are not unlike n their character and objects
those great commercial and ooonzing companies nat
spr ang up 10 Europe after the discovery OF America and
that furnished emgrants end slaves to the Now World,
which they visited in search OF gold and fs, for ths
and sometimes avowedly to convert the heather The
system OF the Chinese companies is however, more
thorough their motives and transactions generally mere
reyular and hev also mix the religious elemons with
their business n different manner not seeking 70 prose-
lyte ''ousiae barbarans," but to furnish temples
wherein the members OF their own guilds may worshv
the wooden gods Of the Celestial enpre and bnra JOSE
sticks ana holy paper THE Sec Yep company have lo-g
had temple on Pine street. in building which rustfs
visitors city during the smallpox visitation Of 1881
used to be wsggishly misinfermed was pes house
establishment on Dupont alley, between Pacinc
street and Broadway, which has osep popa.
slg ali manner Of idols are worabppod and mystic rites
performed. Popular report is partly right and partly
the largest richest in the State aua TO have total
membership in California OF eighteen thousand, erec'ea
the new building for Its business MISSIONARIES many q
many thousand more. Its recent completion has been
made the occasion Of grand festival, continuing
through many days and nights In which all the Cninee
in the city participating, and to which many Amefi
have been invited. The ceremonies began with
Chineman going about blowing water from ms menn
upon the furniture and OF the room and
this queer proceeding followed by hideous out
burst of barbac music the burning OF incense oowogs
before Josh visiting and feastng. great many ''ou
side barbarians" have improved the opportunity -
study Chinese CUSTOMS and TO inspect the new temple
OF trade and superstition which worth describing The
building Of brick about twenty feet front, forty
feet deep and three stories high The front recessed
Il
rallied balconies built within the arch and outer
square line o! the building. This edice is approached
through square story BRICK opening into an nnsr
court.
that front Of the main structure is hung Win long
gilt wooden signs Inscribed with raised or sunken oue
etters-iour letters on each sign-and red ana olus
nended from the balconies. The first floor OF the MAN
buidirg divided into several small reception sno
smokno roms at the entrance to which stands pocs
oHcer who admits whoever mas one Of the invttation
cards issued by the company la these rooms visitors
sometimes hana cup a seem reeaips ~
lounges and smoking pirss wood ana metal, a wn,cn
emit very villsnous smell with ait and red harr
ngs the trout being open and what reese moes
succession of small steps or shelves ., Tni
with paper inscribed with Chinese slsce1s Inn
is the register OF the dead. Here nscrib> :" %
all the members wards OF the Ming YsonR >vppa9
who have died in California 10 front of this oosty
record larnus are kept burning night day The <
nitore OF all the apartments the first floor is Of tbs
pnincs description On tho second floor companys
business room or exchange where the president or Sing
Song who's. name is Wing Ga and hts head manager, Al
Vice. sit ana smoke and talk receive visitors. presiAs
meetings of the company and direct It's ordinary
concerns relieving the sdum OF these occupations with
occasional tune ON some OF those thrilling wostrnge6
inscruEnents for which Chnadom ls so famous. Th0
apartment supplied with chairs and tables made OF
very hard, black wood, that All Wes assures his Anert
The walls papersd ana partly hung with oblong tape
tries OF crimson and yeow silk or satr deliberately e-
All Wee ssye this cost $3.50 yard and presented
che company by some OF its friends. An Wee mikes
almost any question except to abstract
ects such the religious opinion Of h people when hs
show his sleeping apartment where he recnos upon ~
elegantly embroidered mat and to exhibit his fine skon
jackets and oTeechss and bis strs'ent sword lie WE WE
even lay aside mis- dignity to play you dsmcsy doeas
cV,ty upon the som Yena two strlnged BANJO the smsn
upon the Good Kima three s.rinsed instrument whcA
has q larger drum OF wood These instruments. with
pop vss 81 Ss q bone nv
every adult Chinese Although this singular people nave
written music they have quite variety o. melodies
which transmitted from generation TO generatiou ~
the ancient ballads OF our ancestors in Eurupe
The courtesy with which All Wee sercnades his guests
deaatfu. bu imagine the head of an American trading
equal wealth pulliog down banjo IN hs SsSk
oifce entertain stranger during business hours
Niac Ca, the President Sing Song OF the Company.
has more dignity and longer nails ,han All Vice. Three
Of the nails his ei, hand fully three inches onx.
OF them bent like a b rd clavs one cured ke ~
angur all the gutter mGd These long nalls
a gn blood = arstocratc breeding procsmstioot -
all IL that he, the great Sing song q
ns Ming Ycong Is not obliged 10 labor He has fairaR
skin than the Chinese cdnritie, wears silk smokes
great deal, says little, and keeps deal OF thinking
The occupied by tnese worthless like every other
one iu the house, has hung upon the walls aoumber -
big signs bearing btne everlasting and mscruta
bic chinese Characters which look like bunch OF trtaa-
But Tie wonder of the whole building is the temple
in the third story The first glance vt II reveals ouiy
heap oi git and blue cabinets brass
ornaments crimson hangings and gaudy Signs wni,s
tue air IL laden WITH and sickening 0dors A moro
careful survey extracts something wonderful and syss
matte from this meiange OF barbarc nsc' and furniture
lhp glllG md lT
son. blue and gilt signs each bearing four large cttcS
supposed TO bes motto Of some sorand SOME an inscrp
smaller characters ond. These s,td ~
be presents other companies and from friends here
and Chus Across the centre OF the room are plsceA
three cabinets each about feet long two feet wide
four lcet high made of exceedingly dark and heavy
WOOD, aud the fronts carved IN high relief In tho mast
represent the interior OF houses, with figures OF men,
beasts birds and insects in strange juxtapostiou whs
ali g,ldcd, the background beng the original
dark color OF the wocc. On top OF these mas
caoinets are large nraziers filed with ncenEs,
contsnng live Goals in which sticks OF sandal wood
slowly burning fantastic tapers sticks OF punk
three feet high and four inches thick, lofty vessels OF
metal IKE tip whose nse is not apparent small images,
peaked yellow Gtgs, pyramids or tanshaed ouuches N
tnse ornaments blazing lamps, carved and gilt sticks
OF sandal wood. &C. Along tho sides Of the room al ths
ends Of these cabinets, are banners Of embroidered ill.,
round and and frnged, drums, brass emhlens
military and civic, and weapons OF var. Much tho
furniture and trumpery described prescood to the
company. The from, cabinet, which Nh Wee says coss
s400 in china where wages are lsss than cent day
districts, git from the Chinese employed
at the Mission Wooen Mils. In tce rear OF all this
spendor stands the altar Job the wooden god OF the
ano6dcved idoafors This Is square aleove Of carved
and gided wood, about one hurdred feet high ana
perhaps wide. in which sits tbs awful Jo-A
hmssf--a bg.paunched Chusman, with BRICK
red face, long strips of red cloth auwing iron
aide of his head three long tails Of black horsehae
sproutng out Of hs chin and the corners or his mouth
and his pcrron bcdizsned with blue, green crimson and
gilt carvings studded with bits or glass; represent
small clothes and nigh above his head brass eun
this celestial superstition mad mixed wh II b Of rar
We n his
presence that josh, when alive earth, stood nfien
feot In hts bare ee welded battle axe that weighed
and day killed thirty Thousand or his foes. y
proof Of this story we're shown by All Wee, Ia MAJ
thnt admitted OF controversy, wooden batto
axe, highly ved and gildcd, which 10 eSsct
sonston or the that Josh swung with such faefa
fury. Under Scshs august baxed several oil lamps
hva.