Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-11-25

smart sen4encSs. The 4ntFanoe 10 the
theatre resemblei That GOT the temple,
though it Was perhaps Mttle less disagree:
able. We had to push ourselves through
thick crowd of Cinnamon of every age
The audisnce room, divided into galleries.
balconies and the pit, like our own theatres,
but badly lit and poorly ornamented, was
deesely packed With people. we had our
sse6t1 fee6svSd4nS III dress circle near the
STAGE Everybody smoked, and the house
was filled With thick and overwhelming
atmosphere. The piece commenced. There
were no sliding scenes. The background
consisted of wall scantily covered With
tapestry spd7sentences printed in the lar
Immediately by the wall there was q ta-
BILE and few wooden stools. They were
occupied by the orchestra, consisting Of >
few young men In Chinese costume. whe
constantly drank tea and smoked their
pipes. (rhe audience ID presumed. as it
seems, to imagine the orchestra to be in
visible to it, The actors entered BY, q mar.
row door in the rear. The action Of the
play, according TO the explanation Of Fung-
Tung, was very simple. The story had
in the ancient prebarbarous time.
wise and well-deserving MAN calls on
high officer Of the court. He is elevated
to higher rank. After this he expects to
return, the court entreat him to remain,
but at last he leaves, followed by general
regret. The stage becomes filed with q
vast number of persons in richly embroid.
cred costumes. Soldiers, princes, high
officials, venerable, old men with long
boards, march swimmingly across the, stage.
At once the orchestra broke out. never
listened to such a conflict of mad iarring
sounda: After the internal hubbub was
ended the actors commenced to speak. But
in what manner! They threw out sounds
such as none of the civilized languages ever
used and cannot possibly be described by
any comparison except, perhaps, with The
barking of dogs. }or the mewing Of enraged
CATS y
The horrible sound so amazed me that
asked Fang-Tung whether they speak thus
in China. ''Yes,' he answered; isthis lis
the Pekin language; they speak in that
manner at court" After the actors bad
continued in that strain for while, the
marching and complimenting reconlmen.
ced and the Orchestra broke in with its
ferocious caterwauling. The heroes and
their suit then retired to the background,
and number of acrobats threw themselves
upon tho stage, executing the wildest jumps
and somsrsaults Some. ladies' On horse
back, or rather male actors in female cos
tune, aud riding upon pastobpArd horses
joined the acrobats. The heads and legs
OF the horses projected Of Of their dresses,
while the riders hoped on their two feet
whipping their horses on their pasteboard
heads, and the orchestra surpassed itself
by making the most fearful noise A deep
sigh escaped our breasts at the end of the
piece, which was much applsuded, however,
by tho Chinese. But some more enjoy.
ments lay in wait for AZ. ;. They now com.
menced to play an oper,. It was not q
heroic piece, but . kind Of comic melo-
drama. l. The noise was indeed not 80 awful
as befores but the singing resembled too
much the moving of cats, and the orehes-
ira rslapaed 80 often into its former llr0r,
that we could, not tolerate the treat any
longer, We therefore rapidly escaped, and
when, We were told that ne police had;
some. time ago forbidden the use Of tho
most noisy Instruments because they be-
came moderately TO the neighbour God, we
were terrified 1T the thought 0f what ws
might have. had to suffer, i preyib usly to
that interdictiophy The :. police ye had ar
The Chinese patronize their theatre very ~
much, and they are especially fond of the
great heroic pieces, which keep them in
the theatre for weeks every night till or 2
O'clock; for on every subsequent evening
the piece is continued from whore it was
lett the night before. The whole biogra-
ply Of hero j. performed kom ono end