Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-10-18
Chinese Theater in San Francisco.

WHAT may be the sounds of the Chinese
language, as spoken in ordinary life, |
cannot judge. But as intoned in the the.
atrical screen, with the constant under
tone and overtone of the gongs and
drums, it is incredibly like caterwauling.
Throw in a few "ch's" and ''tt's" into the
common caterwaul of the midnight cat,
and you have the highest art of the Chi
nese stage, so far as it can be Judged of
simply by sound. We have amused our
selves by practicing it, by writing it: and
each experiment has but confirmed our
impression of the wonderful similarity.
At first, in spite of the deafening loud
ness of the din, it is ludicrous beyond
conception. To see these superbly dressed
Chinese creatures every one of them as
perfectly and eXquisitely dressed as the
finest figures on their satin fans or rice
paper pictures, and looking exactly like
them--to see these creatures strutting and
sailing and sweeping and bowling and
bending, beating their breasts and tearing
their boards, gesticulating and rushing
about in an utterly incomprehensible
play, with caterwauling screams issuing
from their mouths, is for few minutes
so funny that you laugh till the tears run,
and think you will go to the Chinese the
ater every night as long as you stay in
San Francisco. / said so to the friend who
had politely gone with me. He mad been
to the performance before. He smiled
pityingly, and yawned behind his hand.
At the end of half an hour, whispered
"Twice week will do" In fifteen min.
utes more, l said: 81 think we will 90
out now. can't endure this racket an
other minute. But, nevertheless, shall
come once more, with an interpreter. l
must and will know what ali this mum
merry means"
The friend smiled again incredulously.
But we did go again with an interpreter;
and the funniest thing of all was to find
out how very little all the caterwauling
and rushing and bending and bowling and
sweeping and strutting really meant.
Dlthculty OF getting an Interpreter, too,
was another interesting feature in the oc,
casion. A lady, who had formerly been
a missionary in China, had promised to
go with US; and, as even she was not sure
of being able to understand Chinese cater
wauled, she proposed to take one of the
boys from the missionary school, to in.
terpret to her before she interpreted to
us. So we drove TO the school, Mrs.
went in. The time seemed very long that
we waited. At last she came back, look
ing amused aud veXed, to report that not
one Of those intelligent Christian Chinese
would leave his studies that evening to go
to the theater.
81 suppose it is an old story to them, "
said l.
"Not at all" said she. "On the con-
tTary, hardly a boy there has been inside
the theater. But they cannot bear to lose
a minute from their lessons. Mr. Loomis
really urged some of them; but il was of
no use"
Ina grocery shop on Kearny street,
however, we found clever young man,
less absorbed in learning; and he went
with us as interpreter. Again the same
hideous din; the same clouds of smoke;
the same hubbub of eaterwauling.
Luckily for us, our first lesson in the
Chinese drama was to be a simple one.
And here l pause, considering whether
my account OF this play will he believed.
This is the travellers great perplexity.
The incredible things are always the only
things worth telling. But is it best TO tell
themY
The actors in this play were three-a
lady of rank, her son, and her man cook.
The play opened with a solloquy by the
lady. She is sitting alone, sewing Her
husband has gone to America; he did not
bid her farewell. Her only son is at
school. She is sad and lonely. She
weeps.
Enter boy, lie asks II dinner is
EdtC cook. Cook says Il Is not time,
Boy says he wants dinner Ceok says be