Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-06-11

1
/ what they ydO-Temperanee-
chants and MechanIes-The Laundr-
Business-OheaP LiTIngT1IDress-S We @
TheaterS-their Future
. THE CHINESE.
? This letter will be devoted mostly to
the Chinese, and permit me TO say it is a,
topic which Gould profitably be extended
through dozen letters.
Verv early, as far back as 1850, the
, Chinese came, or rather were brought, to
California. As all the Americans who
came 10 this coast were in search of gold
and as gold could be mined by individu-
ais, labor went up 10 an absurd price.
: The man who could make $50 day
working gold, with no capital but tin
pan and 3 pick, couldn't be induced to
work for another man for much less than
that sum, and as there were very few wo-
men here, the work usually performed
by the softer sex was necessarily done by
these high priced men. There being
heavy trade with China, SPECTATORS
brought oyer ChiRamen as laborers, un-
der contract as to wages. Then others
followed, and so il progressed, till the
emigration became as fixed and regular
thing as that of the Irish 10 the Atlantic
States.
San Francisco is, of co1rse, the head
quarters of the Chinese, Or they all land
here, unltss they have superior induce
ments to go farther East Here they
constitute community by themselves.
They
LIVE BY THEMSELVES,
eat by themselves, drink by themselves,
have their own amusemenis and their |
own resorts. The Chinese have taken |
.Ntn T.
eral other streets, with the alleys leading |
out of them, and one, passing through |
this quarter, might well fancy himself in
| Canton or Pekin.
WHAT THEY DO.
When they work for "MelIcan" people, |
they serve in many capacities. They are
| used as walters, cooks, scrubbers, and all
the work done by girls in other countries
and excellent servants they make. They
literally obey orders, and they do it with
a CELEBRITY and faithfulness that is as
tonishing. They never argue or question.
All that is necessary is for them TO know
what you want, and they will do it, if
it is TO be done. Consequently, China.
men have routed Bridget, and occupy
her place. They are exceedingly
TEMPERATE.
lucy uGf6E uU SLuOhC |
opium, which is more dangerous to them,
though not 50 much as those about them.
lhaVe not yet seen a drunken Chinaman
Their opium dissipation they go away TO
indulge IN, so it does not affiict their en-
ployers But they carry on many Occupa-
lions on their own account. There are
MERCHANTS AND MECHANICS
among them In plenty, and most excel
lent merchants and mechan les they are
Some of the heaviest importers of teas
and Chinese manufactures are Chinese,
and in the items of shreWdness, prObity
and promptness, they rank quite as high
ly as their American competitors. There
are several Chinese houses here who do
quite as. large a business as any of the
American houses in the same line. Their
mechanics are quite as skillful as any.
They have shoemakers, blacksmiths,
tailors, and jewellers, who work in Amer
ican fashion, and make American goods,
and are patronized by Americans.
THE LAUNDRY BUSINESS
occupies an enormous number of them.
On every street, and for that matter, on
almost every block, you see "Ah SAM"
"Kung Tie, "Sam Lee" all with the le-
gcnd, "WashIng and Ironing" attached.
a Nail uOLcu VI u uOECu vi luGL W OIh |
together, their premises tor that mum Der
being two rooms, ten feet square, in which
they work, cook, eat and Sleep The
font room is the work shop proper, but
at night 1t is converted into dOrmitory
in the simplest manner possible. The
long tables on which they starch and
iron are converted INTO beds as well as the
space under them, and they roll in to-
gether. and stew and sweat the night out
in comfort-that is to say, it is comfort
tor them, though it would kill any other
people in month.
But no matter how they live, they do
their work well. The Cinnamon will
take your shirts and bring then to you
with finish not attainable elsewhere
and your collars shine like new ten cent
piece And he is reasonable in his
charges, too, his bills averaging about
half The New York rates. Most of the
families in San Francisco who do not
keep servants, have their washing done
by Chinese laundrymen on the score of
cheapness. They can afford to work
cheap, for
FOR THEIR LIVING is VERY CHEAP.
The Cinnamon always board them
selves. One Of their number cooks for
the rest, and remarkably cheap is tn e
fare they thrlve on. Cabbage is favor
able ingredient in their dishes rice is
the staple, and they Consume for meats
the llvers, pluck and neck pieces-I don't
know whether the horns are eaten or
not They import immense quantities of /
a peculiar dried fish from China, and
great many other articles of food, the ma
ture of which l could not ascertain. Pork
is staple, though you may be sure they
get none of the best pieces. Their mar
kets are as nasty as nasty can be and
Chinese butchers stall IS about the most
unsavory place ever offended my nose
with. Rather nice about their persons,
they have none of the European or
American fastidiousness about their eat
ing arrangements. One thing seems to
be as good as another 10 them, so that it
supports life. Their
DRESS
costs very little, for there is no change
in fashions, and garment stays by them
until it is worn out. 1t consists OF light
cork soled shoes of quaint, clumsy
shape, white stockings, big baggy trow,
sers, and 8 shirt reaching 10 the knee, all
made of cotton. The wealthy ones have
their shirts made of silk, sometimes wad-
ded and iancItully stitched but the
shape for the poor and rich is precisely
the same. The women dress exactly like
the men, only the trowsers are more
baggy and generally white, They never
haYe white next to the skin, for the same
reason that the old lady objected to
white plates--they showed the dirt so
easily. And speaking of
WOMEN,
there are very few good, respectable
Chinese women here. The Chinaman as
rule, does not expect to stay, for they be-
lieve they have no certainty of heaven if
they are buried anywhere but in Chin ese
soil. For this reason, the bodies of all
who die here are taken back home for
interment. For this reason, very few of
them broughttheir wives. There are
great many Chinese women here, but
they were picked up on the streets Qfthe
Chinese cities, and brought here for the
vilest purposes. A few have their wives
and daughters with them, but the great
majority of them are the lowest of the
low. am glad TO say that the number
Of those who have lost their superstition
and propose TO make this country their
Dermanent home is increasing very rapid |