The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-04-06
Chinese Life.
A LADY's oBsERv ATIoNs ON CHINATOWN,

A LADY D ObSEhN ATlONS ON CHINATOWN,
On Jackson street, near Stockton, are
two tall brick buildings, separated from
each other by narrow alley without a
legitimate name, but christened by the
boys" on account Of its inhabitants "Uhi-
ua alley" On either side Of the alley
these tall brick buildings rear up and
are surrounded with series of narrow
porches, which nearly shake hands with
each other over the dirty chasm below
FROM the wide seams in their flooring
comes constant drip drip of dirty wa
ter, aud down the brick walls it trickles
in never -ceasiug stream forming in the
alley a Shiny pool, whose odor is the es-
sence Of thousand garlics. Descending
a steep flight Of sloppy stairs uto the al
ley, one day last week, we met the inqui.
ring gaze of scores Of Chinamen, who were
engaged in scaling fish and scraping veg.
etables. throwing off the offal into the
middle Of the byway. We picked our
way carefully through the filth and final
ly reached little wooden shanty in the
rear OF the right hand brick building,
whose trout door stood open. From the
depth OF the house issued a strain Of Ce.
lestial song, Chinese mother lulling her
babe to sleep; and one would pass on
without imagining that III this dreary
abode, whose front room is carpetless, dir.
ty, and barren Of all furniture or other
articles, excepting the short row Of jars
of drinking water, lives the only priest
ess Of San Francisco. Dark and close
as the alley is, the house is much darker,
not even IA lantern lighting US through
the narrow passage which precipitated us
into the temple Of the priestess She
lighted long, rod candles figured with gilt
and placed them before the bronze figure
Of Coniucius, aud before the idol OF CON-
merce. This was worship for merchant
who had rather pay $25 than perform
the onerous duty himself The altar is
series Of long tables, graduated in height
until the last one nearly reaches the low
ceiling. They were filled with dishes Of
vegetables, s,meats. pastry, rice and oranges;
lighted candles Of all sizes punk. straight
and spiral ; floating wicks, in glasses Of
fish oil saudal-wood incense bouquets
Of naturs aud artlticisl flowers, in hand.
some vases or broken bottles. On the
highest table were the idols. ,liher in
pictures or images Coniucius aud the sa.
ges, in gilt box with IA glass door BE.
fore this altar sits all the livclong day the
old priestess, patronized by the wealthy
and poor. but more especially by the wo-
men who wish children; who wish hus.
bands who are tormcuted with evil spir-
its who are unhealthy who have enc.
mics and women who have sick children
ln short, almost every Chinese woman
calls upon tue priestess, Iii Mo, for some
purpose Her, bedroom-the bedroom
Of this modern Diana lis dark, close
room Of the temple, enveIored in mys.
terry Various articles OF housekeeping
ware, including wa,hboard, aud bar
OF brown soap, were piled in the corner
ofthe telnple, on our visit A bit Of
gilded pastry remnant Of Daua's lunch.
con stood ON su bid box before bowl
Of burning Incense. ln the last corner
was II lighted ianst i..'io,e the images of a
dog. aud hideou- looking Chinese devil
These are Intended TO guard Chinese chill
dren from all ILL
The sides Of the room. guililess Of pa.
per or clustering, were hung with lunches
OF punk, capdles, etc, ready for use at
shortest notice, And Diana Lerself?
A short, thin woman. with thin gray
hair, face pi:ted with smallpox kindly eyes
dim with age, soied dress tipped off at
the neither epd with feet three inches long
by measurement The wee black shoes
looked for all the world like dolls. The
old woman has bit Of history. She
came to California twenty years ago, in
search OF her son, and never has been able
to find him. After wandering fruitlessly
around in his search for several years and
exbausting considerable portion of hor
funds. she became, like many virtuous
Chinese widows, Il priesteds. She saves
her money for her boy" when be comes,
an eveut which she is confident will take
place, as she never ceases her daily iuvo.
cation to the idols that it may be 50. She
claims to be the first smsll.iooted woman
who entered California. She has had nc
communication with the whites, aud nei.
thcr speaks nor understands English in
the slightes:, but very politely she left
ber CANDY shrine 10 accompany us To hei
door.
A Chiuese hotel is quite different
thug from any other hotel in the heavens
above, III the earth beneath, or ia the wa
ters under the earth There is one com
mon public entrance To the whole hiiair
but after leaving this, the labyrinth OF
passages aud courts rivals the Catacomb,
OF Rome, aud requires well posted guild,
TO conduct one through lie cumc to III
All Sin was his nume-wi,h large
canvas bag in his hand, ready TO accom-
pany US and collect the monthly r.da
for the rooms. We we're moro 1uteIeste,
iD the ladies Of course, 50 We were first
. taken to the quarters of Mrs Ping Fan
She occupies suite ot seven rooms
e beside servants room aud kitchen llei
money was ready but she thought he
rent was rather higa, aud should be re
dnced ten cents at least To be sure
her husband was a merchant, aud usual
does u good business, but oh, the time
were SO very hard We remembers,
that We were already privileged 10 bein
a.. admitted TO the rooms Of an aristocrati
3 Chinese, au almost unheard OF thing ,whic
- the man Of the house would rant owe
J. fercely enough if he knew it but we ha
) come for purpose other than seeing tn
e rooms, and, encouraged by Mrs. Fan
. pleasant greeting, we dared to touch he
d limb and try to pull her foot into notice
= = Quickly she drew back, and pointed t
the collector. We soon put him out G
p the way, though he ioOuld peep throug
1s the keyhole occasionally and up cam
:. the little shoes, whose extreme ouie
length was but three inches aud hal