St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-11-16

IISuG Vi Guc Stage. WHICH mas no urOp-
curtain and no side entrances, and are
dressed in their usual day garments,
with a white apron on instead of the
loose sacque. Over the stage is "Yo
Heme Choy," Royal Chinese Theater,
and numerous cabalistic signs or Chinese
characters are on either side in black
and red. Through an open window you
see portions of the paraphernalia they
put on and take off, and all the actors
come out of one door and return through
it by drawing aside the curtain. Their
singing is the same on the stage as in
the house, sort of sing-sOng chanting
with little variation to the range of
notes. The costumes of the actors were
gorgeous in the extreme, fresh and new,
embroidered in gold, scarlet and white
figures and gay flowers, having very
rich effect by gaslight. Our escort in
formed us that they were new, just i'm
ported, made by hands of Chinese ladies
and cost too much money. They GER
tainly were very rich and splendid in
glitter, light and cOloring, and on one
we discerned an elegant peacock with
gay plumage, very dazzling. No women
take part, but 'tis hard to believe it for
they resemble them so closely with their
paint, powder and manner of dress, and
even in their feet and way of showing
them, for they looked very petite on
the stage. As we came away crowds of
Cinnamon were standing outside upon
the sidewalk and sauntering up and
down the pave. The street and its
thrOngs of people, its animation and
Odd-lOOking restaurants, with gay ex
teriOrs, hanging-baskets and pots of
flowers, its grotesque lamps over pOr-
ticos and doors, the men in the quantity
flowing garments, braided queues and
yellow faces, gave strangely foreign
aspect to the place, and we could read
lily imagine ourselves in another land
for the time being. | have not yet seen
one of these orientals inside of the
American theaters here, but have run
across them at almost every other place
of amusement. On week DAYS and Sun
days you will see express wagons and
dray carts loaded full of them, going
out, am told, to their cemetery, where
they often carry an animal or fish, cut
it into pieces and strew the portions
upon the graves of their dead.
The women wear no covering upon
their heads, and their hair is dressed
| .Juob do NOu cCC IL HI piCtulCos w z LlCCt
them often in certain localities, some
times gaily dressed, sometimes carrying
underclOthes and bundles of blue trous-
ers, sometimes letting profane words
fall from their lips as we pass them.
Nearly all of them, but the rich mer-
chants wives, are brought here in the
capacity of slaves, bought in China and
imported here on speculation by these
/ I,snC - Nnls Nhar -
free agents, but must earn money for
their masters or be starved and beaten
into obedience under the lash. Dread
full things are told of these brutal own
ers, and surely some of their faces will
make you shudder as you pass them in
your walk of curiosity through their
haunts. One can readily believe any
thing of their ugliness and tyranny
Their quarters are squalid, dark and
gloomy, full of uncleanliness, bad odors
and wretchedness. Within almost a
stones throw of the principal business
thOroughfares of the city these creatures
are huddled together in untold numbers,
living a most miserable existence, in
the very heart of a Christian community,
the conditions of which few can know
or realize. The habits of these coolies
are extremely bad. They will sleep in
a room where are from 20 to so others,
each apartment being re-floored and
made into two and three others. The
most of them will steal, lie, and, if nec-
essary, murder. The Jail has no horrors
for them, for they have better food and
lodging there than in their own country
and all they seem to care for is to make
money enough here to go back to China
and live in clover the rest of theil
lives.
In a letter from Marysville to-day
saw that there were 5000 coolies EN-.
plOyed in and around that place, and
the population not exceeding 5000. AL
so that the week previous the Chinameu
had sent into San Francisco $4,000 in
gold, to be shipped to China, and, only
few days before that, $4,000 for the
same foreign market,-and that they
filled the place of all ordinary white
labor, and were driving the white mer
and their families out of all employ
ments. Hotels, restaurants and hun
!, dreds of private families in this city
T employed John in preference to the
, whites. Since the riot, however, anC
the threats uttered against them, many
have dismissed their Chinese help al.
, together; Others greatly diminished
their numbers. Some will not part Will
, them, because they have proved valu.
able and efficient help, honest, trust.
worthy and reliable, but these are the
exceptions, not the rule. They will
, take any wages they can get, and save
money out of the smallest. They will
do the most menial work, patiently az
/ dumb animals, and never complain
/ They are here but short time before
r they have saved money enough to &c
, into business for themselves, if they
J should SO desire, and they certainly cal
/ live and thrive and grow Iich on wha
scarce would keep the body and soul o
white man together.
The "Chinese question" is indeed (;
many-sided problem. If their coming
has done some harm, it has as surely
5 done some good, and therein let then
. have the credit. At ss-meeting O
2 unemployed workingmen held last nigh
2 in this city, some very incendiar,
! speeches were made, and threats utter
: ed against the capitalists of this state
r and the unfortunate Chinese. Th
: chairman said: desperate remedie
: might be needed before they got rid q
t them Certainly, they ought to hav
few brave defenders, for nearly al
t the leading papers give them enoug
e harsh comment and uncomplimentar
e abuse. Occasionally some farmer O
Y employer of them comes to the from
e and says word in their defense.
# know lady who keeps large board
Z, ing-house and employs all kinds of helE
). Last month, an American woman cam
d to her, and begged, with tears in he
eyes, for some work to do, she didn
If care what If was Go tha china m, a