Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-01-12
A CITY WITHIN CITY.

"Chinese quarter of San Francisco,
describes the strange scenes as wit
messed as follows: We see signs of civ
ilization older than the Pharoahs; we
hear the twang and squeak of a fiddle
of rude workmanship, whose music was
heard in tea gardens two thousand years
before the three stringed rcbec (sire of
our violin) was heard in Italy; we bend
at doorways that bar our path ut sud-
den turns, peer into dark dens that line
the way; here is a shrine, with gold
and saffron legends and scarlet stream
ers round the door through which
floats the scent of burning sandal wood
in the Joss sticks, and we catch the
CLEAN of tinsel, flare of lamp before
an ugly image; and this is what men
are left to dol These garish figures
are actually worshiped 10y human beings
in their blind groupings for superior
prowess We have meat shops where
everything is sold from pork to rats;
restaurants or chop stick houses whore
we SEQ companies feasting, possibly
on sharks fin or birds nest
soup and tea; were the royal
Hamlet with us he would
say, "And smells so Pah |" Here is
q group of fellows in wash-house play.
ing f. to see who shall pay for treat
of tea, game / have seen before but
power fails me TO describe. Next is a
barber shop, where many are undergo
ing dainty cleaning of eyes, ears-an
nostrils, trimming and penciling of
eye. brows and lashes. The streets are
narrow. crooked alleys, whereon are
crowded strange buildings, and crowd
ed, quaint shadows. We see roofs
towering in the air as if striving for
space to breathe; We meet women with
broad fans, red silk handkerchiefs, and
wide back sleeves waving like bat
wings; their heads are adorned with
stiff outworks OF shining hair, bright
with tinsel and paper flowers. The
blue-bloused men swarm along the side
walks with an easy, swinging swagger.
bred of an independence unknown to
them in the place of their birth, but
arguing the appreciation of the advan-
tages they here enjoy.
We enter stores and see huge jars the
size of men, wrought silken screens,
giant dragon kites, and baskets and gay
china; there are queer foreign scents
lingering in every corner; from half
open Easements comes the rattle of
dice; among the curbstone dealers are
pipe cleaners. cigarette rollers, cob
blers, vegetable and sweetmeat vendors.
One OF them accosts portly gentleman
of our party in private and surrepti-
tious manner, with the words: "You
likee cigar? Me sell belly cheap" As
curiosity tempted the one addressed to
wink at this contraband business. the
almond-eyed, blandly-smiling China
man moves in q mysterious way his
wonders to perform" and in manner
worthy of the magician Hartz calls
cigars from the vast depths OF his loose
sleeves, and sells Ave for ten cents.
"Vile things" remarks the purchaser,
as he pitches them into tho reeking
gutter, whence they are deftly rescued
by the blandly smiling quondam seller.
Inside the windows of the dimly-
lighted shops are pasted strips of red
paper bearing those remarkable regular
hieroglyphics which are an open letter
to four hundred millions of the human
race, but look to the eyes of the un-
iniated balance like q series of photo.
graphs Of dislocated skeletons on jam
| boree.
The names of Hop Wo, Shan Tong,
Shun Wo, Wo Ki, Yam On, Chang Lun,
Wing on Tsiang are some of che most
familiar inscriptions over the stores of
business houses. have learned that
these are not always the names of par
ties engaged In business, nor do they
indicate the trade pursued, nor the
kind OF goods to be found within, but
are notices of sayings adopted by the
firm. In the original they are sugges-
tive and poetical, however void of
euphony in the English. When Shun
Wo, the cigar maker, hangs out
hia at0u IL doaa uos foitou Ahnk
his name is Wo, and he is
impelled by conscientious motives to
utter this warning against himself, but
he merely proclaims that his shop IL
the seat of faith and charity. Hero are
. few free translations of some signs:
Hip 70 over q wash-housc signifies
"Mutual help and concord" Here
doctor proclaims Chat Lung Shung,