Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1883-02-09

The Chinese Quarter in It's Holiday
Garb-The Disciples of Confucius
in the Midst of Their New Year
Festivities-whst Herald Re-
porter Saw Last Night.

A HERALD reporter started out las
night with Captain Of Police Cuddy t
take look through Chinatown and SCI
what was going on among the Mongol
ians during their holidays. The Chi
nese New Year was ushered in on Wed
nesday amid the popping Of fire cracker
and the exploding Of hand-bombs. Fol
two days the festivities have been il
progress. These are simple enough tc
please the most severely disposed. The
Monaghan idea Of perfect pleasure
seeming to be an Indulgence In the dolce
far niente. The first place into which
Captain Cuddy and the HERALD com
missioner looked was the lodging house
Of Tsu Sing, which faces on Sanchez
street. Here were gathered some thirty
or forty Cinnamon. In one room sat q
dozen or more playing dominoes, which
they did amid a deafening uproar and
chatter indescribable. In the adj
joining room, which was sleep.
ing chamber, numbers Of the Mon
golians were stretched out lazily
here and there smoking their pipes, some
Of them containing opium, Others tobac.
co. The process Of cooking the opium
was watched with more interest by the
many visitors at Chinatown last night
than anything which was to be seen
there. Through innumerabls intricate
and devious allies the curious throng Of
visitors wormed their inquisitive way
from barber shop to grocery store, and
from drug depot to restaurant, taking in
ell the sights worth seeing. Chinatown
was brilliantly illuminated, as brilliant
ly, that is, as Chinatown could be with
handsome Chinese lanterns. In every
store and house was table weighted
down with fruits and flowers and bear
ing on each corner lighted candles.
These seemed to be the only external
signs OF the occasion being an unusual
one. The two churches were elaborate
ly decorated in honor of the New Year,
and the usual offerings Of fruit were
placed before their hideous idols. A
chrome of the take-two- bars of soap
and-this- beautiful landscape kind was
the most notable object of art in the
more fashionable and newer church.
The work of American shrewdness could
be detected in almost every house, spite
Of what is said ON the subject of the
exclusiveness Of the Celestials. In many
places the hospitality of the almond
eyed inmates was most marked; here,
q cigar was thrust into the re-
porter's always ready hand, there
o cup Of deliciously fragrant tea
was served out in delicate China
tea cup. The Cinnamon seemed to
ignore the peering and uninviting curl.
osity of their christian neighbcrs, who
would crowd into their habitations
and thrust themselves unbidden into
their bedrooms. As it was the New
Year-tide, however, all these intrusions
TO which the jewellers were subjected
we're overlooked by them, and the surg
ing stream of curiosity-seekers continued
to flow.
A visit to Chinatown is at present one
of the things to indulge in. The New
Year festivities continue for four days
longer, during which time those who
have never seen this curious race in
their homes have an excellent opportu-
nifty of doing so.