The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-09-26
THE HEATHEN CHINEE.
Nh. cAMPsELL's OBSERVATIONS
Among John chInAmau. Whose Smile is CAIldllk,
and glAnd-A yisit to Their JOa Hou,s Of
Worship Aad to Their ThtAtrta-Thslr
SIliy and Ssaselsss r Praeiices.

Special Correspondence cfthe Lnteuigenctr.
PORTLAND, OREGON, September l5.-Thert
is much Of an interesting character that ]
might have added to my last letter in re-
gard to this city, which is the metropolis
present and prospective, Of the Pacific
coast north Of San Francisco. Although
yet very young city, it is in come respects
the most metropolitan and cosmopolitan
sort Of place that have ever yet fallen
in with during my travels in different parts
OF the country. All nations are here, in.
Guiding 5000 Chinese. Out Of an alleged
population Of $1,000, on the two sides ol
the river, 5000 are celestials. They occupy
an important section of'Second street, in
fact so much OF the whole OF Its available
business length that it is practically given
up to them, and white business men, with
the exception Of an occasional saloon, have
retired from it as from an Injected district.
These Chinese are queer people. They
live In less space than any other human
beings you ever saw, pay higher rents than
white people, apparently eat less, and
work for less wages and yet they look sleek,
fat and well fed, and are admitted to be
money-making and prosperous. They
have two theaters and a joss house here,
and some OF them are not only real estate
owners but quite wealthy. Go when you
will into their street at any time, night or
day, and you meet them in large numbers
Some are walking listlessly along, their
long tails hanging down their back, their
tawny faces and almond eyes monotonous.
ly the same in every individual, their dress
even more 80. Others are hanging about
the stores and shops Of their csuntrymen,
and you get the idea that many OF them
are unemployed. But am told that this
Is not the case-that most OF them have
some work, in doors or out, that they at
tend TO during some portion of the twenty
four hours.
They live so much 10 themselves, in such
queer and sinister looking recesses, and
moreover live so cheaply, that it does not
seem necessary for them to be employed
like white men who have families to sup.
port and general relations to society TO
maintain. These people have no relations
to society. Ninety-nine hundredths Of them
are single. They pay no taxes, take part
in no public enterprises, hoard away their
earnings, live in dark holes and contribute
nothing Voluntarily to the support, ad.
vancement or well being OF society or any
OF its institutions. They are "heathen
Chinese" and no mistake. =
INAJoss HOUSE.
went into their Joss house the other
day. 1t was room on the second story Of
commonplace building and seems to be
open and unguarded to the comers and
goes. Whether there were any secret eyes
on uq, looking through some hole on the
inside, cannot say. Two OF us walked
right 10 from the street and passed up stairs
to the room. Itwas hung with all sorts OF
gaudy trappings, many OF them looking
like bright colored carpets, and some odd
and useless looking fixtures, and at the far
end, on each side Of joss, were wax tapers
burning, which looked good deal like the
old iron Tampa In which wick lay i'm
bedded in lot OF grease. joss, himself,
was an ugly idol pillowed in some wood
work that looked like an old-fashioned
clock, and he was supposed to be smelling
the incense OF the tapers and Eliminating in
his mind all sorts OF tremendous ideas in
regard to the peculiar people whose god
he Is.
From all I can learn about the religious
belief oil the Chinese l should say that
they do not believe much in anything, but
that they are agnostiCs with all that is in
tellectual in aguosticism eliminated. They
are said to really worship their ancestors
aud TO fancy that their are In some dim
and shadowy, misty and mid region aboye
or below China. The worship OF Joss Is
with. them tradition like that Of the sa-
maritans whose fathers "worshipped in
the mountain" and therefore 80 did they.
The grosser OF them actually associate
physical and mental power with their idols,
while the others hold Joss In esteem Us a
sort OF family relic or heir loom. They i'm
agine that II is pleasing to their ancestors
TO keep up this sort Of visible installation
and worship OF Joes. They have no day
OF worship and all the days OF the year
are alike 10 them except their great Ma
tional feast day. Their Joss house is open
for such as desire to drop in and commune
with Joss few moments. The incense
business Is looked after by paid man. l
Judge that the room is not irequented to
any great extent.
A CHINESE THEATRE.
Not less queer and isrcical than their
joss house is a Chinese theatre. OF all the
bores, in the shape Of so-called amusement,
that have ever encountered a Chinese
theatre ig the most dreary and intolerable.
They have two rival concerns here and both
are run every night, and sometimes all
day, according to the play, for q Chinese
play is not only matter Of hours but
sometimes OF whole days. They generally
run until two or three o'clock In the morn
ing, and occasionally. include two pieces,
the "after play" as we would call 1t, com.
| ing first. (The Chinaman reyerses the
Caucasian in almost everythiDg). Their
actors are a tough looking lot. Their tog-
gerry generally looks like a lot Of soiled
dressing gowns that had seen long service
/ in China, although now and then fellow
comes on with bespangled and bright
colOred looking set OF accouirements that
may have been recently imported. Their
head gear is little something like q
kturbsu or else great sort OF a
bellows fashioned cap, with immense per.
iwigs at each side that resemble the ovals
on which smoothing irons are rested. They
especially contriye to make their judicial
or magesterial characters look as hideous
as pnssible-as much like the devil as they