The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-06-06
A NIGHT IN "CHINATOWN."
Facts RELATING to Oriental Habits and General Mode

A NIGHT IN GERMANTOWN"
Facts Relating to Oriental Habits and General Mode
Of Living
The Chinese in Los Angeles, Cal, says
correspondent, are quite numerous and almost
monopolize a certain portion of the city
they are quiet and orderly as a class, atten-
lively minding their own business, but, never
theless always a target for the ever present
hoodlum.
Through the kindness of one of the city
officials-a courteous lawyer and gentleman
we were escorted on a most interesting tour
through Chinatown" as it is called Start
ing out at s o'clock one pleasant evening, we
called first at some of their stores; business
being about over for the day, we found them
in clusters, old and young, eagerly gathered
about the counter, at their greatest OF amuse-
ments-gambling Not word was uttered
by any, SO absorbed were they in their game,
and after casting hasty and wondering
glance at us, they ignored US entirely Pass
ing on and visiting many stores. we came to
a restaurant about 10 PM First entering
small office, we passed in at door to lind
ourselves III the dining groom; here, seated at
tables, are several Celestials, quietly but hard
at work on dish of thick kind of soup,
which they caused to disappear rapidly by
throwing into their mouths with chop-stlcks.
fat cook busy at the stove is seen In the
rear, humming dismal air. The man who
does the waiting, being considered quite
musician, is called upon for music and favors
us with series of bowls and groans which
he calls song and then, on his one-strlnged
instrument he makes us feel generally I'LL.
AS the music progresses and the musician
seems TO warm up to his work, he howls like
| 1o-v nI lie A
is heard above and, ON looking for the cause,
we find dozen pairs of sharp eyes looking
down at us from above thus, while suppos-
ing ourselves in the company of two or three
| Cinnamon, we realize that score or more OF
them are about US, and we find that the
apartment is, as it were, cut In two, thus
giving two floors to an ordinary sized room, a
| ladder being used to ascend to the sleeping
apartment above. Thus one fair-sized room
can be used for restaurant below, and lodge
twenty persons or more on the shelves above !;
but they seem happy and contented. AS they
are packed together In such state, we Won
der how they can emerge looking SO cleanly
each day but they are particular about their
appearance generally and carefully bathe
every morning.
| The night is wearing on, and midnight
brings us to dark, dreary spot, where, hand
in hand, we are wonderingly led through
passage after passage, first up, then down,
until our leader knocks at door, being an
swered by Chinaman who, after glance,
recognizes one in authority, and quietly
ushers us in. We find ourselves in dimly
| lighted temple, wierd, strange looking place
with an altar We are conducted to an apart
ment in the rear behind the altar, and there
we find singular scene Reclining on
touches smoking opium are the priests who
at first look amazed at the intrusion, but soon
relapse into their stolid, fixed expression.
One of the priests by request kept telling us
his feelings as the smoking gradually affected
him, and if he told the truth, as he probably
did, he soon become too happy to talk, and
the expression on his face certainly denoted
intense and almost supreme happiness
We accepted an invitation to take some tea,
which was very hot and without sugar. The
custom of offering hot tea to all visitors is a
universal one among the Chinese, the omis-
sion of the courtesy being considered ex-
tremely ill-mannered.
Some of the most forbidding, arid portions
of California, supposed to be entirely value
less, are being taken up by foreigners for the
establishment of colonies, the principal him
drance to their occupation heretofore-the
total absence of water-being completely re-
moved by reason of artesian wells, which are
found to yield an ample supply of good wa
ter, some of them throwing out as much as
$40, 600 gallons every twenty-four hours, or
about 1888 gallons per hour. Providence
never fails in the wisdom of his arrangements,
but it is for man with his wonderful gifts
sometimes to discover them Gernanto,on
Telegraph.
Two ladies, evidently from the rural dis
tricts, were passing confectionery and fruit
store, and noticing several punches of ripe ba-
nanas hanging in front, one of the ladies adj
justed her glassas and remarked "Well, l
do declare If them amt bigger string
beans than l ever saw in my life. y Electric
Light
A letter from Berlin says 60 The emperor
has grown ten years older during the last