Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-29

Noisy Festtvity-WOrse than am AmsrA-
can Fourth OF Jaly-street Scenes
Gambltng-MaktngC Calls.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL COURIER:
SINGAPORE, Feb. 3, 1884.
A consuming desire to witness the Chinese
New Years as it is celebrated by the Celestisls
on home territory has prolonged my stay in
this city until the present writing, while a
welI-regulated tourist or ''globe-trotter," as
the fraternity is called here in the Orient,
would be half way across India by this time.
The verdict which have to foist upon the
public touching this remarkable institution,
the Chinese New Years, is unalterably hostile
It is an ordeal that no human being wants to
court, unless his nerves are thoroughly steady.
I leave by the Calcutta steamer this afternoon,
Another day of this unearth1y noise and al
legged festivity would be quite enough, am
sure, to unbalsnce my tottering intellect,
and leave only the wreck of a once magnif-
cent manhood. As 1 write, sitting on the
rear verands of the hotel my ears are saluted
| with a continual cannonade of fireworks.
There is no calculating in advance as to the
time or place of an eruption. Nominally the
| firing of the crackers is said to be confined
| by the police to certain hours of the day; but
after much exhaustive brain work have
been quite unable to discover the system in
| vogue.
At this point was lifted right out of my
boots by terrific fusillade, seemingly under
my very nose. Looking out I perceive
celestial fend on the top of a neighboring
three-story hong, with a long rope of fire.
crackers of the darkest and most vicious
| quality, which he has ignited at one end, and
| which continues to burn with deafening re-
| suits, while he continues to lower an appar-
/ emily endless string If that steamer should
| be delayed SO as to necessitate staying here
| another night, feel sure that my hair would
| turn white before morning.
Sunday, January 27th of our calendar, hap
pens this year to be the last day of the Chi
nese old year, and Monday ushered in to the
| Chinese the New Year. For weeks prepara-
tions had been going on with view to in
| suring the utmost hilarity daring this festival
season. All sorts of paper aowers, fireworks,
| and tawdry decorations had been on sale at
| the stores, and were carried more or less
| through the streets. 1t must be remembered
| that this season of the year affords the only
cessation of work which the Chinese enjoy
They know no Sabbath, and do not stop work
| for any of the religious feasts or festivals
Accordingly, everybody saves up the pennies
| and cash with reference to a tremendous
| jamboree during New Years." 1t is impos
sible to stay the tide of Celestial enthusiasm
| touching this anniversary. John is tyrant
| for one brief week, and the Europeans must
meekly submit to his despotic sway. 1t is
impossible to get any work done beyond the
absolute necessities of mere existence. The
| race that spends the other ffty-one weeks of
| the year in eager pursuit of the almighty
Dollar will forfeit position and lucrative en-
ployment rather than fail of adequate par
tieipation in this general festival.
ALI day Sunday there were ominous hints
at the style of celebration which was to pre-
vail in the way of frecracker popping At
night was advised to go to bed early, as /
wouldn't be able to sleep any after midnight
I replied with considerable spirit that did
not propose to admit myself susceptible to
che annoJances of petty heather demonstra'
| ton, and should accordingly sleep like log
| till breakfast time. Nevertheless took oc
| casion to retire betimes.
Midnight arrived. Sweetly as an infant 1
| had slumbered up to that hour, when the
| bombardment commenced which announced
| the death of the old year. With the first
7 stastlinQ srepa~t 7 shc'3nced Ont of bed, HaC-
deriug whether had been struck by light
ming or had simply been wrecked in railroad
| collision. Then I thought of the Chinese
festival and dragged myself back into bed,
not little annoyed that { had been betrayed
into such want of dignity, and that, too, by
| creatures who wore pigtails But my bravsdo
| was gone. 1 lay and tossed sleeplessiy till
dawn, and them dressing my self, went for
walk with friend whose experience had been
| as ignominious as my oHn- On the streets
| we found good deal to look at, and even
more to flee from. The ground, especially in
! front of Joss-houses, was red with exploded
| frecrackers, and the air smelled of gunpow-
\ der instead of spice. The census returns
| show only about 100, 900 Chinese here in
Singapore; but it is generally believed that
! IA q GREATLY
! estimate since the Chinese do not make full
| returns. If there are only 100, 900 Chinese
in Singapore, then I will testify that these
| loo, 900 have marvellous power of multiply
ing themselves.
| Many of the Chinese had been feasting and
| drinking since midnight, and were reprehen-
sibly hilarious. Those who had eaten and
drank with moderation did not seem to be
| affected by the lack of sleep, and everybody
| was either awfullY jolly, or else pretended
| to be.
I suppose there were hundreds, yes,
thousands of dollars worth of frecraekers
shot off on the streets here that night, the
same mode of celebration has been kept up
substantially ever since, and will prevail a
day or two longer. The Chinese penchant
| for noise Is well known. I suppose when a
Chinaman becomes Buddhist he modifes
the proper conception of Nirvana from state
of endless inanity to q state of perpetual
noise. Surely he would make his heaven
holiness and felicity. That inspiration is the
| inspiration of noise, whether it be exhibited
| in the marriage service, the funeral service,
| the religious service, the annual New Years
| Jubilee the Celestial theater. But what
puzzles me is to understand how Cinnamon
| can enjoy such prolonged festival of noise.
[ like sugar, but do not want it as a "steady
Diet" as it is put in '.Patiense;" but John
| Ghinaman likes noise, and the more he has
| of 1t, the better satisfied he is.
= The Europeans, instead of fdiscountenanciDg
the general jellifying, enter into it heartily
| themselves, making as much of it as they
do of their own New Year. The banks are
closed for half the week, regattas and public
amusements are planned, and servants are
allowed to do just about as they please.
When the Chinese suspend business, the
wheels of trade are effectualIy stopped. So
also the domestic machinery in the house
holds of foreigners is more or less blockaded.
The lunch bell may ring at noon instead of at
one o'clock, and when you mildly inquire as
| to the cause of the discrepancy, the autocratic
servants remark that they must be of early
to meet some engagement. Perforce you
submit to the despotism with as good grace
as possible. On the streets it is the same
thing; no Charles or 'rickishas are to be had
for love or money, as they are monopolized
by the Chinese joilifers.
The street scenes which are encountered
were varied, but all calculated to indicate a
crude sort of enjoyment. Everybody had on
their best clothes, and when the Chinese
fondness for rainbow colors is taken into CON-
sidsration, it will be understood that the dis
play was a dazzling ons What would You
say to a suit of green, red, purple and yellow?
Such gaudy combinations were not hard to
find. There seemed to be an especial fond
ness for arraying the children in gorgeous
attire; the male children I mean, of course
the little female nuisances were left to shift
for themselves in the majority of cases. There
were good many baby carts on the street, "a
rare sight at any other time) in which little
boys were perambulated about by men. |
These boys were loaded almost to the smoth- |
ering point with tinsel jswelry and en-
breidered garments. There seemed to be q |
sort of friendly emulation to produce the |
most gorgeous infantile display. When il la |
remembered that each Chinaman looks to his |
male children to pray his soul into suitable |
repose after his death, this demonstration |
receives added Significance.
Some families had banded together and /
were trnndling their consolidated infantile
exhibit abont in cars with silk canopies
above. These cars contained six or eight
children apiece, and were propelled by