Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-06-20
FIVE O'CLOCK TEA an roo-cHow.


&n Chinese H0me-The Ladfes-nFel0m
seeds--Endurable Music.
fcornhnI Magazine
At last we reached high blank wall
forming one side Of dingy street, ana
on being admitted within lis ponderous
wooden gates we found ourselves in the
courtyard OF a purely Chinese hoHse
The sudden change from the dirt and
sqnalor and dense population of the
streets to the large inclosure with
luxurious houses and pleasure
grounds, which form sort of patri-
archal encampment for the family of a
wealthy great man, is most startling
Our host came TO receive us in the outer
court, where we left our chairs and
coolies. then passed the kitchen and
crossed another court, when we reached
the great reception hall decorated with
the usual handsome small tables and
ponderous chairs of polished black
wood, with slabs OF marble forming the
seat and back. In honor of our ex-
pected visit, seats, divans, tables and
walls were decorated with the richly
embroidered scarlet cloth covers which
are always produced on ceremonious
occasions.
The weather being hot, we fully APP
pEEGA6AE4 LhE GOOA cldAk6 III "A GAAt6lk AdKk
room, in which we were invited to sit
awhile, ere being conducted to the pres
ence of the ladies. Tea was, of course,
brought in in the usual small covered
cups without saucers; the use of the
cover is to prevent the leaves from en-
tering the mouth in drinking, as the
correct way to make tea is TO put a
pinch of leaves in each cup and pour on
boiling water, thus making every cup
full separately. OF course sugar or milk
is never used On the little tables were
set the invariable plates of sweet-rneats
and small cakes.
But the quaintest addition to these
are the little plates of melon seeds,
which all the Chinese delight in picking
open and nibbling in accordance with a
Chinese proverb which expresses the
satisfaction of always having something
-aFr the mouth. In this respect the race
are like squirrels, except that rich mems
long-pointed nails do the work even
more effectually than teeth. In every
idle moment the whole population de-
votes itself to cracking melon seeds. AS
they walk in the streets or at the social
chat, to beguile the tedium of journey
or to tighten the cares or business, the
infallible remedy is melon seeds. Even
at the theaters the spectators are pro-
vided with little plates of water
melon seeds, and an attendant walks
about with large basket to
replenish them again and again, SO that
the sound of the cracking seeds is heard
necessarily, and the floor is invariably
strewn with them. They are offered for
sale everywhere In the districts where
melons grow lbundantly the refreshing
fruits are freely offered to all corners on
condition of their saving and restoring
the seeds. These are collected in great
bales as articles of commerce, and form
the chief cargo of many junks on the
rivers. Small children, busy mechan-
les and great mandarins delight in
them. The poorest coolie, notwith-
standing the disadvantage of his short
nails, contrives to spare a few cash for
the purchase of this luxury / am told
that this curious passion for melon
seeds prevails throughout the empire,
and that the 400, 600, 900 of Cinnamon
are all unsuitable for these dainties
One entertainment provided for US
was musical-box, made in Hong Kong,
which played all the favorite purely
Chinese airs, and we were astonished to
find that several struck us as really
pretty. As a general rule Chinese
music is so terribly loud, and is played
by so many utterly discordant instru-
ments of various sorts, that the name
only suggests ear-torture, castanets and
drums utterly drowning whatever
melody may be produced by guitars,
flutes and violins, which are supposed
to play in unison with shrill human
voices, but, as neither voices nor in
strumentS are ever strictly in tune, the
combination is never harmonious,
whether heard in theatres or temples, or
shrieked by street musicians. There
fore, to hear a real Chinese air rendered
on a musical-box with no such ad-
ditions was most unusual treat.