The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-04-01
A DENVER JOSs-HOUSE.
Its Ornamentations and What They Ssgni
g-Suggestions for Sign-Painters.

Hts Ornamentations and What They Ssgni-
E-Suggestions for sign-Painters.
Denver's Chinatown, like all we'll
regulated collections of Chinese houses
and inhabitants. has joss-house. This
joss-house is unpretentious. as to size,
but very bold and cheeky as to the man
ner in which it forces itself upon public
attention.
1t is situated on Wazee street, in close
proximity to the dwellings of the Chi
nese women, and it is. as such affairs
60 in a Christian country, daisy"
To the casual observer the jOss-hOuse
looks like either two-storied barber
shop or a small dime museum. 1t is
gayly painted, and the preponderance
of red in the decoration gives the barber
shop idea rather the choice with guessers,
but the more studious will at once no
tice that it has upon the front of its
second story balcony, and the Oldest
patron of those establishments where q
man can get shave, a little blood
letting and a summary of the current
history of the world. all at the same
time, for 10 cents, never remembers see-
ing tonsorial parlor with a balcony
This balcony is an argument in favor
OF the dime musem theory, for, as is
well known, it is customary for those
establishments to have q brass band
stationed upon a balcony well out Of
reach of an infuriated populace, and
whose mission it is to make such music
that the listeners, unless stone deaf, ara
glad to give up dime in order to get
inside and out of hearing of all, except
ing the dull thud of the bass drum.
On festive occasions the balcony of
the joss-house is further ornamented by.
Chinese lanterns, and these lanterns are
what give the snap away and estab-.
fishes the identity of the building as a
place of worship.
The joss in the Denver house is an
object of mystery, and there is dis
cussion as to whether the object popu-
larly known as joss is really he. Some
who profess to be well informed say that
it Is simply Confucius with a couple of
his friends-for there are three of the
kind-while others are equally strong in
the opinion that it is joss.
Whatever it is intended for, it Isl
simply picture, and in any other place
might be taken for circus ADVERTISE
ment. 1t hangs against the partition at
the southern end of the house, and might
as well be the trademark for a superior
brand of tea. SO far as inspiring any
feeling of awe in the mind of any but q
Chinaman.
The three figures upon the picture are
rather pleasant-looking gentlemen, the
center one having a long mustache,
which reminds one of Cool Burgess and
several other of the old-time minstrel
men as they were wont to appear when
off duty and with the burnt cork washed
from their faces they would stand upon
the hotel steps of country towns and
mash or seek tc mash the susceptible
rustic maidens.
At the right and left of the central
figure are two quite commonplace
looking individuals, with nothing at
all remarkable in their styles other than
their clothes, which are gaudy in the
extreme.
And there they hang and stare and
stare, and will probably continue so to
do until the joss-house burns down, is
removed, or the joss gets so faded and
worn that he has to be superseded by a
brand new god.
In front of him is large table filed
with Chinese dainties of various kinds
and qualities. 1t is rather reflection
upon the average Chinese opinion Of
joss shrewdness, this spread, for q
large majority of the viands set forth
for his delectation are counterfeits of
the rankest kind. There are various
kinds of shellfish, made apparently of
pasteboard, and lots of fruit of the same
sham style. There are nuts which may
be real, and oranges which certainly
are not, and there are many things
there the intention of which the unini-
tiated looker-on can not catch on to.
But there is real whisky of Chinese
distillation made from rice, and pos
sibly by Oriental moonshiners. These
cups of whisky stand and collect dust,
and joss never touches them, his posi-
ton as painted parsonage forcing him
to an extreme habit of abstinence. And
there is incense, but if Joss appetite for
incense is at all sharp he must be in
constantly unsatistied state. Little bits
of tapers send forth stream Of smoke
like that from an expiring match, and
it is hard work for anybody excepting
joss, who stands there and watches all
the time, to discover that there is any
smoke at all.
is well remembered. The table is en-
Aai SCu, dAo iuduy 4uAulicS, ACai aA4
bogus, are added, and one or two ad-
ditional tapers are lighted, and during
the period of the holiday the smoke can
be seen and smelt This, with a crowd
of Caucasian visitors larger than usual,
makes up the respect shown to joss on
New Years.
There are a great many josses in
Chinatown. Hardly household is COM
plete without one, and some of them
have girls for the right and left bowers
to the central figure. ANY ordinary
sign-painter can get up pretty respect
able-looking joss, but one specimen
lasts so long that the trade is probably
not extensive enough to induce any
young house-painter to make specially
of that line. The profits accruing from
painting one iron fence around private
lot in cemetery would probably be-
much greater than from the production
of dozen everyday josses.-Denver
Tribune-Repu6licdn.