The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-03-29
Street Scenes in Hong Il ong.
The most striking figures on Hon


Kong streets are the Sikh policemen,
tall, finely built Hindoos, with the
classic, finely cut features of that race.
In summer they wear military uni
form of white duck. and at this time
coat and trousers of dark blue cloth
with silver buttons. At all other times
their heads are wrapped up in the
hinge turbans of bright red muslin, a
broad four-yard strip being wound
around their heads in some way that
they only can do. The Skhs have
great authority over the Chimes, and
at fires they keep the screeching heath
ems roped off at good distance, and
maintain order that "our finest might
envy. Other Hindoos, in less snowy
and more primitive clothes, pass by
with the multitude, and on the higher
terrace roads one sees Indian ayahs,
or nurses, out with focks of little
children. The ayahs' scant winding
gowns aud head-cloths are generally
white, and there is something ghostly
in these slender, silent figures. The
ayahs carry themselves we'll, and their
Tinely-cut noses and gazelle eyes show
what fine and noble race they sprin g
from.
The Parsees, with their black horse
hair, chimney-pot hats with step in
the crown, and their close turbans of
camers hair exquisitely woven and en-
broidered with fine gold thread, and
their protruding eyes, are the most
serious beings in existence, yet they
suggest something comic to one. 1t
NAV be all in the cut of their coats,
which are a straight sack, buttoned
from the chin to the hem in front, and
falling straight and tight at the back
without flap, a cross line, or curved
seam. This coat reaches nearly to
the knees, and the man has something
the look of wearing a coffin. In each
of the side seams under the arms there
is pocket hole, and altogether the
Parsee's Prince Albert is fine carica-
ture on that garment of daylight cere-
mony. Cingalese, with their one big
bandana-sort of handkerchief or ta-
ble-cloth wrapped about them for a
petticoat. and child's round hair
comb set on their heads like coroHet
set backwards, and matched by the
Malays, " ho wear any sort of a cos
tune that they have been able to gath
er up.
To my mind the unique feature of
Hong Kong streets are the profession
al members or sewing women, ugly,
old Chinese women, with half-dwarfed
feet, who come out in the morning
with low stools and basket of rags
and sit by the curbstones or in arch
ways, recesses, or dOorways, and sew
away all day long. They do not ex-
actly darn stockings and sew on but
tons, but their labors correspond to
that, and for trifie poor workman
can have his tattered coat patched and
mended or his old garments made over
Peddlers of oranges, of dry goods,
lamps, toys, and fancy wares stop
Lowling their wares through the streets
to chat with the professional members,
and of all Chinese women the members
seem to have the pleasantest lot. They
are wise-looking old Bettys, all of
thom, and oOueUlIues they wear huge
hOrn-rimmed spectacles that make
them look like Minerals bird. To
watch them planning, and turning,
and twisting their garments and rags
is most diverting; and two old members
down the road here are beginning to
look upon me as an intending customer
from the way in which they try to
further engage my attention each time
and display their skill. The members
look down the social ladder a great
ways at the coole women employed
on public works in the streets, but the
coolie women probably find some one
further below to drop their superior
gaze upon. 1t jars one little to see
women and children carrying baskets
of earth slung from pole balanced
over one shoulder, but in this way all
the digging out and filling up of the
Hong Kong hillsides and terraces have
been done. These burden-bea are
not above the small vauities of the sex
either, and they wear bracelets and
anklets of white metal, earrings and
hair ornaments of imitation iudestone,
poor things. One might expect these
female hod-carriers to be careless of,
or Indifferent to, the charm of a deli
cate complexion; but they are human
and feminine even in that point, and
to the edge of their fat coolie hats
they sew deep hounce of blue cotton
that tlutters about their ugly faces af-
ter the same manner as tie priceless
lace ruffie of her garden hat that shades
the face of the Empress Eugene in
Winterhalter's famous portrait of that
lovely woman.-H0ng Kong Letter in
So. Louis Globe Democrat