The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-07-26

Spiritual wants-Attractivc Interior OF u
Chinese Home.
A heather died $4,000 miles away from
home, at No. l3 Pell street, on Friday MORN
ing. Although he was 50 far away from his
native land, he was tended in his dying
hours BY some OF his cousins" for IN China
the cousin is any member OF the same family, |
no matter how remote the kinship, and tho
manner of his death was as it would have
been if he had died at home. His name is
Hong Toi. and he is cousin Of n wealthy |
Chinaman who keeps a grocery at No. 20
Mott street He had just been taken away |
from Boston to die in this city. According |
to a certain Chinese superstition it is unlucky |
to allow q man to die in the same house where |
he lived Consequently, as soon Us the at f,
tending physician pronounces the case hope |
less, n room elsewhere is hired for him to die
in, as was done in this case.
Hong Toi was born in Quang Tung-Foo in
1858 and came to America when he was 20
years of age Like so many of his country
men, whea he arrived here he soug hit employ
ment in u laundry, and set himself to make
fortune. His savings after time were
large enough to enable him to buy an interest
in a grocery, and before he died he had laid
up $50, 900. His hopes and plans, however.
oil perished with him. Four months ago he
contracted an illness common among the peo-
| pie Of his race. He coughed, grew thin and
| lost his appetite. The American physician
| whom he employed at first pronounced the
| trouble malaria, but his treatment did the
| patient little good. A Chinese doctor was
| consulted later and he declared the trouble
! to be pneumonia. This proved correct, and
the disease soon proved fatal.
| Within the last two weeks Of his life he
| was never left alone His friends and cousins
| relieved ono another in the pous task OF
| cheering the dying man and ministering, in
their hcathcn fashion, to his spiritual rs well
as his physical wants. They read long pas
sages to him from their national books, such
as the works of Confucius and Mencius, the
Tripiteka of Buddha and the verses Of Lao
Tszee and other famous poets. They fed him
| with the strange and delicate daintics which
the Chinese only can concoct, and talked of
home when he was strong enough to listen.
Then, as the end came nearer, they brought
out and spread around him numerous queer
looking objects, such as had been familiar to
him in his childhood evidently seeking, as
they might amuse G tired child, to bring
some pleasant memory or happy thought into
his mind while yet life might he made @ little
brighter.
They spread out little squares of sugar
American children like SO well. Queer cakes
we're laid around on tables and chairs, and
even on the bed, some with fruits and some
with spices In them, some with meats and
some with unfamiliar ingredients to the Cau-
casian; very few Of them were alike Then
they brought even dolls, fashioned as nearly
after the babyhood of China as the pictures
of their native artists are like nature
grotcsque, quaint and richly garbed, odd and
pretty. From the ceiling they hung kites
and queer umbrellas, and some Of the ele-
giant, fantastic paper lanterns that aesthetics
delight in. A smile would sometimes come
over his wasted features. but for the most OF
the time his face was calm and grave, rs Is
the wont of Cinnamon 1t is look not UNI
like that Of babies, wise beyond their days,
who look at all things with quiet attention
that seems to speak tolerant half approval.
His bed was a narrow bunk, covered with
white mating, and the pillows werc long,
narrow boxes, covered with upholstery.
They looked not unlike the foot.rests in an
old English church. Around the walls hung
silken banners Of vivid scarlet and rich em-
broidery tracing the hieroglyphics that
stood for verses from the poets. Over the
manteipiece were religious pictures not UNI
like those that hang over the affairs In tho
Chinese temples. In the center was repre-
sentation Of God as the Chinese picture him.
seated on q throne of barbaric magnifcence
while on either hand were pictures OF thu
beings whom they suppose to personify the
| powers of destruction and repcration. Or
the opposite wall hung the words of the
Christian hymn, ''Nearer, my God, to Thee.
On the mantelpiece underneath the religion!
pictures were q dozen or more artistic photo
graphs of ballet girls in the extreme nude
ness of the modern stage
In one corner was q bamboo table, OF
which were pots Of coal kept constantly
burning, and OF tea kept always hot. Othe
smaller tables supported bronze vases, son'
of them very costly and all artistic; bronz
bowls of clean white sand in which wer
stuck joss sticks, TO be burned from time T.
time III devotional exercises, and some fort,
or fifty volumes Of the writings OF Chimes
poets. These were huge and cnmbrous, bu
of rare workmanship, and must LcTe bcc1
expensive purchases.
The sick mans costume was n simple houS
dress, somewhat resembling the pajamas tha
have grown into popular favor in Amcric
within the last few years He wore blouse
loose and without any approach TO q III
made of yellow muslin, and pair OF tror
sers of the same material, only reaching
the ankle and ON his otherwise naked fee
were pair Of loose slippers. This was in b
Boston home. A few days ago, his phys
clans having pronounced his case hopeless, b
was removed to this city, as stated above
He confronted death with all the cali
courage Of tue true fatalist, evidently in III
possession of all his mental faculties and fir
In his Oriental faith. There was not III
faintest evidence Of any fear in his rnanne
or his words. nor dill there seem to be an
longing for life or desire to supplicatc ior ]
To an American whom he knew well, an
whom he had learned to regard as goc
friend, he said, as be grasped bis hand Il
day before he died:
"Nayhap die one week, maybe one montl
die alice samee. No solly myself All ligh
SoIly my mothee, my moshecn
To one of bis Chinese friends he said, On
few hours before he breathed his last. ar
when he was almost unable to articulate:a
think see the dragons" IL was the last
said. Soon after be sank into what seems
a peaceful sleep AMI saving for his labor
breathing he gave no further evidence Of 81
fering Slowly and moro slowly he breathe
until with . long gasTins sigh hs gave
the struggle and restedL
u | There was no kmentatiol, nor any g
. dence Of grief, though it ~'as plain enou.
H. thr. % mary cf h4 friends his co;rc was