The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-12
a CHINESE TAILOR SHOP.
How New York Mongoliar Supplies
His Customers.
(Copyrighted)


lars, where pigtailed Mongolans sit and
watch on three legged stools, and pass
word or detective is needed 10 pass a
Stra ger from the street. They are in the
rear OF first floor shops aud some are in
upper stories, through long, winding halls
that smell OF dried iish, boiling birds nests
and frying pigs tails. The clothes are kept
on dlngy shelves and in boxes under dark
counters, and only form part Of the general
STOCK, like nails in a hardware shop. But
there is only one Poole in New York, and
he has noimitators To initiate our Celes-
tlaI Poole requires more capital than tho
average Chlnanan possesses. Mr.. Poole is
known t. the business public as Mei Lee
w a ~ Co., and is familiarly called Mr.. Mel
Oy those who have the honor of his per-
sonal acquaintance, His place Of business
Is IN the Bo"ery where he occupies the first
iioor and the basement of one of the largest
CUMMINGS under the shadow Of the elevated
road.
The tailor shop looks as little like the
Gu tomary clothing store as a Chine 20 laun-
dry does Ike Mu ray Hin drawing room. 1t
Is large room filed with tables piled high
WiJh Z obs, and clothing seems 60 b alb 1ut
the only thing that is n offered for sale.
At the door behind n small counter. gener-
AIly slt two men. one is short, stout
shrewd-eYed and smiling. He wears
american clothes with his pig-tail carefully
cpiled out Of sight under tasnionable
Mack nav straw nat. He is the head sales
man, and capable one too, If Appearances
count Tor auvthlug The other is slender
aud melancholy. lie affects the s1mber in
ttllre ana wears black felt nat of the pre-
Valhng undertaken style. He spends his
time lingering "a kindergarten counting ma
chlhe ana marking up accounts with a
| piece OF India ink or a paint brush on the
| iohg pages OF brown paper notebook He
| IS uhe bookkeeper and Is said TO be one of
the most exert heiroglyphic makers in the
| Chinese quarter
| Inc under salesman is aldermanic in
| f0rm and dresses very much as an Ameri-
| can does ia hot weather, with his coat of
| and the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up
to the elbows. HIS knowledge of Il glis is
| confined by strictly commercial limits, but
! MS w,nulng smile IS broad enough to cover
any II gulstic deficiencies he may possess.
A casual caller might fancy at the door
hat Mr.. Mel kept a tea store Before he
had gone twenty feet he would credit him
with keeping crockery store Another
| All dozeI PAGES would change his opinion
again, vi an 'tner change IN the appear
| ance of the store. o the first row of ta-
| Oles are kept Chi ESQ wares of all STYLES
and at all prices, from comm IN cruckery
| sels worth 50 each to a superb red vase
valued at 81 900. ON tGe next row are
| glassware and .quare boxes holding tea,
AMI spiced herbs Behind glass cases,
against the wall, are knick-knacks IN
| ivory and gilt, worth a weeks wages tor
| every square inch of surface. Farther back
in the st re are laundry goods and the
various utensils used by frugal Mongolians
| for tdeir housekeeping.
The Chinese Poole is "A Macy and a Ride
combined Against the rear wall, which
| couceals from tho barbarian void th
| living apartments of Mr.. NJ and pretty
Mrs Mei, is kept the clothing. Ii is al
made Ia China and imported in bulk. Here
are clothes enough to deck out t % 5000
ChinameA Of New York in holiday attire
nd keep them in their Sunday clot 4es foe
a year.
A Chinamans every day outfit is beauti-
fulin it's simplicity. 1t consists Of pair of
loose trousers almost as slort as pantalettes
aud entirely wanting in frills; an undershirt
a short coat that IS called Cuan Sa Ten, or
something that sounds like that, aud an
overcoat known to the initiated as a Foo S i
Sam The boots, called Tien San Iii, together
with the hat aud hosiery completes the ward
robe
The undershirt does not differ materially
from hat worn by native New Yorkers and
is usually made # pongee silk Chinese
dudes, when not working in their laundries.
wear finer grades Of silk. The long coat
is only worn on festal occasions by the
comm n classes Of Chinese The working
men usually content themselves with the
short coat Tho long garme Is cost from
$40 to Sl5, depending upon the wealth and
rank Of the wearer Tho lowest priced ar
tico is made Of coarse silk AMI is usually
blue or black in color.
The short coat sometimes costs $3.50 but
the variety usually seen on the streets eau
be bought for fro1i s. to So. It is made Of
silk aad is often given a waterproof CLOS
and docs double service as coat and UNI
| brella.
The sandal-shaped boots are made Of clc tn
and have soles an igch thick These sole
are fashioned of layers of cotton pressed
| together, and as imperviOus to moisture as
| sole leather. The tops of the shoes are en-
broidesed and they sell from 81 30 to $50 a
| pair.
As none Of the coats have sleeves the
selection Of a suit Of Chinese clothes is both
simple and satisfactory. The customer
simply fits the garme around his neck
and lakes care to select one hat is not too
! long for him and the task is done.
Chinese boots have no right or left: and
| he only care in choosing pair is to see
| That they are not too tight or SO loose as to
| rub up ard down at the heel.
Mr.. Moi's clerks follow an admirable
system III selling their clothing by the
| Wholesale They have number of little
wooden manikins which are dressed il the
various costumes offered for sale. These
are the samples and from them the choice
is made.
The higher grades of clothing are not
| offered for sale lndiscriminately. They are
| the marks OF rank and can only be worn by
| those entitled 30 the honor. | am not GER
tain about this point, but | understood
from Mr.. Mei's second assistant, whose
knowledge Of English is but little more ex-
|. tensiye than my acquaintance with the
Chinese, that IL IS not permitted them t.
sell high grade cloth To base born
customer. But however that may be, |
saw no rich garments in the assortment.
and even the manikins wearing such good
were carefully put out Of the way in one of
| the glass cases by the door.
While there are a number of Chinese
clothing stores in New York there is no
| Chinese tailor. All clothing is read y-rnade.
Thanks to the celestial style of coats, every
one from giant to a hump p-backed dwarf
can be fitted with equal ease, and as to
trousers, all that is ever seen Of them by
the public is the bottoms, which to be in
style must hap against the ankles at every
step. BENJAMIN NORTHRoP.
Albany Mourns a Lovely Woman.
ALBANY, GA, Aug. 11.-Miss Mary SUIT
ten, one of Albany's most highly esteemed