Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-12
BAPTIZED in HOT TEA.
Mum Kee Sing Receives His Name With
Considerable eremOny-Christening
of n Chinese Merchants Heir.

Considerable CeremOny-Christening
of Chinese Merchants Heir.
NEW YORK, March 11.-For the last few
weeks there has been an unusual number of
social affairs in aristocratic Chinese circles.
Fortunately for the dwellers in Mott street,
the season of Lent in no way affects their
festivities. The brilliant series of receptions,
conversations" and high teas, which have
been the talk of the social world in that part
of the town recently, reached its climax yes
terday on the occasion OF a baptism, at
which the most prominent people of lower
Mott street were present. A few years ago
Hi Kee came to America to make his for
tune, and started out in life with modest
little shop, where the principal things for
sale were sugar cane, Chinese candles and
gew-gaws. He prospered sufficiently to
marry young woman, two years ago, who
enjoys the distinction of having been born
in San Francisco
Mr.. and Mrs Hi Kee to-day were the
proudest couple among the little colony
from the Orient. To the Chinese the baptism
of child is no less an occasion for congratu-
tions good wishes and offerings of praise
than those of iairer skins and shorter hair.
The particular cause for qualification and
pardonable pride on this occasion was the
fact that the child was a boy, for son and
an heir is more to Chlnaman than a whole
family of girls. The baptism took place
at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Kee, No. AN
Mott street.
SOME DIFFERENCE.
1t was hardly baptism, for the sprink-
ling of water plays no part whatever in the
49, D.
There are many points of difference between
a Chinese and Christian baptism. The hour
set down for affixing to the heir of Hi Kee
and his wife So Kee name by which he
should from that time be known was 8
o'clock. Noguests were admitted to the room
where the ceremony was to take place until
! promptly on the stroke of the hour. At
that time the other rooms were filled with
| guests, stately and solemn-looking, silent
and bowling. For once the swift wag of
their tongues had ceased.
e When the door of the front room was
thrown open by Win So, third priest to the
mighty joss, godfather to. the heir and Off
ciator at the services, those present fell into
line and, with gravity and dignity. marched
two by two into the outer rooms. At the
head of the line of men (the men precede
the women). walked Stet Sun, the we'll
known tea importer, who was to be god
father to the young heir, the officiating
| priest always being formal godfather to as
many children as may be named by him.
| The five ladies present as guests came di-
rectly behind the men, led by Mrs. Kee, her
assumed seriousness of expression scarcely
hiding the pleasure and pride on her deli
cate-ieatured face and her narrow, shining
eyes.
On bed, spread with spotless covering
of white, lay the child, the tiniest, most
fragile bit of bundle of gaudy silk and
olive-tinted cheeks. About his neck hung
a string of gold beads, there was band of
gold about his diminutive head, gold brace
lets encircled his small wrists, while two
ivory rings with gold fastenings were
clasped around his ankles, beneath which
were beautifully embroidered shoes, which
seemed to be no larger than mars thumb.
A YOUNG CoNFUCIUs.
The guests walked in silence before the
bed, the young heir blinking up at them
J with all the wisdom of Confucius in his
| face. When the last couple had filed past
the bed they gathered about the center of
the room and Win So, the officiating priest,
picked up the bundle>of silk and carried it
to place before the guests. As yet no
word had been spoken by any one. Then
the priest bowed almost to the ground three
times, his face getting longer and longer un-
til he let out string of Chinese words, first
to the father and then to the mother.
There had been stationed in the room
three Chinese musicians and as the last
words fell from the priests mouth, a sudden
noise of a screeching, one-stringed violin
and two piercing wind instruments broke
out. This lasted only moment, however,
and there was no Chinese drum, this being
used especially at funerals. When the
hideous music had stopped, all fell to chat
tering like mad around the father and
mother. All the party knelt down before
the altar and sang the Chinese national air
with such volume of melody that little
Nun Kee Sing howled in sympathy.
Then tea was passed around, and every
one emptied few drops from their cups on
Nun Kee Sings head. The drops were hot,
and the baby yelled, but the Chinese i'm
agine that unless the baby does veil under
those circumstances that bad spirits absorb
the drops, and have malignant effect upon
| the younster's life
Rice was scattered over the boy as well,
and everyone grabbed joss stick, which
they lighted and waved frantically. Win
Lo at this moment approached, and, taking
the boy from Stet Suns arms, pronounced
the solemn words over him which, being
literally translated, mean, ''Take from
others anything that you don't have your
self"