Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-05-09
MongoIIans with White Wives as
Observed in Their Cellar
ParlOrs.
The Number of Such Marriages Increas-
ing Rapidly, Owing to the Lack of
Women of Their Own Race.
Domestic Infelicity Rare, but the Hus-
band Rules with an Iron Hand and
Permits No Frivolity.

coverers mo similar offense. That is 10 say,
the female children of the whites suffer no
standing .2suace of ruin, the miscellaneous
public has offered no secret resort for drug
debauching, nor are there the irrepressible
lotteries here that other cities experience
from the presence of Chinese.
ChIcago's Mongal population is growing
very rapidly. The increase OF number in
the past two years is marked upon South
Clark street, between Van Buren, and
Twelfth streets, by the presence of over
fifty Chinese laundries, shops, and places of
habitation. The danger that before long
South Clark street within these designated
boundaries may be surrendered wholly to
the Chinese may not be regarded as danger
Gus. San Francisco has experienced even
stranger and more extensive spread of
its so-Called chinatown in the very heart
OF the corporate precinct. So numerous and
closely located have Chinese abodes already
grown not only upon South Clark street but
upon Third and Fourth avenues and all the
streets of that quarter Of the city vari-
ously known as Cheyenne" and 1.-THE
! Levee," that Chicago may be said to
already have, in fact her chinatown"
1t was for the purpose of touring this Sc
! lect locality that a Times reporter last even
ing sought the guidance of Police Officer
John Cox of the Harrison street station.
! The feature of Chinese life TO first attract
| the wouid-be student is the domestic rela-
| tlonship, and the first fact encountered is
the astonishing absence of tho female.
Among the more than 1900 Cinnamon in
and about Chicago there is not one woman
Of the race. Moreover, there is not one full
caste Chinese babe or youth here. The en-
tire element is composed OF laboring coolies.
Here, as in most eastern cities, their COM
! monest occupation is that of clothes wash
/ inc hnt there along SOntb ('1arlr CT
and here and there in scattered sections "a
| few groceries, clothing, drug, tobacco, and
provision stores. AS the Cheese population
| increases the men withdraw from lau1d6r-
| ing and enter more extensively into rner-
chandise and the trades. DIR. Wong PAX,
the New York priest and the distinguished
mankapo, or archcOmmander, of the Mason
ic order of the 30 Lin Leer, said upon a re-
cent visit 10 this city that the laundry trade
was an odious but necessary living expedi-
ent TO the scattered Cinnamon and thatthey
eagerly abandoned il when the growth OF
the community of their kind made it posi-
bic TO profitably enter other occupations 1t
was thus that the reporter found his rounds
conducted through an almost unbroken seri-
es Of wash shops. These aud the several
restaurants" shops, and habitations also
visited were with few exceptions situated
| in easements, the best of which approached
unto cleanliness in that degree that a gutter
may be less filthy than a sewer. Neat Of
pGTSOu anu apparel Is INC Cinnamon. he Is
| disgustin9ly slovenly of surroundings, and
his den Is always sitting with fecal odors
1t is said that upon finding new smell the
Chicago Cinnamon assemblies his neighb9rs
at 4 feast TO enjoy the discovery.
1t is said that Chicago as yet boasts no
Chinawoman, so il happens that the coolie,
pining in his loneliness for gentle compan.
icnship seeks 1t in the other races and finds
L chiefly among his white sisters.
marriage license nailed TO the wall in
picture frame may first attract the notice
of the visitor 10 the basement laundry of 33S
Clark street. This documentary evidence
of the double state of somebody within is
found TO have been issued at Fort WAYNE
Ind, and legalizes the union of Lam Tong
and Mary Meyer Penetrating the laundry
TO the rear the reporter and his guide found
woman seated in rocking chair by a
stove, with fat and wide awake baby upon
her knee. Lam Tong was out but a full
length cabinet photograph of a mild and
smooth young Cinnamon upon a shelf was
pointed out as his likeness. The woman
was Mrs. Tong, and she proved both gra-
cious and communicative. The baby was
the infant heir of both. Mrs. Tong is 81
years old, although, ungallant as II Is 10
say il, she looks older. She "a of goodlv
proportions, neither stout nor lean. is
blond of hair. blue of eye, and has truly
beautiful teeth. Her couutenance is plain
but kindly. She can neither read nor write.
|
nest woman and a good wife, one of the char
actcristic northern country poor The baby
not yet a year Old-can be safely callel
bouncing boy His skin is crea,ay white
his hair fine and light, and Eis owes hazel
! COMPROMISE between tie Mongol brown and
the Saxon blue. There is something of the
almond about the eyes, but not sufficient
to excite a doubt If seen elsewhere that the
youngster was aught but big, blooming
white baby.
~ married my husband in Fort Wayne
Dec. 81. 1851 said Mrs. Tong in reply TO a
question. "We came here a year ago and
the baby was born here. was working out
! in place over longs laundry. He was a
good fellow and fell in love with him. He
wanted 10 mary me and returned the com
pliment. So we got married, ana i I'm glad
Of 1t, for love him still"
"Has you domestic life always been
pleasant2n was asked.
"Oh, yes. she replied with smile.
"No squallss" urged the reporter
"Well, just what come to everybody.
Once he gave me beating and once gave
him beating, but that was before baby
came" and she Rugged young Wonder Eve
to her breast with glance of pride. "The
only discomfort suffer is that he won't let
me go out. He has crazy notion that |
will run away with the baby. ! would like
to go out once in while, tut / wouldn't run
away"
"You do not mean to say that you never
go out of this cellar!"
"Never. Not once for the shortest minute
not even as far as the top of the stairs
running up TO the street"
This was certain evidence Of the string
ent character of Chinese marital discipline.
but the woman continued 10 state that in the
main she was happy and that her alien hus
band regarded the marriage much as do the
understanding the affections of wife for
self exclusively and iealously exacting It,
She also said that her husband spoke very
little English and that she spoke no Chinese
whatever, not having learned TO form oil
comprehend one word.
"What do you call the babyl" asked the
reporter.
Harry she said, laughing, "Harry
Tong We both call him Harry, except thai
Lam often has it 'Hally,' which is very
funny"
as he fond OF the babyl"
ale simply worships IT, Don't 90 dady
love 90 awful hard, sweety," and the baby
gasped in its mothers tight embrace. "OC
all wah, kiah," which was certainly Chi
nose.
"Are you going to teach him Englishl'
Eyes, but Lam says he's going to teach
him Chinee."
"Ahoo: bobble, bobble, boo" and at this
dismissal from the baby the visitors with
drew.
Across the street from this basement
home, in drug and grocery store owned by
4 H.. a.. -