The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-07-10
A PRENTICE MILFORD LETTER.
Pen Picture of the San Francisco Chimes
Quarter.
Especial Correspondence

| Dan FRANCISCO, L ~ =. l"euIy
years ago thought myself pretty web
acquainted with this town; but today Q
good deal of it has grown not only out OF
my remembrance, but grown since my
remembrance. For instance, the Chi
nese quarter is two-thirds larger than in
1870, when l left. Architecturally it is
greener, more dragon like, more oriental
The stores are larger and more pretenr
tious. Most of them are neat, or
derby and well arranged. They use
the large window panes. They hang
out signs both in English and Chinese
Thus, "Yung Suen, dealer in CLANS. ="
wong Hor, manufacturer of white
shirts" Long Suen, manufactures of
brooms, New York branch" Hung
Tso, Fancy Goods. Step in and examine
tor yourselves. They keep ready made
clothing in pattern American and Chi
nese. In these shops observed white
men bargaining for pantaloons. They
have invaded and monopolized street
after street, where none of their race
dwelt and carried on business twenty
years ago. They stretch along these
thoroughfares for miles, When you look
up street and note in color a mixture
of green, yellow and gilt spotted with
red hieroglyphics you may know the
Chinese are there in force. Green
and yellow seem their favorite
colors for house fronts, especially
green. The Chinaman paints only such
part of the house as he occupies. The
rest of the front he leaves in the original
hue. In San Francisco this is usually
dust or mud color. Their six months OF
dry summer weather gives the dust time
to settle, drive itself into the wood and
leave its tinge thereon. San Francisco
is largely as yet a wooden city. If tho
Chinaman occupies second floor, he
streaks its front green or yellow and
leaves it sandwiched between the I'M
painted first and third stories. 1t is sug-
gestive of boys play when they have full
access to paint pot 1t is on his large
restaurant fronts that he most piles on
paint, gliding, carvings, verandahs from
bottom to top. glass globes, colored
paper lanterns, large and small, and
diminutive statues. His displays in THU
respect are glaring and pyrotechnic. Cul
ture, of course, condemns his taste.
like it. 1t shovel, if glaring, and breaks
the monotony of our American dull hued
streets. 1t is like the big sunfower in
bed of pinks, or a spotted leopard in
dock of sheep. San Francisco's China
1om is an open street show, museum
IF curiosities in things displayed in thu
windows of which none but the China
man knows the use, and things to eat in
his provision stores which, if abominable
20 us, are curious. He has open air
stands of hardware. tools, ETC., like the
New York outbreaks of such wares in
Vesey street. His fruit stands abound
with long stalks of sugar cane. The
Chinese little boy, arrayed in fashion
just like his father, but in color more
luxuriant, is also far more Eumerou,
than in 10"
These seemingly little old men go abou
in pink or red silken loose trousers, up.
per garments of red or yellow, a red or
blue button OH their hat like head gear,
Chinese shoes, and youth
full pigtail extended into silk braid. So
attired they race about the street and
squeal sportively in their lngos as our
boys squeal in theirs Females at night
may be seen chattering on the pavements,
dressed in robes of pink
trimmed with many colors. II you are
in certain neighborhoods at night, the
Chinese man will dog you foi blocks
and pour most serious suggestions into
your ear regarding the possibilities of
seeing oriental female society. John is
not at all good man. He seems in cases
corruptible, but how much he was cor
rupted before he came here, and how
much he gained in corruption after, il
more than l know.
This glare and color is confined tc
what seems the ia lionable center of the
Chinese quarter. Reaching far beyond
on its outskirts is block on bloch, reach
ing high up the hills on which the city
is built and far down to the w;larves on
the level made land, all filled it'll China.
men at work. Buildings With wealth
and fashion once occupied are full of
NNem. Ramshackle sheds rotten with
ecay are full of them.
The air reeks with the peculiar odo.
of a Chinese population. What makes
it l don't know. 1t is not as fragrant as
a rose, neither is it SO pronounced as the
whiffs New York gets when the wind
blows from the Hunters Point coal oil
refineries. l am not defending China
dom: but in seeing and being very much
alive to the faultsof other races, il seems
to me that we do yet strain at solne gnats
qnd swallow few camels.
A drunken Chinaman is rare. sn I'm.
clean one in person ditto. Look a, their
hands and finger nails and compare
shem with thoie of some other races
among us. He was the first washer
man California had, something a little
less than forty years ago, and she then
needed him badly. for dirtier popula
ton has rarely been seen than that in this
city in 1852. 1t was sort of forced I'M
cleanliness. There was hardly time to
wash There were few conveniences.
The pioneer hotel often ran but one towel
for horde of guests. 1t paid better to
buy new shirt than expend an hour in