The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-12-26
NEW YORK'S CLIMATIC
Joss HOUSES. GAMBLING
ROOMS AND FILTH.
he Tailed Heathenn Led . Lib Or
Careless Abanden and Evident Eajoy.
nent and Aeeunulates uuch
Good ssuelicano Honey.

them-the most picturesque Is the
Chinese quarter. The almond-eyed
children OF the sun are. it is true,
scattered all over the city and its sub
urbs. to the number OF more than
eight thousand. It is hard to find
any neighborhood where there are
no Chinese laundries, for they seem to
have taken to that business almost
exclusively In this part Of the country.
Nevertheless they have sort of head
quarters in the neighborhood which
they have taken for their own. and
here goes on all the traffic-no incon-
siderable volume-which they have
among themselves. Here are their
temples. their gambling-h houses, and
their opium dens, all under the same
roof in some instances. Hero are
their restaurants, their grocery stores,
their society rooms (for every China
man belongs to q society. their mu-
nicipal government (for they have one
OF their own), their professional peo-
pie, their artisans, and their bankers.
Here are several great Chinese i'm
porting houses. aud here are the
homes OF many of them who could
afford to live on Fifth avenue If they
choose to do it. As to any one of
these. a long aud interesting chapter
might be written, but We are now Con-
sidering the colony as a whole.
1t is not healthful an inviting,
nor beautiful place which we are
studying. On the contrary, it is
squalid in appearance, rickety, old.
and ill-preserved as to its buildings,
badly kept as to it's streets, and at the
first glance seeming like the haunt of
despairing poverty. It has, however,
two advantages which, to the mind Of
the Mongolian. outweigh the disad-
vantages. It is a central location,
easy of access by the principal routes
of travel from all directions, and the
rents are cheaper than they would be
likely to get in any other neighbor-
hood equally accessible. The China
man does not come to America to
spend money, especially in rents. He
comes to accumulate.
The neighborhood which they have
appropriated is small, comprising only
about three city blocks in Mott and
Pell streets just out of chatham
Square, but their ideas about space are
those which obtain in all the crowded
tenement districts Of the city. and
some thousands of them are to be found
here night and day. No exact state
ment of numbers is possible, for they
are suspicious and secretive. and take
refuge in their ignorance. either real
or pretended, of the English language,
when questioned by the '.Melican
man." Moreover, this is the pleasure
resort of all those who live and work
elsewhere. When work is slack. or
they feel inclined for a holiday, they
seek their companionship and their
designations in the company of their
compatriots. Here, too. they worship.
naively seeking the aid and comfort
OF their religion whether they are bent
on business or debauchery.
They have built one house only,
renting all the others they occupy.
This one is large double tenement
house OF ordinary New York fashion,
and in it, as said above. are temple.
shops, homes, and gambling and
opium dens. On every house in the
district, however, are the queer-look-
ing signs, hiero-glyphically illegible
to the Caucasian, which indicate the
business carried on within. The vista
of the street with these projecting
signs, handsome and grotesque Ian
terms, and queer tinsel ornaments.
hung out apparently for decorations
only, IS SO quaint as to be bewildering
to the average New-Yorker, who has
not studied the queer sides of the city.