St. Paul daily globe., 1891-10-03
Strongest singing octette in America,
a feature of the Emerson show.
CHINATOWN's NEW BABY.
It Is Given a Name and Made
Ready to Wear a Queue.

It Is Given Name and Made
Ready to Wear a Queue.
New York Observer.
The more or less expensive and very
unique ceremony of dedicating queue
enliyened the social circles of China
town Thurs Sday. ''Goon III la,' which
is Chinese for MAY your happiness be
supreme and long" was the salutation
of the occasion. This speech was lib-
orally showered upon Woo Kee, the
Itch ginseng importer and shark fin
dealer, and his Oriental wife, who are
leaders in Mott street society and per-
sons of influenceI the Chinese colony.
The occasion was the arrival of their
son at the end of the probationary
period of thirty days existence and the
attainment thereby to the right to
queue and name.
Such an occasion is regarded as fete
day in China and is celebrated with
great pomp. Five hundred flaming red
cards, each about half yard long and
foot wide, had been distributed by
gorgeously caparisOned courier in antici-
patton OF the important event. The in
Scrption on the card was of the tea
closet and aundry-ticket order. Trans
lated into English it read as follows:
Your esteemed presence is respectfully
solicited at small dinner 10 be given on the
first dav of the eighth moon. on the Amer
lean Thursday, at 4 y. m, at Yee Bin Lo
restaurant.
Because of my humble young wolf (son).''
Humble Brother LEON CHIN (Wo kee).
Only half of those invited, however,
accepted. 1t is an expensive luxury at
tending such ceremony, and only $50
of Wo KEGS friends could afford to in
dul9e and incidentally partake of his
shark-tin banquet The responses on
such occasions depend also upon the
popularity of the father and the ma
iionality of the mother. Neither of
these influences, however, deferred the
invited guests. Wo is popular as we'll
as rich, and his wife is a native of the
FlOwery Kingdom. Each guest is eX-
pected TO make present to the parents
on queue-dedicating occasions. The
present must not be gagged by the
giver's wealth, but by that of the receipt
ent, and many Cinnamon invited could
not rise to the requirements.
All of the real Chinese ladies of the
colony, comprising the wives of eight or
ten merchants, were invited, and all ac-
cepted. There are half dozen Chinese
women there who are not i'll society,
and they were naturally not invited.
Nor were the American and other Cau-
casian wives of Cinnamon who had
turned their backs upon tradition and
married beneath themselves" invited.
The Chinese ladies were entertained
by the infants mother in her special
banquetng apartment. After the fif-
teenth course of the banquet the chubby
diagOnal-eyed cherub was Introduced
despite his vigorous protests, signified
by kicking that would have done credit
1io- A
boys after him. The ladies. each in
turn. took the youngster in their arms,
and bestowed upon him all OF the en-
dearing baby phrases of the Chinese
language. Then the little one was
turned over to the nurse. and the ladies
Joined the men in joint caucus on the
name.
Leon Nal Chim,'' or ."'American gin-
Seng," was suggested as delicate CON-
pliment to the author of the child's be-
ing. This name met with some favor,
as did also ''F0o Choo," or THE Pillow
of Happiness" 1t was finally agreed
that the latter was more desirable, and
the baby was christened Leon Foo Choo
and heartily congratulated and admon-
ished as to the Importance of the event.
Then came the tracing of the queue.
The mother knelt before Joss and
burned JOSS sticks, while she offered up
a short but feryent prayer that her Off
spring might become a power in the
FloWery Kingdom, and thus secure hon
ors for his mother.
One of the lady visitors then took a
pair of scissors and cut all the hair
from around the queue, which was
traced with much ceremony. This lett
two little black tufts of hair on the
crown, and they were fastened with a
red silken cord. The baby celebrated
this event by bawlIng so loudly as to re-
lieve his friends of all doubts as to his
lung power. The final ceremony con-
sisted of incaslng the baby's tiny feet
in silver shoes. The completion was
greeted by cheers and cOngratulatory
speeches by the male guests.