Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-22

philanthropist to read this paper and then
stroll down to Chinatown in the middle of
the day to see how much of it might be true,
he probably would find the streets almost
barren and deserted In front of an occa-
sional shop would be one of the Irishmen
or Germans who keep grocery stores and
always stick to a given locality as long as
they find any trade that has money in it.
Very Quiet During the Day.
Otherwise he would see only an occa-
sional dead-broke Chinaman or a capper for
celestial gambling den-a lounger who
looks as if he were ashamed of himself be-
cause he is not hard at work, like all others
who belong to the dominant race Of that
locality. Perhaps, too, he would see an oc-
casional African or italian, who would
hurry away on the intimation that the
policeman of the beat had Just come into
the street. These Streets however, make a
very different appearance at z o'clock in
the morning. In several of them there Is
prevalence of almond eyes, pigtails and
everything else which pertains to Chinese
custom. A man who had been in China
might imagine himself back again were it
not for the number of children, with faces
distinctly American and manners peculiar
only to unrestrained juvenility, who
sprinkle themselves literally upon all the
sidewalks.
A little before o'clock all of these chill
dren will have disappeared, not to return
again until the middle of the afternoon.
When they start in the morning their faces
and hands are clean, and in spite of an occa-
sional patch they look as neat as any posi-
BILE American sovereigns, but six or seven
hours later they are sitting together on
curbstopes over the gutter having q real
good time with all their scquaintances and
feeling very glad that school and its various
responsibilities and restrictions cannot be-
gin before o'clock the next day. Some of
these youngsters are entirely of Caucasian
blood and as good as any whom they may
meet in the school yard at dinner time, for
poverty does not destroy family spirit or
prevent anv man from making his children
look as well as possible and giving them
a fair start in the world.
The Curse of Mixed Marriages.
On the other hand there are great many
youngsters whose eyes suggest the trsdi-
tional almond which has marked the Asiatio
race. They show also that to many China
men in what is called the laundry district"
the goddess of love has appeared in the
guise of an attractive woman of German
or Irish extraction. There have been a
number of warnings against mixed mar
riages down in that portion of the city.
Clergymen, policemen and other men whose |
business it is to know what is going on,
have said very earnestly that a woman with |
any respect for herself should avoid mar
riage with Chinaman about as carefully as |
she would avoid taking an engagement as |
nurse in a smallpox hospital But Cupid |
always gets ahead of the people who give |
advice, so a number of pigtailed gentlemen |
in the tiny bit of Manhattan Island which |
am writing about have found satisfactory
wives and the wives seem entirely satisfied |
with their husbands. An entire newspaper
Gould be filled with reasons why both par
les to such a contract would be probably
disappointed, but that wouldn't prove any
hing more than occurs after most mar
,iages upon which Church and society
mile.
Every Chinaman is supposed to be here
or the sole purpose of making enough
money to go back to China and end his days
here. Were he to take an American wife
With him all of his ancestors who may be
living would regard her first as curiosity
nd then as a slave, to be sold at whatever
rice could be obtained and for whatever
urpose the purchaser might have in view.
Quite possibly some of the Cinnamon who
ave married here do not intend to 60 back
D China; they have memories, and know
hat they are better off in New York slum
han they ever could be in their native
and
Cinnamon Always Go to the Slums
Besides, evil communications corrupt
bod manners. No ChiRaman can fail to be
fected by American disrespect for age, al