The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-03-04

IL a merchant does not pay his
debts by the first of the year, his
creditors are permitted to go to his
store and post up on his door copies
of their bills, or blacklisting state
ments of his refusal to pay, and under
their ethics the merchant cannot open
his store and begin business until he
has paid his creditors. Other debtors,
who cannot be thus reached by snap
Judgment, are ostracized by public
opinion until their debts are paid. If
they hold a position thew are dis
charged, and no N will employ them
they are regarded as outcasts, OF
frauds, and any Chinaman who assists
such a fraudulent debtor is himself
~ostracized and boycotted. 1t is a
splendid example for the Caucasian to
follow.
Their amusement during the New
Years celebration is feasting, praying,
visiting each other and attending the
thcater. No grand balls"-the China
man does not dance; and there are no
evening parties" On the eve of the
New Year the aristocratic business men
of the Chinese quarter give a grand
dinner at the leading Chinese restau-
! rant, which is brilliantly illuminated
for the occasion. The dinner is given
in a large room, the guests seated at
numerous small tables, something on
the American plan. The merchants
wives and daughters attend, and here
the young people meet for the first time
| since the last grand dinner" or some
other formal occasion. The tables aie
/ laden with the choicest fruits, con-
serves, edibles and flowers, brought
over from the Flowery land, and also a
delicious native wine distilled from
rice. The dinner begins about nine
o'clock and lasts until after midnight,
or the appearance of the New Year.
On a dais in one end of the room are
the musicians, who play at intervals
during the feast.
Others give private dinners and in
vite their most intimate friends, and
the poorer classes have their holiday
dinner also-that being the main
feature, as with the Caucasian. The
restaurants make special spreads
during the season, importing the
choicest edibles from China, and lay in
an extra supply of chicken. and ducks
from the local market. The Chinaman
is especially fond of chicken and duck,
roasted, also of fish.
On New Years morning about day.
light the New Years calling begins
among the lei The young men call
upon the young men; the elder upon
the elder; and then the young call upon
the aged men.
The New Years card is a small sheet
of book paper about seven inches in
length and about four inches in width.
The side on which the name of the
caller is printed, or marked, is blood
red The recipient of the card files it
away for future reference, but usually
pastes it on the wall. where it serves
both as a reminder of friendship and as
wall paper, and if the calls are numer.
Gus he can get along without a wall pa
per decorator. The initial to this
article represents the New Years card
of George Lem, leader of the Celestial
-Four Hundred of this city.
The costume is of the richest silk, and
the ends of the wide sleeves are beauti
fully embroidered. The fan is inlaid
and hand-painted. To his right is his
opium pipe, OF pipe of state" which
he uses only on feast days.
The women are dressed in the richest
silks and satins specially imported from
China by their husbands, and there is
the same rivalry of dress that exists
between their Caucasian sisters. Dur
ing the interchange of New Years calls
they indulge in social smokes. The
opium pipes are beautifully decorated
with silken strings, pendant, as seer t.
the right of the hostess. Her little
children are also richly dressed, with
prettily-decorated caps.
The ladies call upon each other in the
afternoon. The young ladies upor
those of their age and association; anc
the merchants wipes interchange calls
Then the young call upon the aged a.
a matter of respect and Difference
But the men do not call upon the WON
en-. That would be scandalous. They
only meet each other at public dinners
During these calls of each sex upor
their kind, presents are interchanged
and in each instance they are of abou.
equal value. The American artifce O
giving a 75-cent present and receiving
a $40 gift is not resorted to. The store
keepers are liberal, giving away choice
cakes of soaps, packages of teas
punches of frecrackers, etc, and nat
urally have many callers. The yer,
wealthy Chinese usually take a vaca
ton trip to China so as to have a roya
festival in it's native Oriental splendor
and combine additional pleasure witt
their New Years festival celebration
in returning with two or three new