Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-07-31
TEN DA Us at THE FAIR.

mosques in the East and is finely fin
ished The lower part is used as a
cafe. Meanwhile as we proceed there
is a tremendous ding dong and racket
farther along, and we approach to see
what the matter is. We have reach
the Chinese bazar and theater build
ing 1t is a queer looking structure,
brightly painted, and made ridiculous
by the erection and painting of hide
GUS faces and figures representing the
gods which the people worship. Up
high on an enclosed veranda the Chi
nese band is playing for all the musi-
clans are worth. If you ever attended
what is called a "chivaree," you get
some idea of the harmony of Chinese
band music, but the quantity and pc
culiar quality can only be enjoyed by
genuine Chinese concert. The tones
of many of the instruments are terri
bly, shrill and the noises continuous,
and they are found entirely outside of
| the music scale and are fearfully worse
than those made by the amateur horn
blower or fiddler. Besides the terrif-
| fic blasts of the wind instruments,
there is continued bang and clang of
cymbals, and noises that can not be
described. There was no tune or re-
semblance of one in the performances
we listened to. Some stopped their
ears, some laughed, and others ran
when the racket commenced. The ba-
Ear is an interesting thing to visit 1t
is filed with the greatest amount and
variety of articles, curious, ornament
al and useful. Many things are Won
derfully strange in make, and show
skill that is not seen in our own coun-
try. The pigta clerks are active,
bright, and briskly alert, looking after
an opportunity to sell their goods. We
saw no Chinese women or children.
The German village shows the style
| of the houses and some of the things
pertaining to the German home. Some
of the houses are thatcbed with straw;
the rooms average small; the windows
are few and the apartments rather
dark and unpleasant. Under little
porch or projection on one of the
houses is a row of straw bee hives.
In one place was beer garden, where
the people can gather, under half
rooted building, or under the trees, to
smoke and drink their beer. The
whole appearance indicated that the
people were enjoying Or suffering an
easy and lazy life.
Across the way is Bedowin village,
and we pay our way in. All these
! specialties cost something. There is
very tony, but high colored lady at
the doorway. She is bedecked with
any amount of jewelry, and her robe,
or something that is thrown over the
shoulders, is richly embroidered and
ornamented with gold lace. She is
the advertisement, and catches the
eyes of the passers by. Once in, one
beholds a strange scene. Two or three
black and fat women are having a
concert and dance. They are dane
ing without male attendants. One is
pounding on a drumhead concern that
marks the time and keeps the women
going. The ssfigure" is neither con-
ira, jig Or cotillion, but she is putting
in her best work, and the visitor is
amused by the righteousness of the
thing Sitting on the ground are two
or three ugly-looking men smoking
their pipes. A set Of women are bak-
ing cakes in dirty looking thing that
might be called an oven. There is a
mill for grinding barley by hand
fat stone with a low rim around it, and
a heavier stone that is rolled about,
crushing the grain. A very polite little
fellow, who has learned English, is
| able to make fine little speech, and
! he is explaining things and describing
his people and their wild customs. On
| one side is covered building in
which are two rooms, the same as one
might see in old Damascus. One of them
represented the abode of one of the
rich men of the 18th or 14th century.
1t was indeed an interesting sight.
The old furniture, carpets, rugs,
crockery, etc., all of which must have
been very costly in it's day. The 9TH
er room represented the abode Of
some lord of the city of this day. The
furnishings were not entirely unlike
the old room, but they were richer
and very costly. 1t is probable that
the bed, it's canopy, silk and embro1d-
cred fixtures cost hundreds of dollars.
There are beautiful mirrors, carpets,
draperies and things we know not how
to name or describe. After all, we
would not care to be Bedowin, or a
rich man in Damascus.