The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-12-13
STREET SCENES.
Picturesque Sights In a Busy
Chinese City.
ONE HUGE ST RUGGLING BAZAAR.
Little Sunlight Struggles into the Narrow
roushfares-Funerals Always
Have the Right Of Way.

the English House of Commons, has a
timely article, SIN the Streets of Can
ton," in the November number of "The
Century" A second paper will de-
scribe life on the river. OF the street
scenes in Canton, Mr.. O'Driscoll
writes:
Little if any sunlight struck down
into these ways. Their narrowness
would have prevented the intrusion of
any but vertical beams, or those slant
ing parallel with the street, and, to
guard against even these. shade-lov-
ing people had hung mating overhead
This gave the city the aspect of a
hug struggling bazaar sheltered be-
neatli great ragged roof.
The thoroughfares in the older por-
tons of the city vary from about four
to six or seven feet IN width. In the
newer quarters there are frequently
ten and even fifteen feet of space be-
tween the houses ON each side.
These narrow ways were thronged
with tens of thousands of people; look
ing along them it seemed almost as if
one could walk upon mems heads, so
close were they. High and low. rich
and poor. all rubbed shoulders.
Coolies, naked save for loose drawers
rolled high up the thighs. carried, on
each end of six-foot stick, water,
firewood and burdens of various sorts.
when an exceptionally heavy load was
to be carried, some four coolies bore it,
slung ON the middle of a bamboo, two
at each end Of the pole. Peddlers car
ried their wears in baskets slung at
each and Of stick, or in flat trays hung
like an old-fashioned pair Of scales,
with the pole or beam ON their should
ers. Carriers thus bore creels of fruit,
fish and all sorts of esculents; live rats,
cats and dogs in wicker baskets. fat
pigs in wicker cylinders, sometimes
with their legs hanging out; and boxes.
bales and trays Of toys. Through the
throng exalted Cinnamon, fan in hand,
in silken gowns, and with queues PEN
dent far down the back, made their
slow way in dignity. There were
plenty Of women and children also in
the crowd, some of the women hob
bling painfully along on their tortured
and distorted feet, which, from the
tight binding. were SO shrunken and
diseased that their shin bones had be-
come fleshless skeleton supports, COW
cred with wrinkled parchment skin.
and their legs seemed to be little better
than gnarled and knotted stumps.
Occasionally an empty chair was seen
- in this crowd, or chair in which sat
some mandarin. with awning and deli.
cately fashioned lattice blinds closely
drawn, or man who hawked small
wares or sweets for sale, and carried
in one hand little fat metal plate an6
string with small weight tied te
one finger. With each twitch of his
finger clear, musical note rang sharp
ly in the air. Ping! ping! ping
sounded his little gong, heralding his
approach from long way off; who
knows2 Perhaps from this primitive
but artistic appliance has in the course
Of ages been evolved our muffin bell
sweet music in the ears of those setting
forth in quest of five o'clock teas.
Anon our progress was checked by q
funeral procession. which struggled
past US amid blare of discordant
trumpets, beating of gongs and screech.
ing Of stringed instruments, the mourn.
ers bearing aloft paper and tinsel dolls,
bright streamers or little trays of food
and sticks of incense.
The coolies, who had their queues
knotted up, wore, for the most part q
hat shaped like fiat lamp shade about
two feet across. A little cup-shaped
wicker basket, fixed underneath it,
held this covering over their heads, and
1t served more as sun aud rain shade
for the body than an actual head cover.
Ing. Clerks, merchants and we'll to- do
people carried their queues loose, and
were either bareheaded, or covered
withssa black satin or very fine black
wicker skull-cap with coral button ON
the top.
Every one seemed busy; no one
seemed unhappy; each individual was
polite, and prepared to make way for
another. To keep to the right was the
rule Of the road, rule strictly adhered
to, without which all progress would
have been impossible. AS I looked
along the crowded way, could see
always two long lines of people in sin.
gle file, passing o1le another, and keep
ing close to their respective right sides.
In places the streets SO narrowed in
that passersby rgibbed shoulders. Every
one stood aside for the passage of a fun.
eral or a 'priestly procession; after
which the Acknowledged order of prece-
dence was first chair with passenger
though even this moved aside to
allow passage to the lowest-olass
laborer staggering beneath q heavy
load-then any person carrying load,
and lastly those who were unencum-
bered by burdens. A mandarin on
foot, or a wealthy merchant with a
richly embroidered gown, moved aside
to allow the coolie wood-carrier to
pass along uninterrupted. There were
no policemen at corners to regulate
traffic; old established custom, based on
q policy Of mutual obligation, took the
place Of man in blue.
Flossie-I'm afraid to go to sleep all