The record-union., 1894-12-04
CANTON STREET SCENES.
Picturesque Sights in the Busy Chinese
City.
Little Sunlight Struggles Into the
Narrow Thoroughfares-Fun
Always Have the Right of Way.

Florence O'Driscoll, a member of the
English House of Commons, has an arti-
Gle, "In the Streets of Canton" in the
Century. 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, and, TO guard against
even these, shade-loving people had
hung mating overhead. This gave the
city the aspect Of huge struggling baZar
sheltered beneath great ragged roof
The thoroughfares in the older portions
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 between the
houses on each side.
The narrow ways were thronged with
tens OF thousands of people; looking
along them 1t 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 tho
thighs, carried, on each end of a six-ioot
SUCK, wafer, tirewood, and burdens of
various sorts; when an exceptionally
heavy load was to be carried, some four
coolles bore 1t, sIung on the middle OF a
bamboo, two at each end OF the pole.
PeddIerS carried their wares in baskets
Slung at each end of a stick, or in fiat
trays hung like an old-iashioned pair OF
scales, with the pole or beam on their
shoulders. 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
tnelr legs hanging out; and boxes, bales
and trays OF toys. Through the tnrong
exalted Cinnamon, fan in hand, in silkeu
gowns, with queues pendant far down
the back, made their slow way in dignity.
1here were plenty OF women and chill
dren also III the crowd, some of the
women hobbling 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 neshleSs skeleton supports COW
cred with wrinkled parchment skin,
and their legs seemed to be little better
than gnarIed and knotted stumps. Occa-
slonally an empty chair was seen in this
crowd or chair in which sat some man
DARN. with awning and delicately FASH
loned lattice blinds closely drawn, or q
man who haWked small wares or sweets
for sale, and carried in one hand a little
tlat metal plate and string with small
weight tied to one finger. With each
tWltch OF his finger clear, musical note
rang sharply in the air. Ping! ping
sounded his little gong. heralding his ap-
proach from long way oil. Who
knows? 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 O'Clock teas. Anon our pro-
gress was checked by a funeral process
sion, which struggled past us amid 4
blare of dlscordant trumpets, beating OF
gongs and screeching of stringed instru-
ments, the mourners bearing aloft paper
and tlnseI 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, a hat
shaped like fiat lamp-shade about two
feet across. y little cup-shaped wick ker
basket fixed underneath il held this Gov
erlng over their heads, and it served
more as sun and rain-shade for the BODY
than an actual head-coyering. Clerks.
merchants and Well-to-dO people carried
their queues loose, and were either bare
headed or covered with a black satin or
very fine black wicker skull-cap with a
coral button on the top.
Every one seemed busy; no one seemed
unhappy; each individual was polite
and prepared to make way tor another
10 keep to the right was the rule of the
road, rule strictly adhered TO, without
winch ali progress would have been i'm
possible. AS l looked along the crowded
way, could see always two long lines of
people III single file, passing one another.
and Keeping close 10 their respective
right SIDES. In places the streets 50 mar
rowed i'll that passers-by rubbed sb0ul-
ders. Every one stood aside for the pas
sage OF funeral or priestly procession,
alter which the acknowledged order of
precedence was first chair with a pas-
senger-though even this moved aside to
allow passage to the lowest class laborer
staggering beneath a heavy load-then
any person carrying a load, and lastly
those who were uneucum bered by bur
dens. mandarin on foot or a wealthy
merchant with richly embroidered
gown, moved aside to allow the cooiie
wood-carrIer to pass along uninter-
rupted. There were no policemen at cor
ners to regulate traffic; old-estabiished
custom, based on policy OF mutual OBJ
legation, took the place OF a man in blue.