Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-07-19
miD Tokos Fourtb Of July Kite,
A Remarkable Tale Of Race and loy,
in San Francisco.

1t is Fourth of July in San Fran
cisco. The clear blue sky, like a mani
moth bowl cut from one great tur-
Quois and turned over the town. is a
background for thousands of flags
floating from the roofs of public build
ingS and the windows of private pa
triotS. All the flags are big. Every
thing is on a large scale in California,
the fruit that is exposed for sale, the
great roses that cnamored youths are
buying for their adored ones. The
children are playing in the streets with
mighty torpedocs, that make an ex-
ploSion calculated to deafen one. Large
men, with ample ladies' on their arms,
may be seen in every direction. lm
menSe baskets are being borne to the
doors OF their customers by groccrS,
butchers and confcCtioners. Immense
suppers are to be given tonight, and
many happy returns of the glorious
Fourth will be drunk in rivers of
champagne. Everything is on large
scale but the Chinese. whose small
figures and alert movements are in
marked contrast to the bulk and size
of everything else on which the eye
falls.
In the arms of San Francisco sleeps
CHI town, the curious offSprings of
Old Cnina of which Americans think
that they know all that is to be known
because they can visit the shops and
go into all the SttanIe places, and, If
they are in the hunor, make them
selves sick with an opium pipe among
opium smoking Cinnamon.
Vain delusion. The secret soul of
the Chinaman remains hidden, here lii
Chinatown is in the fowery kingdom
No one will ever be able to guess what
he thinks or how much he knows
how wicked he is or how virtuous.
fancy that he is 1T once great deal
better and great deal worse than we
know, and that Il learned and wise
Chinese-who, by the way, does not
usually keep laundry-knows many
things which would curdle the blood
Of our scientists and make their flesh
creep, if he could be prevailed upon
to impart them; but that he never
will. The outside barbarian will re-
main in darkness for all his teaching.
He will never be the schoolmaster
abroad.
in his labora tory Lin Ham is at
work, putting the finishing touches to
material for the grand display, which
is to be an unusually fine one, and to
the work for several private eXhibi-
tons also. Lin liam is not an ordl.
nary dealer. He keeps no shop. He
executes orders for the favored few,
In each he puts II Surprise-an inven-
ton for the day. lis are the curious
boats, all made of colored fire, NOV
ing on the water, apparently by means
of stream of tire at the stern,
manned by little men in blue and gold
and crimson. and all going off in a
wonderful flash and whiz and sputter
at last. His are those cylinders which,
rising into the air discharge wonder
full sprays and stars and jewels sky
ward, while ut the same time fiery lit
tie aCrobats let tn nSelyeS earthward
by golden ropes Hpd only vanish as
they touch the ground. He was the
great green dragon that coilCd and
dartcd moonward and wrote "July"
across the sky before it changed into
the flag of our nation, which every
one so admired last Independence day.
Lin Ham has grown rich, 1t is said,
and certainly his costume and his
home indicate It, The table at which
he Is busy is miracle of carving. his
bronze utensils are highly decorated,
he uses implements of gold and silver
for some purposes Everything about
him is dainty. A screen, covered with
curious devices and heaven knows
what cabalistic characters. shields his
doorway from the gaze of the curious;
and across the middle Of the room runs
a bronze rod, from which swings what
may be either a sign indicating his
business or charm to Danish evil
spirits. or, as one never knows what
a Chinaman means, an invitation 10
the powers Of darkness to come TO his
aid Below this. an opalescent lantern
glitters in the sun.
Al present SDDleluluE llidl cLltiiH
very curiously is smoking and steam.
ing in queer fashion in what looks
like a little furnace, and Lin Ham
while still busy with his hands, twists
his head about and blinks up into the
face of a tall man in a curious. the
atrical costume who stands with his
bare arms folded on his chest, and
looks down upon him.
such things are costly" he says
II do not say that have anything Of
the sort. but II ! had. you would not
buy them. Min Toxic"
They are speaking In Chinese, for
Min Toxic. though not child Of Chin.
csc parents. has been brought up by
them. You car believe the story that
his father was Russian and his
mother a Tartar when you look / him.
A little Chinese boatwoman took him
from his dying mothers arms and
nursed him with her own, somewhere