The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-13
GIFTS TO THE GODS.
r1;rese Residents Celebrate
Their New Years.
oay JOSS HOUSE IN SEATTLE.
80 II Is and what IL Contains
-Tne Japanese, Too, Have
a Celebration.

-. Chinese residents OF fhs city ere
..r~~.tnv the New Year. Usually the
- are kept W about tmo weeks.
= = sss eshirsansan with a humorous sarrs
- aurtiI ali the money gave out This
- there : = scarcity Of the needfal. 50
~r,eramne will not LAST more than
- fsays al the outside Everybody "a
- koows al about how the Cinnamon
- n vast Sims OF money on this ccca-
- r. FIRE and smoke. II yet remains 10
= ,etd that there IS a regular Joss house
: fh@ heart o. the city. In this temple CO
ss.~ssso tire CninamAn places his gifts 10
=. ca Of his country and peogie. and wish
81 The reverence ihaas '''Anis oo"s before
- altar
rterr ia fhfg house and how Ia IL
.s~s.~sg X il not easily found without a
Ia Even IL person was placed In fhe
- hqEldsng where II Is located and Was
$50 told to go ahead and hunt out the OBJ
- ef bis search. hs would get weary Of
tura.nx corners. going through small doors
- pannping up against chlnamsn at the
~sss unexpected places. Through the
t1rtaess Of Harry Lake. who visited over
sv~svs Chinese shops TO get some infor-
..asSon a Post-IrteillgeBcer reporter vas
.sssls9 10 get within the joss house last
.swhs II is located on the second or third
a. OF q building that faces the west on
a. alley between Yesler way ard Wash
-vfsn street and Fourth and Firth avenues
ssaff. The building il a wooden structure.
fz.~sy well made. bar now a typical Chi
80 leaging house. There used 20 be JOSS
tazs@ or temple in the attic. bat II has Dis
.na~ared and In its place Is found the one
sls.ssd last evening Entrance IS made
s..rssssA an ordinary door. Once inside. the
.raisesr suddenly becomes aware OF the
fxxt that the room is larger than he expect
= woald appear that some Masonic society
{ zscussomed 10 meet In the same room.
a. the left IS the altar. II is peculiar
x4sI. and extends about ten feet from the
xsH In reality there are three
srearate affairs. each distinct from
- other. On the first, which
q close up 10 the wall. is
me picture OF the Chinese god. more
sroperiy gods. because there was large
eenfral figure with two others less promi-
cent In front of the picture was a sort OF
large glass tumhler. nearly full of some
,xht-coiored oil. out OF the oil stuck "a
WICK that gave feeble light. Under
shis light was a large bowl. I'm which
mnsaI wood was burning. The odoF
reached ever nook and corner Of the room.
On the second altar were large vases in
which were placed different kinds OF OBJ
bets. worked with beads and deeked with
frashers. The sight Of these peculiar
fhings made one think OF II Hung chang'a
many decorations. that left him one by
one when the fortunes OF war were going
against him. The third altar was empty.
bat AT the commencement of the celebra-
ton II was fairly loaded down with oran-
ess candies. nuts. cakes and numerous
ether things that the Chinese cooks think
viii please Sometime yesterday all the
estatles were taken from this altar and
placed on tables. on the floor In front OF
Che third altar are placed two small mats.
and when a Chinaman enters the room he
walks 10 one OF these and makes n bow.
AL the same time he makes a motion with
both hands. just as boy does when about
to dive into the water. The walls OF the
room are covered with papers on which
are Chinese inscriptions, and theirs are
banners. At one side of the room Ia lit
Tie god all by it's lonesome. The exact
meaning OF Il could not be figured out. and
the Cinnamon present talked too poor En-
elish TO make II clear.
IT every Chinese store last evening the
visiting cards were as thick as they are In
Washington City on our New Years day.
Tea drinking was the fashion, and every
enc who could make both ends meet paid
bis debts.
The amount OF firecrackers set OF could
ret be estimated but one string alone
lasted twenty minutes. That was the king
pln explosion. or succession of explosions,
Of the day.
While the Cinnamon commenced to have
good time yesterday. the japanese went
fhem one better by finishing the evening
hsfore. Their celebration was that OF the
accession to the throne OF the first en-
perur. go II. c., and the adoption OF the
constitution February II. 1SSa. meeting
was held IN the basement OF as Jefferson
tsFeet and about nifty people were present.
CHAIRMAN kawara had the meeting IA
charge. First came a Song and then the
sadehee gave the national cry. 'sTakaky
fAaxai. three times. Translated IL means,
Our country forever They also gave
he cry. "renno hoka hanzai." which
nsAHs, Our emperor forever"
The programme was as follows: PRAYER
~ Nakayana. secretary OF the Japanese
I " {. A; speech BY Yamaguchi. stu
cent al the university; Bible reading by
hTuther hurosawa. saiutatien by Brother
sneAassnla. national hymn. "Kimiga Yo."
~ onartette. Brother Kuvosawa organ
%. eene1iction by Nakamura.