Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-12
HAP Ply, EW YEAR
This is a Pretty Good Day for China.
men.
They Are Several Thousand Years
Ahead Of Us and This is the
First of the Year.

This is New Year day according to the
Chinese calendar, and the four or five hun
dred moon-eyed celestials who make WASH
ington their temporary abiding place are
celebrating the festival in fitting manner.
Chinaman no washee today. Chinaman
have good time allie samee if he was China.
But there is a shade of sadness on The
visages of the orientals today, for they
cannot but think what a good time their
relatives and friends are having in China.
New Year day is perhaps the greatest
festival Of the whole year i'm the flowery
kingdom. In China the celebration lasts
for the better part Of month, and no
man goes back TO work SO long as he can
help it. In Washington it is heap big
day, but tomollow go back to wash tub
allie samee no New Year, allie samee yester-
day. Have velly good time. Dring heap
lot tea, eat candy, pay calls, Feily good
Chinaman starve. Oh. but New York,
San Francisco; heap lot Cinnamon there:
have good time, just like China. No
Chinatown Washington. Not velly good
city. .-.s
Happy New Year" said Mr.. Tuck Che
ong, as Star reporter dropped into his
store this morning to pass the compliments
Of the day. Now Mr.. Tuck speaks English
as though to the manner born, and ii were
vain to write him down in Pidgin English.
Have a glass of wine with me. You my
caller. I'm host today: you drink with
me-"
Thereupon Mr.. Tuck poured out glass
Of rice wine. which was smooth, oily
liquor, extremely pleasant to the taste and
apparently mild and harmless. But one
cannot always be certain about Chinese
liquors. Sometimes one thinks he has been
drinking bit Of sugar and water and
half hour later he feels as though he had
been inGulsing in some concentrated dy-
Mantle. and forthwith he is in imminent dam
20 firey hnn M
particular brand OF rice wine, however,
had no such dangerous effect.
Continuing. Mr.. Tuck explained that New
Year with the Chinese is very much the
same as IT is With the Americans. They
like to get together TO wish each other the
very best of good luck during the COM
ing twelve months, the some-thousandth
year since something or other. They ex-
change New Year cards with the good
wishes hand-p 1inted on paper Of a bril-
liant shade of red. but otherwise looking
for all the world like a wash bill.
In each house kettle of tea is kept hot
and ready for all visitors who may drop in
to call. II one wishes TO be in the very
hest of form, he takes present for his
host VIXEN he goes to make a call, some lit
tie trifie appropriate to the season. and
when. later in the day, his visit is returned.
his caller brings something with him rs
well, so that by the close of the day the &C.
counts will about balance.
In one corner of Tuck'S room was BIZ,
table spread with all sorts of silk and pa
per articles, fans, imitation birds and
fishes and other things of the same SORT.
The collection was increased every time a
caller dropped in. These articles may have
had some mystic import, bat by the I'M
initiated they might easily have been mis-
taken for collection of favors for a West
End german.
In the ere Chinese restaurant elaborate
preparation rs were being made, for new
year day is essentially feast day. and it
is pretty poor Chinaman who feels that
| he cannot blow himself off for a big dinner
| today. Ducks and salad and SOY and curl
Gus nuts and pre- served fruits imported
| from China, queer-tasting dishes, but all
| right IL you like them and do not inquire
| too closely into the nature of the ingre-
| dents. These are always the staple dishes
| but it is doubtful if even the President
| would recognize a duck when 1t IL pre-
| pared for the table by Chinese chef. But
| allie ssmee. it's a velly great day. Have
| heap good time; eat heap big dinner; pay
| heap lot calls; smoke allie time: great day.