The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-03-28

| cation, but is a private letter received
Lily Mrs. J. j. Jackson, of ,Pittsboro, from
ther nephew, DR.. George G. Worth, who
| with his Wife went as ,miss:oparies TO
China aboht two years ago. ,......
Wusih, China, Feb %, 1897,
Yesterday. was the ,Chipese New Year
and as / utterly failed to keep the good
resolutions / made the first Of January,
l think, i Will make a fresh, stagt and, see
if | can't do better this time. have
written very few letters for, the past
year outside Of my weekly home letters
and consequently / am in debt to nearly
all my friends. Again and again | have
made up my mind to go TO work and an
swer the many letters that it has been
such a pleasure to receive, burt with so
many before me l did not know where
10 begin. and have usually done some
thing else and have not begun at all.
T. This New Year season is one of the most
interesting of The whole year; it is the
busiest time for business men, and the
happiest time for beggars. All business
is settled up and all bills PAID before the
New Year if possible, otherwise the
debtors credit is bad during the entire
year following. The narrow streets are
crowded with people for days before, and
tailors and dry goods dealers are as busy
as can be making the fine holiday clothes
that will be worn at this time. The
pawn shops too carry on II lively trade,
for very many who cannot afford to buy
new clothes Will rent them from the
pawn shop-pay their New Year calls in
style and then return TO their own old
often ancient garments.
\ great, deal OF idolatrous, worship is
pract;ced at this time, and rs it is always
accompanied by frecrackers the air has
been full Of them for week or more.
. The night before the New Year Is the
busiest time of all and many Of. the pco-
pie are up All night, retiring AT dayPreak.
AS we went out on the street early IN the
morning it seemed very strange 10 find
it deserted where, the day before, it had
been sWaTming with people, Every house
|. was ,harre1 and boIted and, On each door
/ was, j little buneh OF cedar. :, This is
an Old, custom having this origin. !, \
certain EMPEROR. once went, out among
:, his people in disguise. he stopped III one
: house, and. whiR, there ,askeI, the people
;, their opiniQn Of their. ruler; .they, .1ot
t knoWWinig HIM. gave him such, ]. bad aac-
count of himself that. lie became very an
cry. ana on leaving ordered. his servant
: to m!irk the house that he might sepd
next day and have then. executed, The
servant marked Che house ~ taeking a
: piece Of cedar on the door. When he
F.. returned home ne told his wife what he
had done and She sent out d servant who
put cedar On all the doors in the neigh
, borhood, and when the Emperor's sol
diers came they could net tell which was
2 the guilty family. Ever since that time
/ it has been the custom for everyone TO
I, use the cedar.
Our house is on a canal and just oppo-
site is a large open field with a good
bank Here about twenty or twenty-five
fishing boats tied up two or three days
ago to spend their New Year Each boat
: is the home OF five or Sin persons,
though we could scarcely see how two
! could turn around in IT, This morning
;. early every. man got on the bow of his
J boat and after shooting Il few frecrack-
,ers they each set, fire to bundle.Gf straw
= and then simultaneously, pushed off from
shore.- their wives standing in the stern
and mana ging the oar AS they left the
banksd each man took his bundle of
:. burning straw and waved 1T all arOtind
the bow and each side of the boar, scar
ing away The devils VINO might bti turk
!. ing there tdfgiveo them bad luck. This
done They threw the burning stumps
on the shore or in the water and left the
place, those who were not yet ready TO go
: away anchored in midstream They
have made good start for the year and
cannot again touch the bank until they
have made a journey | suppose. The
: bows of the boats nearly always have
small pieces of red paper stuck on them,
, !, and little strips of red cloth tackled on
; these are renewed at, the New Year. The
god Of the boat is, supposed 10 reside
; in. the bow and many, of the boatmen will
not let q woman step over the bow 1t is
!, very sad thing to think OF all the mil
y lions of dollars that have been. wasted in
j China this week in firecrackers and in
censeland paper money and paper clothes
J II that ghaye been burnt while so many
II thousands DIRE suffering from the cold and
~ starving for want Of view dashi worth
lof rice. ic; cG @i1 nl:i s93t
n we have not many friends here Yet
a among the rich people, but one family,
> the wea1thiest here have been Very friend
/ ly ard have exchanged many. visits with
: us. They happen to be the owners OF
= one of our houses here and IN that way
, we got acquainted with. them, The
e family consists OF twa, brothers and two
0 unmarried sisters; the older brother has
5 large family but we have had very lit
e tie to do with them, though they all live
4 in one house; but when a,thQpse has two
5 ! hundred rooms and courts and. porches
q innufneFable gQn can understand; that il
s would beasfry easy TO see part OF a fam
d lilly oRlyn One of the sisters cam4speak
f. a little English, she learned it in ,Eng-
81 land>%here she and her mother went five
D. or si2gyears ago with their father who
e. was minister from China to England
J <. She and her mother were theffirst Chinese
-; lads ever presented 10 Queen Victoria
!, and she has copies OF the London paper,
0 telling Of the great eventand gitingftheir
/. pictures! Since their return to China
n the father and mother have both died
: The younger brother was married last
& month and we all received large imposing
LIZ tag.E sfsUF 4ttE M