San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-01-09
CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS.
Mongolians in New York = Fun-Lovins
People.

People.
The Chinese are fun-loving people,
in spite of their general air of indiffer-
ence in the presence of strangers They
race up and down stairs, or sometimes
through the streets, on a frolic, every
man laughing until he is out of breath,
pulling cues, stealing hats, and play
ing all manner of practical jokes on one
another. recently heard a great COM
motion in Doyers street on a hot Sun
day afternoon when the street was
crowded with Cinnamon, and, fearing
trouble, hurried hastily to the place,
only to find one man, the butt of another
mans joke, trying to get away from
his pursuer, while about 500 laughing
men joined in the fun, and finally adj
ministered good-natured justice to the
perpetrator of the joke. At another
time on Sunday afternoon 1 heard
sudden outcry and scuffling overhead,
and the running of scores of feet. L
ran into the hall, fearing that the build
ing was on fire, and with a sickening
dread at my heart for the italian chill
dren in Bethany Sunday school, which
was then in session in the mission
rooms. I saw a man coming down.
stairs and asked him what was the mat
ter With .shrug of infinite disdain.
he remarked: "Oh, my people too
muchee laugh" and passed on his way.
1t was only school-boy joke played by
one group of men on another, followed
by a general melee, in which shouts
and laughter, and the incessant clatter
of wooden soles on board floors, made
us think of "pandemonium let loose"
Some of the keenest and purest hui
NOR and some of the wittiest sallies I
have ever heard have fallen from the
lips of Cinnamon in lower New York.
I we'll remember the amused and con-
temptuous look with which a China
man once said: "Melican man sayee
(understand) Chinaman ale same
number one fool. Chinaman savee Mel
lean man allie same. Chinaman every
time gette top side Mclean man
which does not contain a reference to
pugilism, but merely means that in a
battle of wits the Chinaman "sees
through" the American man, and will
come out on stop side" They are
very quick at repartee, and their black
eyes will sparkle with amusement and
fun if you jest with them, or when
they start the ball rolling among them
selves.
They dwell together for years in the
same apartments, happy and comfort
able. They minister to one another in
sickness, bury a relative or neighbor
when dead without calling on public
charities for help, and in the case Of
relative assume the support of the
dead man when he is gone. These peo-
people-these much deHded people
spend hours together in one another's
apartments, conversing together, eat
ing together, sometimes smoking the
long water-pipe, always with a pot of
steaming tea between them. In two
years have seen thousands of such
groups, but never yet have 1 found
these men drinking liquor together.
I have found them playing cards
sometimes, but not always, gambling;
have found them playing their musical
instruments, which are harmonious to
them, however much they may lack Of
melody to other ears; or have found
them reading or discussing the last
Hong Konk or Shanghai daily; but
repeat have never found them drink
ing liquor, or in any degree under the
influence of intoxicants.
The Chinaman celebrates his we'd
ding, not by a drunken carousal, but
by the finest feast that his pocketbook
can command, to which not only his i'm
mediate relatives are invited, but all
who have the slightest claim of friend
ship upon him. A Chinaman who was
recently married in Mott street gave
three large feasts in as many res
taurants, entertaining several hundred
people at each, before he had gone the
round of his acquaintance and friends.
Yet this man was not one of the most
prosperous ones A child's birthday is
likewise celebrated with a feast, the
wife entertaining her friends in the
family home, while her husband enter
tains his friends at his place of busi-
ness or in a public reetaurant--Helen
2. Clark, in Century.