The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-06
A BIRTHDAY IN CuINATowN.
New Light she'd ON The Life of the
Celestial Colony.
From The New York tribune.

From the New York Tribune
Persons who wander into Chinatown un-
der the guidance of detective and those
whose notions of that section of the city
are taken from highly colored fiction have
come to look upon it as region of iniqui-
IT, where the tinseled shops are only so
many blinds FOR Unseen vice. Give 4 dog
a had name" is an old proverb that finds
truth in modern times. Not long ago there
was a project on foot to wipe out a large
portion of Pen and Doyers streets for the
ostensib,e purpose of widening the streets.
II was argued al the time that the effect
of the move would be TO lessen crime.
Nothing has been heard of the project
lately.
The merchants Of Chinatown when APP
preached on the subject nonchalantly
shook their heads ana were mute. They
are astute, these Cinnamon, and their
seeming Indifference was probably based
upon an understanding of the slow moving
OF city machinery DOyers street and Pell
street still remain as they were; New
Workers in search of excitement may stll
80 looking for the vice they seldom see,
and the shops are open invtlngly with
arrays of grimcracks which may be
bought for about three times what they
are worth.
But there Is another side to the life in
Chinatown which the visitor rarely sees.
! The casual "dropper In" whose eyes are
open for something other than the seamy
side of life, Is at times more fortunate.
Such a one wandered into Pell street last
night. The stores were wide open. The
squeak of a fiddle was waited into the
street from a balcony, where brilliant
lights and much gliding indicated a Chi
nose restaurant The usual element was
abroad. In the doorways the hickerlng
lights threw charitable shadows on wan
faces Of unfortunate women. In the shops
the merchants smoked their pipes silently
or conVersed in low tones and dsconnect-
ed sentences. Every now and then sight
seer would stop to price some article, only
to be met with the question, You wanna
buy hm?" For the Chinese merchant IS
not verbose. and he dislikes unnecessary
talk. If you mean business he is all atten-
ton Convince him of that fact first, how
ever or he will give scant attention.
There was one merchant In Chinatown
| last night who was not attending to busi-
/ ness. Moy Tong had a weightier affair
on his mind than buying and selling, aHG
that the affair was of a pleasant nature
might be easily guessed by one glance into
! the shining yellow face. Moy longs shop
was crowded. The neighbors squeezed
| themselves into the little place in immi-
nent danger of losing their queues; for,
| though slow to anger, the Celestial is
abundant in wrath and methods of re-
| venge.
But Moy Tong. though taciturn by ma
| ture and little given to much talk, well
coined them all with an unctuous smile
He was happy, for little Moy Tong had
been looked upon with favor by the Chi
nese gods and had been spared to have
a birthday This was what caused the ex-
element in Chinatown last night-not
murder or vice, which is gaudily picA
tured there. but simple domestic incl
dent--llttle Moy longs birthday. The
| little Moy was gorgeous In new raiment
II was the blue of the skies, and the wee
leggings were embroidered in silver. He
wore a red turban, which, falling off as
the proud father raised him above the
crowd, displayed a closely cropped head
of ebony hair
The feature Of little Moy's toilet, how
ever was his footgear-patent leather
shoes American made, the first that have
ever been worn by a child in Chinatown.
Moy Tong pointed 10 them with pride.
What If some of the older men did shake
their heads obviously, suggesting that il
was a bad beginning for a little China
man! Moy Tong was satisfied; he had
prospered the gods had spared his boy
to be one year old, and after burning
many sticks of punk before the big idol
in the temple, he had gone forth to buy
shoes like the little Mclean men wear.
There was a great cake, too, shaped
like bird, with one candle. 10y knows a
baker In the Bowery, and to aim he had
conhded that little Moy was 10 have
birthday. Moy's neighbors eyed the cake
and the shoes suspiciousy, and shook
their heads some more. There Is some
talk of ostracising the Chinaman who
tempted fate and placed his only son in
Jeopardy of the wrath of the gods. But
as big Moy closed his shop his face
beamed complacently, and little Moy
sleeping on his arm, seemed to have no
/ fear of evil spirits.