St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-04-04

ChiIdfen-Dcbtm "a ~ OAAucbC HhDtWOEs
prom our regular correspondent.
To THE CALIFORNIAN:
Are your readers interested in the
Chinese, that quaint people whose
mode of life is almost Numerically
opposed to ours? If so, perhaps
they will be glad to read something
IN YOUR columns about life in Bos-
toms Chinatown.
There are now in New England
about 10000 Chinese, mostly young
men, 5000 Of the number being 10.
Gated in greater Boston. They are
engaged in various pursuits, chief of
which, OF course, is the laundry bust.
ness. do not know the number of
Chinese laundrymen in Boston, but
in some portions OF the city nearly
every block has its laundry in which
two or three or more bequeued gen
tlemen may be seen busily engaged
at the ironing-board night and day.
There are several Chinese restau-
rants in Boston. most of them 10.
Gated in Harrison avenue, the center
of Chinatown. These restaurants
are gorgeously decorated, red, the
lucky hue, being the prevailing color.
The tables are inlaid with mother
o'pearl, as are the tabourettes which
are used in place of chairs. Tea is
served in tiny handleless cups. Chop
sooy is favorite dish with Ameri-
can people who, from curiosity con-
corning the little brother from over
the seas, visit these eating houses.
Chop sooy is combination of stewed
meats and vegetables, including bean
or bamboo sprouts, in which the
taste and odor of onions is very dis.
tinct. This is served with a piquant
sauce. On the whole, it is not un-
pleasant to the palate. Other arti-
ticles served are bar lowgay, ye mein
and other incomprehensible dainties.
The Chinese are very tenacious OF
their own customs, especially in the
matter of food, much of which is i'm.
ported from China and all cooked
and served, as nearly as possible, in
the style adopted by their ancestors
The Chinese New Year, their only
holiday season, occurs in the latter
part of January and the functions
attendant upon the celebration Of
that event extend over a period o.
from two weeks to month. The
hair is not combed during those two
days, as that is considered symbo
of mourning-a wife leaving her hair
unbranded as sign of sadness if hei
husband dies. They give themselves
up to feasting, in the belief that il
will insure them abundance of fooC
in the fear to come. No one works
but all exert themselves to have tht
gayest possible time.
When a Chinaman becomes 6
"Christian" and sometimes before h
cuts off his queue, substitutes for hi
loose shirt and baggy trousers al
American costume, dons Derby ha
4 loften much too large for him), en-
cases his little feet in pair of leathe
Fl shoes, and thenceforward consider
himself every inch a gentleman.
though his first appearance in thi
+ garb gives him a very bashful feeling
Several churches in the city hav
4 Bible schools for these men on Sun
days and they eagerly attend ant
learn with pleasure to read the Bible
4 Primers are used in which the Chi
nese words and the correspondent,
B English are side by side. 1t is a some
what remarkable fact that nearly al
OF the young men who come here ca
read in the Chinese language, as tn
4 lower classes in China are not usual
taught this. There are also mission
where a school is held week night
aSwel as Sundays.
Y A hospital on small scale ha
been started for poor Cinnamon, o
oxford street, physician and nurs
kindly giving their services either FIRE
OF charge or for very small remur
E Grafton.
E There are sixteen Chinese wome
IN Boston. They are seldom see
outside their homes, never, unles
accompanied by some one of the mil
siionary ladies who work in that POI
tlon OF the city. The Chinese won
en- are not highly esteemed anon
tnelr own people and their lives al
necessarily narrow and restricted
come of these have bound feet an
lhe poor little ladies suffer, even ate
many years, much discomfort froi
(M lulS C0nHiiinsn DnnAo., Lnn