The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-29
CEMETERY FOR CHINESE.
Odd BuryinR Ground of the Quaker
City CeiestinIs.

i
Odd BuryinR Ground of the Quake
| City Csiestinls.
PHILADELPHIA. Oct 2S.-The China
man who dies in this city is buried in an
old. grey cemetery in Passyunk Avenue. SO
far down town that he who stands on tip
toe there may discern in the distance the
| oil tanks. squat and brown, of the Atlantic
Refining Company at Point Breeze. The
| cemetery has In its aspect something for
bidding Trees and grass grow there, but
| they look unreal and dry. They resemble
the trees and grass one sees on the stage
The city's dust and smoke sitting down
upon them year after year have MADE
them old. The grass is coarse and harsh
and the trees droop.
A space of about fifty square yards in
the farthest corner OF the cemetery. over
against the fence of weatherbeaten pine
boards. has been set apart for the Chinese
burying ground. The graves, placed close
together, number. 1t may be. seventy-five.
Each has little headstone. but no foot
stone. and on the headstone of white mar
Bile is inscribed. in English usually, the
dead mans name. together with some SEN
fences in Chinese characters, descriptive
Of his life.
There was nothing impressive. nothing
stately or sad about the funerals Of those
enigmatical beings who sleep in the Chi
nese burying ground. Three or four cabs
drove at a good pace to the cemetery and
group Of Cinnamon. talking and laugh
ing. stood beside the new grave. With
them. perhaps. were a couple Of young
women-young white women. little fire
was built, handful Of pink powder was
thrown on the fame. and a heavy smoke
arose and the odor OF incense filed the
air. The coffin was lowered into the grave.
A roast duck in platter lay upon the lid.
One Of the dead mans friends handed to
the grave diggers the small light tomb
stone that he had carried from Race Street
under his arm, and the grave diggers set
the stone in place and began to throw
the heavy earth in shoveffuls down on the
resounding coffin. Then tho mourners
lighted cigarettes and long-stemmed pipes
OF bamboo with tiny metal bowls. and. al
ways chattering they departed slowly,
lingeringly, like those who regret the end
ing OF holiday which has been pleasant.
Thus were celebrated the last rites Of
Lee Yum. Maj Good Moy. N. G. Suong. Lee
kee YUM. Lee Coon, Yiu Min Mok. Wong
Sing Coon, Lee He Sill. Dong Hoy, Lee
zee Jung, Louis Gung. Eng Fung Hong.
Eng Hong Fcng, Eng Dew Calk, Lee Tong,
Charlie ]. Fay, and Eng Lite. There Is
always something amusing in a Chinaman's
name. Dew Calk. for instance, or Sing
Coon, or Dong Hoy. have something laugh
able and absurd about them. The first part
Of Chinese name, though-the Lee, the
Eng. the Wong-is the name. not of the
person bearing it, but of the beneficial So
ciety or company to which he has belonged
The Chinese inscriptions On the tombs
in the old cemetery were carved by a
stone cutter. who lives at Seventh and
Christian Streets. The Chinaman who
orders a headstone from him always
brings along a sheet of pink paper on
which the inscription for the stone is
per on the slab. and cuts the inscription
through it, following the complicated
Chinese characters with care.
Most OF the Inscriptions are brief
They give merely the dead mans
name and company, and the date and
place Of his birth ard death. Some,
though, go further than this. and in
simple manner, not without pathos, mar
ate the histories of them they comment
'rate. Chinese is a compact writing
ongue; the well-known Confucian saying,
or example, do not to others what you
would have others do to you,' makes but
me character. or letter: and it is, hence.
possible to say much in brief fashion Oh
! Chinese tombstone.
Over the grave Of Yiu Min Mok this 3
said; ''Yiu Min Mok 1899. Age thirty
four. He was born in Canton, and at the
Ige of twenty-five came thence to Amsri-
"a. hoping in three years to put by
sufficient sum to return home and marry
'ui-tsi, young girl But life was
onely for him in this foreign land. ard
lie began ere long to smoke opium ex-
.essively. Therefore, he accumulated no
savings. and he forgot that Fui-tsi who
waited him in the Province of Canton.
Habits of vice caused him to die, too
,arly penniless, but on his deathbed the
Of the young Fui -tsi came very
orcibly before him. causing him to veeo.
and, weeping. he babe that there be writ
en- on his tomb the words which. in ODE
Hence to his wishes appear here, just i'll
he order as he said. For he hop5d thst
,thers. reading these words, would con-
lemn him duly. and have compassion en-
fui-tsi, whatever may have been lie:
ate, and would take thought on tlieir
,wn lives. lest they. tso, be wasted. and
sorrow to themselves and to those hav-
ng faith in them
On another tomb is inscribed: Born in
Iui-chau. 1912. Died in Philadelphia. 1851.
zee Kai Mong. There was no son mora
iithtul than this man. or the fourteen
cars of his life here. he sent home to his
ged parents 81 a week out Of an income
{ s1e He was his parents only support,
nd now that he is dead no enc can say
no will look after them"
One of the graves is unique among all
ne others in that a pTofusion of white and
ed flowers grows over 1t. with green vine
,ndrils creeping up the white marble or
lie headstone.
To this little cemetery. with its seventy
VIC graves an undertaker's man comes
DIV and then and digs up a Chinanan's
lnes. which he ships home TO Canton
rovince Each body. seven or eight years
ter death, is sent home in this way by
lie company to which. in life. the man
mself belonged. The grave is then used
II another body while the little tomb
one. with its queer Chinese inscription.
given to the keeper of the cemetery.
no uses it for COMMUNICATING or for
,ving purposes. II Is these removals Of
lie bones of the dead that keep the ceme-
,ry from becoming overcrowded.