The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-07-19

va+er hut II Is really a balcony built out
sari-circularIy from the grounds, where
err view is gotten Of mountain, sea ana
town. The place was forsaken for long
time and the mission talked OF buying II
for a senatorium for the missionaries OF
Southern China but a wealthy merchant
saw his opportunity and bought II Tor 5000
more than the mission offered
4 Glimpse OF Ii.
From Canton Mrs. Patton writes In one
Of her letters:
Iii Hung Chang esae into town yester-
day. There was not a great demonstration.
Directly opposite US was stationed a gun
boat. with relocated soldiers drawn Up In
array and firing salutes. The vessels NOV
ed majesticaIIy and slowly. each directly
behind the other, and each trimmed elab-
orately with flags. Ii came with an IL
mense retinue Of servants, etc, and SOL
diers."
In another letter Mrs Patton says that
in the harbor at Canton are over b'lf
million people who live in wretched litele
Households. little open rOwbOats. with
circular covering over part of them. In
these boats people are born, live, and die.
and know no other life.
The streets N Canton, she writes. are
]
that the demons may not be able to walk
in them.
Hero is her description Of some Of her
| Chinese neighbOrs:
Across the street is q house where. Just
| inside the front door, is a pen with six Or
EMU, IN il. The family live in thIs
room and il. k Of IL They have no
| light or air except what comes through the
room or what might struggle through the
| back The floor Of the house is dirt, ard It
seemingly has 10 furniture. The house IS
no better than one OF our stables. T. is
! only a sample OF the houses Of the r5ople
of Canton. for this is in the midst Of a
row of several Of the same kind. The little
! children come out Of the doors calmly
shoveling their rice out OF a bowl with their
/ chOpsticks only stopping TO stare at Us as
we pass. There are absolutely no COM
forts in the homes Of the rich-the lives
Of the poor are dreadful. The streets ara
/ parlor. duing-room, and often sleeping
room for many"
A Chinese Wedding.
THE river has been excited all day."
she writes at another time. In the first
| place there is a large wedding going on.
and the boats, futtering with red flags.
have been out all last night and all day
today. These boats contain the wedding
/ party and band Of music consisting OF an
| instrument which resembles a bagpipe in
sound, but is some kind OF a flute, and a
large sheet Of brass, Two large gunboats
went down this afternoon shrieking syren
whistles and firing salutes- The vessels
were hung with flags and full OF soldiers
quite an imposing and awe-inspiring
sight"
She describes in detail in another letter
r1~ol rto~ -, h.,
| chapel. Both bride and groom had been
| Christianized. and had adopted many
| American customs, but there is still enough
| that is Chinese in the affair to make il
| different from the ordinary wedding. Mrs.
| Patton writes that she played the wedding
march, so that the bride entered to the
strains of 'Lohengrin" and left the chapel
| to the strains of Mendelssohn, but the
| bride was sufficiently bound by Chinese
customs to enter By the womans side Of
| the building, while the groom entered by
the side reserved for the men.
The groom is a graduate of me[ical
| school and is now the physician to -oT-
eigL corporation in China The briGe at
the time of her marriage was a medical
student.
The groom was very wealthy, so spared
no expense He furnished his own trous-
seau, and, according to, the Chinese Gus
tom. paid for the wedding gown of the
bride. The bride had the privilege Of pay
ing for the grooms shoes
This was the welding dress: Maroon
satin trousers. all heavily edged with deep
embroidery of gold thread and birds Of
paradise. There were several coats, all to
De worn at the same time-one Of pink silk.
with embroidery of lavender and blue;
one of blue broeade. with heavy embroid-
cry; then over all, hiding this elegance, a
maroon satin coat, heavily embroidered 10
match the trousers 1t was all beautiful.
Each garment had the character for happi-
II