Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-08-30
SOME ODD CUSTOMS.
OCCASIONALLY OBSERVED IN
THE LARGE CITIES.

THE LARGE CITIES.
The Yellow Man Of the Orient and Descendants
oi the Lost Tribes Of Israel, the Objects of
Comment-The Bride CarrIers-TaiI Biters
Tenth Men.
There are dozens of avocations car
ried on in great cities OF cosmopolitan
population, of which most people have
not the faintest conception. A few
days ago, in San Francisco, a China
man, hauled into court for selling lot
terry tickets created a laugh when he
testified that he was "solicitor for an
undertaken" Blt it was true. He is
literally the drummer for the largest
undertaking firm in Chinatown. His
methods are original. He has list,
to which he is adding constantly, Of
the sick and ailing people in the Chi
nese quarter. He keeps an eye on
them, and when one is likely to die he
tackles the victim while he is still OF
sound and disposing mind, sets before
him the advantages of his firm in
price, respectability and strictly up-to.
date funeral accessories and gets his
order before it is too late.
Another singular Chinese occupa-
ton is that of bride.carrier. There
are three women following this occu-
patton in San Francisco, and making
comfortable, if spasmodic, income.
The excuse for this trade is the Chi
nese custom of making the bride an
idler on her wedding day, forbidding
her either to walk or stand, and re-
quiring her to be carried from her
household to that OF her husband by
some one of her own sex. 1t would
perhaps be permitted that the brides
mother orr some of her female rela-
tions should perform this delicate at
tention, but of late this is considered
not at all "swell" among upper.class
Chinese and their imitators. The real
fashionable thing to do, and the lucky
one as we'll, is to have regular pro-
fessional with a reputation for luck
and a correct and inside knowledge of
the ceremonies to bc observed.
Then, whenever there are Chinese
in number, there is the prayer store,
whose owners make good living SELL
ing guaranteed prayers, written Oh
colored paper, and charms to the re-
ligious and superstitious among their
countrymen. Prayers for any pur-
pose and any occasion can be pur-
chased there; enough to insure the
eternal felicity of the most hardened
sinner can be obtained for dollar or
two. In addition, as the man at the
counter will assure you, there is not a
device of the devil that cannot be met
by some of the wax or paper charms
that they have displayed for sale.
An occupation that is not adver-
tised for fear of the Society for the
Prevention OF Cruelty to Animals is
that OF tail -biter." 1t is practiced by
an old dog trainer of the city, who
puts fighting dogs in condition as o
side line. The name speaks for itself.
1t is the fashion-a fashion started in
superstition, by the way--that all bull
dogs, bull terriers and fox terriers shall
wear their tails short. Until very re-
Gently there has been general belief
that the tail had to be, for the health
OF the dog, bitten off-literally bitten
off with the human teeth. Hence the
trade. The dog-biter takes the pup
when it is about two months old, Sc
lects the vertehrae between which he
intends to make the amputation,
wraps the appendage in cloths and
then bits it off as one would bite a
sprig of asparagus. His fee for each
amputation is from so cents to 81,
and he has a fair trade.
All BARRIERS, but few others, know OF
the occupation of "razor snapper"
The razor trader goes from place to
place with a stock of secondhand
blades, which he offers for trade. He
usually charges from So to so cents
boot, but will compromise on 10 cents
He never gives boot, and therefore the
boot money is always clear. 1t will be
seen that, if man makes score OF
trades day, as many do, the profits
are fair.
Then there is the little negro boy
who haunts the places where sporting
men congregate and makes 10 times
the money that he could make by
blacking boots and selling papers on
the strength of his reputation for
being mascot. 1t is supposed that
to touch his bare head is to insure
luck at the races for the whole day.
He has his regular fee-40 cents for
ladies, % cents for men, and bonus
if his patron wins on the track that
day. He requires his pay strictly in
advance, and gives no credit.
Every reader of Israel ZangwilPs
Ghetto stories is familiar with the
operations of the schadchan, the walk
ing matrimonial agent of the Jewish
quarter, in the big cities of the East
and Europe. The schadchan makes
it his or her business to watch the
youths and maidens of manageable
age and project matches. When he
has found two hearts that he thinks
should be mated, he generally hangs