The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-26
CHINATOWN AT SAN FRANCISCO.
sights That Are Not Pretty-The
Chinese TheRter John and
His Child.
From the washington Post.

HIS child.
From the Washington Post.
What the stockyards of Chicago are 20
the visiting Englishman, Chinatown is
to the tours. in California, but even about
Chinatown the average San Franciscan
is as densely ignorant as he is about
the far side of the moon. and the things
he does know about It differ so utterly in
the mouths of any two of him that 1t is
quite hopeless to try to find out the exact
truth. In point of situation. the Chinese
possess the best part of the city. and de-
spite the almost incredibly crowded state
OF that quarter and the dirt and filth in
which the Chlnaman delights, it is a re-
markedly healthy place. II has bazaar
after bazaar for the sale OF goods imported
or made for the benefit of the souvenir
seeking tourist. and, indeed, most of Chi
natown, has the air OF a kind of midway
exhibition, arranged entirely for the sight
seer. The place is overrun with guides.
who for few dollars may visit you to see
all the sights. You may visit opium dens,
where aged and Incredibly wrinkled Chi
namen give exhibitions of their skill IN
rolling the opium pill-which smells pre-
cisely like a roasting peanut IL is heat
ed over the lamp-and of their ability
to inhale the smoke, retaining II an I'M
imagined while. Obviously they expect
visitors, and they tax each newcomer
to see their dens in operation. Last night.
in dark corner of one of the few under
ground human hives the police have left
In Chinatown. we came upon manor
the remnant of what was once a man
whose speciality l sincerely hope cannot
be duplicated anywhere on earth. He
lay half asleep on a broken table, ill
aroused by the officer in plain clothes,
who by the courtesy of the chief of police
enabled us to escape from the beaten
track the guide leads one on. His dun
eyes caught sight of strangers, and his
mind turned to the chance of gain.
only two bits" he said ''Only two
bits, and I'll show you how do IT,"
And the 'tt' he did-weil for two bits
he offered us the privilege OF seeing him
Inject hyperdermic syringe fun of per
cent cocaine into an arm already so scar
red and scanned that 1t scarcely seemed
part of any human thing
1t is his hideous means of a livelihood,
and there was a sort of loathsome pride
in his voice as he said he had already
used 50 cents worth OF cocaine that night.
As we passed on, he sank back into his
corner, waiting to repeat his repulsive act
for the next visitor
The Chinese theater alone OF all the
sights of Chinatown seems spontaneous.
and is, Enthusiastically, conducted as much
for the sake OF the Chinese who frequent
II as for the delectation of the sight-seer.
II is dirty, bare hall, with floor which
! is nightly crowded with Cinnamon, al
ways with their hats on, and gallery
where the women and children sit, for
children in Chinatown seem never to
sleep. The Chinese must be as imaglna-
tive as children to enjoy the plays that
go on there every night in the year. We
happened in just at point in the play
where a mandarin and, his slave made up
their minds to take boat ride. The man
DARN rode down to the river on a horse.
You could tell that, because he carried
whip.
He paused in the center of the stage,
while the orchestra at the back of the
bare platform banged and fiddled away
each at his own sweet will, and the boat
man entered lie was dragging car
and he rolled like a sailor he walked.
for, you see, he was supposed to be row.
/ ing his boat down the stream. The man
/ DARN bargained with him. and then, lift
! ing his robe-on which the embroidery
fairly made my mouth water-took two
| steps into the imaginary boat followed by
| his slave, whereupon the boatman and
his two passengers logged off the stage
by the o. p. door, where an exit is al
way made.
Later the three entered by the prompt"
entrance, and having finished his journey,
the mandarin quarreled violently con-
corning the fee demanded, and ended by
throwing the unfortunate boatman into
the river. He lay still for perhaps a min
ute, and then, being as dead as he could
ever expect to be in that scene, rose and
walked off. feeling. no doubt, that he had
nobly earned his daily portion of the $l9
he receives every month for his services.
After that the play went on. and doubt
less is still going on with all its dearth
of scenery. its lack of construction, and
it's primitive stage management for a
Chinese play seems never to end and
never to begin.
One cannot walk through Chinatown
without seeing that whatever vices the
"Chink" has, he has one redeemng fea-
ture-he dearly loves his children In the
streets, In the theater In the josshouses.
one man in every score is carrying a
gaily dressed child and handling 1t with
the greatest pride.