The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-13
a KANsAN IN CHINATOWN.

Ed Howe. in Vacation Notes" ia the
! Atchisoa Globe.
! The guide took us 10 : Chinese theater
! in San Francisco and We followed him up
/ on the stage. although the performance
/ vas In progress at the time. One OF the
srpernumerartes brought chairs and we
SAT down within few feet Of the actors
II seemed a strange custom, but the
I guide said il was all right. The actors
proceeded with the play paying no atten-
ton 70 US nor did the Chinese in the
audience. Occasionally when the villain
turned 10 leave the stage. after Z burst Of
Indignation. he would find members OF
our party in the way, and politely go
I around.
This is IN old subject. and you proba-
bly, know that in their thsaters. the Chi
nese do not use scenery. The performance
taxes place on raised platform. and
the accessories are brought out from
time to time. - they are needed. The
orchestra sits behind the actors. ard con
sists OF two players on one string I'D
dies, and two tom-.Cm players. The
leader plays a one string fiddle. changing
occasionally to q pair Of cymbalS which
h. crashes together with great vfso-.
These brass crashes, I imagine take the
place Of sneak music. The female
characters were taken by small men.
made up 10 represent women as the Chi
nese have no actresses. They dor be-
l.eve in It: 7 don't Know why. and didn't
take enough interest IN the theatcr 10
ask. Il j. said the Chinese actors arc
locked upon as a low class. and the san
francisco company Of sixty lodges III tn
theater building 50 the story goes. They
are not allowed On the streets. bat 1naliy
join some u the Chinese societies. and
are accepted as respectable men This
is the story: 7 don't know whether IL 8
true. and I don't care. The Chinese the
ascr seemed a great Joke 20 me.
Another part of the guide story re-
letes that Il the performance closes be-
fore midnight. the ohinsrnen IN the audi
ence think thes have been swiHdicd. ard
make a fuss. From my seat on the stage
watched The Cinnamon II the audiences.
They were as st0i!5 as Tn5ians Tho
men sat in the body q tho hcuse. aid
the women II the gallery. ucn and NO
men are not permitted 70 81 together.
Tho guide. il telling us about the chow.
made as much noise as the sctorx but no
body seemed 20 care I also took part
IL the performance on the stage. by -sE-
Ing Questions q the guide. bus the actors
instead % being disturbed. seer-ed rather
g. enjoy our Preseacv. % paid 0ffy cents
% gct IT, whereas the China man paid only
fat - uucn. and ] e-ns entitled n
Et-io extra Anyone IN the audience uaa
free q e. .nto the dreszinF rooms. ard
r1ary avsli,Si themselves - RE p FiisRe
The st-re hands sr1cked cigars - they
walked about. art o7s pl7yfr 81 tre or
chestrz smoked a pipe
Ne were 90 ths s-1-e probably twenty
minutes. ard ere pTTforrlanca vas atast
the average Ten-IN enfv-T sIrty On ira
Kerosene Ci-cgt There wer- two Old
men ir wigs hesi5es a hero. 2 heroine.
uHrsa. ars vzl1 T1iE Villain war
stcut the worst looking acoua1rei : sEer
saw. buI fhe gu.te sait - we tee high
priced nan % TIE company. TIE T'I2sn
Ventes something done. ard ths ctners
we're busiiy s-Eaged II eoazi1g hin out
"a tha notlor. TIE heTgias uas -grHosef
- leave the stage fn + cozrn Tfereearn
the 1rocTEt ct-trl~aroe zap
ncssd - fer-ossrt . coach ard th~ he-
rotns carried Il cree around fEn staEe
ara tker mal.1 - - eFe-re5 81
about Eac- g performance re- calE-ea
2 eaiE nrs MAINE 30 fhe wo-,s sarr
sent sirr2 hut the rlsds ssls tie rizr
red t7en cs-eftl7v rrhss fard ard r5
tr c-1-iu1e1 the -azf rlzrt T5o ~
zho9. Ike z1y rfEeT t4eater. EXCERPT tra-
3. vas very tirfT. an@ had neifhsr curtslr
aor scenery.
wen 49, g ia;o re- e-sasrw
-rc-s ths guts ssid - iced Voice
wh8s TIRE 1FTof-e VS. Ff1testflE suttr
a-l ITHsusiT Hnraers hep a-T-~rrr a1-
scsr= as = - Hehsase6 TarrsarTn
wr s-era fro- - rr7.rs ire
hz1 --rTiferf srs fals-ue.i thf Eaf1s 1at8
5~s1-1T ard -aklrS 17 -~s alfh Ea
80 we3 s-ncrr tAsr- sd ecsst =.
sE~- ee-asss. thev r ~ stts--e-
as CH.-s-.s- -s~es sesas 81 So
sea- The- - wslxst eewa s-esav SO
Hr--a rtrs s~c-srf - TIE sr-s