Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-11
ABOLISH THE QUEUE
Chinese Residents Adopt
American Custom.
BOW WONG WOY CLAN
SOCIETY FORMED WITH SEVERAL
THOUSAND MEMBERS.
Reasons Assigned for Organization
Want to Make China Like
This Country.
BOW WONG WOY CLAN

The Chinese barber in this city has been
doing rushing business lately. and has
taken from the heads of the local laundry
men and other celestials more than score
of queues. This sudden taking of of the
hirsute adornment Is the result of the
teachings of the Bow Wong Woy Society.
This organization has branches in all the
large cities where score or more of China
men reside. The organization already num-
bers several thousand, and it's teachings
have made quite an impression on the Chi
namen of all classes. Meetings are held IN
this city at 31S Pennsylvania avenue north
west, and are largely attended. Two meet
ings are to be held next Sunday, one in the
afternoon and the other at night.
"They are just like American meetings.,
one Of it's members remarked to a Star re-
porter this morning. THE doors are open
and everybody is welcome"
He explained, however, that all the talk
ing is done in the native tongue OF the
fiowery kingdom people, and Americans
cannot understand what is said. Speakers
from New York and San Francisco do the
speechmaking.
prominent Chinatown residents, land
they know what they are talking about.
They want to make China like America
progressive and without superstition. our
people are too full Of superstition and are
kept in ignorance in our country. The
dowager empress has too much authority,
and we want to have 1t taken from her.
Abolish the Queues.
"Then the Cinnamon think they have to
wear queues" he said What good are
they? They are no good in the world.
Women have long hair, but men ought not
to have It, They are getting more sensi-
p o1o hot having
them thaken off. If you see Chinaman
who has parted with his queue during the
past few days you can put it down that he
wants to be progressive and make China
like this country
He said that about 200 Of the 500 men,
bers of the society in Boston had had their
queues cut off and that so out of 200 in
Philadelphia had been barberiZed after lis
tening to the teachings of the speakers
who are putting the questions to them in
manner which has made such an impress
sion. Many of the laundrymen who sell
dom go out of their places of business and
associate with their more progressive
countrymen have opened their eyes and
given evidence of establishment at what
they have heard at the meetings Phono-
graphs are being used by the lecturers,
and to some of the listeners the talking
machine, as they term 1t, seemed perfectly
wonderful and beyond their comprehension
AS all the talking is done in Chinese, there
is not much interest to be taken in the
meetings by other than Cinnamon.
1t is believed by some persons identified
with the Chinese that the cutting off o. the
queues has significance other than that of
initiating their American friends. The Gus
tom house officials are showing an activ-
ity in this section which has brought ter
ror to the heart of more than one China
man, and it was suggested to a Star re-
porter today, they may think that the alb
sence of the queue may help them in case
of arrest for alleged violation of the i'm
migra ton laws 1t is certain that Chi
naman who expects to return to his native
country will not remove his "pigtail" and
when he is arrested without it he can read
lily argue that he was registered or that
he Is in this country legally. Certainly, he
will argue, the absence of the queue ought
to be sufficient evidence that he is as much
of an American citizen as a Chinaman can
hope to be-
A local Chinese business man is respon-
sible for the statement that there are more
than fifty Cinnamon in this city who are
without the required certificate. They are
IN constant fear Of arrest and deportation,
he stated, and are keeping in the back
ground as much as possible The trouble
they have, he said is chiefly with their
own countrymen. Some of them get an
cry or jealous and inform on others. If
1t were not for this jealousy he said the
inspectors would have a difficult task in
locating those who had been smuggled into
this country
hho" d case, SAID the Chinaman. ''in
which one Chinaman informed on another
Just because they had a petty quarrel and
the one who was here without legal an
thorltS called the other bad name Many
OF the cases in which such arrests are
made are brought to the attention of the
inspectors in just such a manner"
Supposed to Have Certificate.
The business man explained that each
Chlnaman in this country is supposed to
nave certificate and the government two
such papers Each certificate contains the
photograph of the holder, a person named
In 1t, and 1t would seem that there should
be no trouble in arresting and deportiny
those who are here without legal STANDING
IL Is not always an easy matter to do so.
however, ne said for Cinnamon traffic in
the certificates, despite the fact that nbo-
tographs have to be attached and some
tlmes they manage to cheat the law He
admitted that 1t is no longer an easy mat
ter TO smuggle Cinnamon into the coun
Wy, because OF the strict attention that is
palu 10 them by the customs officials
Most of those who succeed in Guiding the
inspectors now, he stated, come off ships
or across the border in manure wagons
Cinnamon will do anything and stand ali
SORTS or hardships to get into the United
States he stated and sometimes they have
to spend several hours in the wagons
under the manure piles, before there is an
opportunity to release them
'Chinamen." he concluded, ARE getting
tired or the way things are being conduct
ed In their own country. and those who
cannot come here are more than willing
to listen to their advisers who are here
and who have thrown off the superstitions
of their own country and learned of the
progress of Americans"