The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-14

TO drop into ore OF the four JOSS houses and
pay bic rc'rcctJ and money to his Idol
Then II Is homo again 10 the laundry.
The theator plays an extremely impor-
tant part In the life Of the triangle. Here, all
manner OF factions meet In an unformulatsd
truce. Hip Sing beside On LeonE. Re-
former beside Mason. Only the women ars
barrel; the theater Il not for respectable
women. and the Chinese women Of the other
class number les than a dozen.
II a Chinese IL In the quarter looking for
a friend, he il likely to hunt for him hTst In
the theater. Il Il a school Of ethics, too-ths
only regular instruction In the philosophy
Of Confucius Twice a week at least they
play one Of their old moralitles Of the Chen
cycle. II II a school Of Chinese history a.
well; half the plays deal with the gloriea
OF the old empire. So II II the real focus
Of the quarter
The restaurants. whose glarlng electric
signs dot the quarter by night, are mostly
got up for tourist purposes. Their glaring
screens and complicated woodwork, their
inlald tables, are to catch the curiosity
Of the rubberneck.
The Chinese patronize them too; at New
Years time and at the lts'er ieasts Of the
Chinese year they have their private
banquets in some Of the inner rooms. Tucked
away In dark corners OF Doyen street
there are two restaurants which the tourist
has not yet found. These are decorated
in low tones, according TO Chinese taste,
and tourists are not welcome.
To these, mostly, the Chinese resort
for their big banquets. which may last
from early afternoon TO early next morning.
and may cost as much to the plate a. =
private dinner at Sherry's. Here the
diners in the long, ceremonial robes OF
fashionable dress, sit on unbacked ebony
chairs and pick at the dainty portions Of
Chinese deloaoies.
The portions have TO be small, or they
could never eat for fourteen hours straight.
They eat soup and pudding Of the famous
birds nests; seaweed blended with a sauce
which tastes like kerosene; preserved meats
mixed with a compound Of peanut oil and
indescrit able condiments; rice In all Its
forms, and strange sweetmeats which
would be almost palatable to an American.
II the host wants TO be very swell he
invites certain women Of the quarter. In
blue or green silk jackets, belted with q
wide band Of contrasting color and in mar
velous headdresses Of gold and jade. they
sit on stools behind their lords and reach
over shoulders for their food
Tea OF the Emperor crop kept for special
occasions, is their drink, and the liquor IL
rice brandy. When in the early morning
this begins to work, they play 4one-two.'
This IL a sort OF contingent game, 40
companied by terrific gestures and loud
! bawling Of Chinese numerals. He who is
! stuck is Obliged to drink a cup Of rice
brandy as a forfeit and he who goes first
under the table Is sit
Such banquets are not common In the
quarter now, even on feast days there IL
not enough money lying around loose.
One illusion about Chinatown fingers in
the public mind-the idea that IL IA filled
with opium dens.
The smokers OF the quarter are COM
paratively few. IL doesn't take any special
space TO hit the pipe, only quiet bunk.
The devotees Of the vice smoke in their
own rooms or, IL that IL inconv snient, In
the rooms OF friends.
There are two places in the quarter which
might be called dens. To one Of these
the lost and degenerate whites Of China
town q fringe resort; the other Is all Chinese.
The guides who profess to show visitors
opium dens simply keep on their string
two or three Chinese who are willing to put
up an exhibition in their own rooms for 50
cents or 20.
Further uptown there are two or three
places kept by Chinese where whites are
said 10 resort, but these are apart from the
life Of Chinatown.