Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-10-28
TRn,Sl OF SAN FRANCISCO
Rev. Bruce L. Kershner Writes
Another interesting Letter.
CITY OF EXPERT GRAFTERS
Will Compare In This Respect With
Philadelphia-Som Incidents of
the Voyage of the Ocean.


the Voyage of the Ocean.
Enroute, Sept, 1905.
Editor The Evening World;
Dear Sir San Francisco consists of
two parts. San Francisco proper and
Chinatown. Tine tourist bureau gives
the latter degree of prominence out
of all proportion to it's worth. 1t is
really bit of oriental heathendom ex-
aQgerated for commercial purposes.
After being in the city for nearly two
weeks we accepted the invitation of
some of our hospitable friends and
joined party to tour the place bv
night. Before starting we Invested
ourselves of all money except car fare,
and jewelry, an entirely unnecessary
for the danger of being robbed is per-
haps greater in many another place
than there.
We became aware of our proxemity
to the place several squares before we
actually arrived. The presence of the
native Chinaman can generally be de-
tected from long distance if
he be to the windward, trait due to
his use of opium. The atmosphere of
Chinatown is simply polluted, the odor
cliugs to ones clothing for days after
a visit. Here some thirty thousand
celestials are huddled into fourteen
squares of the CITY; among them are
prehsps eight hundred woven. who in
their silken coats, breaches and shoes
with soles like thick blocks of wood 60
about the street as freely as the men.
The day of our visit had been de-
voted to the burning of the devil
Judging from the piles of burnt paper
before the houses and scattered about
the streets they had made it very warm
for him. a member of our party re-
marked that the Chinese seemed to
have more trouble with the devil than
with anv one else. At funerals thew
are accustomed to have some one GO by
the side the hearse scattering innumer'
able strips of paper pierced with holes,
such as might be made with the point
of the blade of pen knife. They be-
lieve that the evil spirit pursuing the
deceased must pass through all
these holes in the paper, and their hope
is to have their friend properly buried
before he can be overtaken.
The Chinamau is social creature
when the DAYS work is done he likes
to meet with his fellows in the stores,
where they speud. hours talking, smok-
ing and gambling they are the great
est gamblers in the world. Their
conversation sparkles with wit, especi-
ally in the form of puns, to which
their language readilvs lends itself.
AS rule they are law abiding and in
telligent: they read newspapers to
such an extent that articles bonght in
their stores are often wrapped in old
journals A favorite manner of circu-
lating news among them is by bulletin
much the same as that employed by
our city papers. BY this means every
inhabitant of Chinatown is acquainted
within few hours, time with any
thing that happens.
The principal things of interest to
the tourist are the joss houses, and
stores. The former are temples in
which are kent few idols with priests
in constant attendance. Among these
idols | saw the image of young man
who gave his life in defense of his
mother and for that reason was deified
by the emperor.
Some of the bszars and stores are
very large and excellently stocked,
their proprietors being very wealthy
and dealing in both domestic and
foreign goods.
According to custom. we visited a
few "joiuts''. These were dirty holes
half under ground which create the
impression that they have been manu-.
featured especially for the benefit OF
sight-seers. Very little of this proper
tv is owned by the Chinese, aud the
Americans are scarcely less euterpris.
ing in extracting shekles from those
who will pay. The health depart
ment has recently undertaken the re-
novation of few of the streets aud q
large cellar in which men formerly
slept eight deep, on shelves put up fol
that pnrpnse. The observer comet
away from visiting this place with
the feeling that he has had a glimpse
at a wonderfully intelligent and thrift.
ty people whose heathenism is the
only thing which prevents them from
becoming the most formidable COM
mercial rival of the Anglo Saxon.
San Francisco is beautiful city
It's broad, straight streets aud large
syum etrical buildings give it royal
appearance. Its people are cosmopoli-