The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-09

Tire 4AOdGIi4 city OF shanghai between
American and British sailors. Our
men were from the warship "Balti- /
more" and when we left the grounds, |
the Americans were behind in the
score. All the spectators We're Amer /
leans and English. except the usual
Chinese boys. We cheered as hard as
we could. but couldn't win. Our team |
was the stronger, but the British in
sisted on British rules which our men
didn't understand. On the same /
grounds 1 saw Americans playing golf, /
with Chinese caddfes.
A party of eight passengers from
the Siberia ate Thanksgiving dinner |
together at the Astor house, and had /
chicken and turkey, and pumpkin pie, |
and plum pudding, etc. l sat at the
head of the table. and, being called !
upon for a toast, I gave them: "Our
friends at home: the best people on
earth, present company not excepted"
The immense dining room was filed
with Americans and Europeans; many
of them naval officers in full uniform.
Among those | met at the hotel was
an American named Hull, who runs an
American weekly at Shanghai. The |
price of the weekly is S12 a year, Mex, !
as they say here Mexican money is |
used in Shanghai and it's worth about
half as much as American money. In
all the public places every day, the
rate of exchange is posted I loaned
Judge Tracy thirty dollars in Shang-
hal. When we returned to the ship, !
he paid me $3.50 in American money. I
didn't know whether it was right or
not, but he had it figured out on a
piece of paper, in a very elaborate
manner
Judge Tracy persuaded me to be
vaccinated in Shanghai: smallpox is a l
scourge all over the Orient. At home, |
I do not believe much in vaccination; /
have seen it demonstrated many
times that fully one-hah of the reput-
able physicians do not believe in it. |
But I couldn't stand up against chief
justice. so he took me away down
crooked street. after dark, and pointed
out d drug store where vaccine only
week old could be purchased. Here
every man purchases his vaccine, and
axes it to a doctor The druggist was
an American, and it was worth a long
walk to look at him.
At road house we visited in Shang-
hal, we met an American woman, the
keeper of the place, and she celebrated
Thanksgiving by Bringing out reaIl
milk and butter. aud ''sInear case-i'
The place is celebrated for these lux
uries, and has a large American pa
tronage. At one dairy we passed, we
saw that the COWS were water buff
faloes. I suppose their milk is all
right, but somehow they didn't look as
COWS should. Jersey milk would have
set" better on my stomach.
At Shanghai, Thanksgiving night, our
party of eight visited two Chinese the
aters. Our guide was a fayorite Chi
nese barkeeper at the Aston house bar, /
known as Boxer" his intimate friends
called him Box" He dressed up in a
gorgeous costume for the occasion, and
took his little boy along. Boxer was
the finest looking Chinaman I saw in
China, except a boy known as Eddy"
also employed at the Astor house bar
Boxer is quite well kr own in the Chi
nese quarter, as well as among the Eu-
rOpeanS and Americans and the Chinese
paid him a great deal of attention eV-
eryWhere; he pushed them aside, and
did just about as he pleased. When he
ordered anything at the theaters he
told the attendants to send the bill to
him at the Astor house bar. The the
aters we visited were enormous affairs,
and packed from floor to ceiling: I Ger
tainly saw two thousand people at both
places. I have seen the Chinese the
aters at San Francisco. but it seemed
to me they were bogus; that they were
operated for tourists There I sat on
the stage, but in Shanghai knew I was
seeing the real thing At either side of
the stage was an enormous lamp post
There was the usual row of gas jets.
as foot lights and a similar row above
the stage; and still another about mid
way of the auditorium There was a
gallery, and boxes and standing room.
So far as / could understand, the adj
mission to the theatef was free. the
profit was made on the sale of tea.
| oranges, CONNECTIONS. etc. Soon after we
/ were seated, an attendant appeared, and
gave each of us a damp cloth lately
wrung out in very hot water. These
were used to wipe your hands and mouth
after eating oranges, apples and sweet
meats; the Chinese also wiped their
faces with them Nearly everyone in
the audience smoked there We're many
] of the big water pipes you see in China,
and a good many cigarettes. A good
many Of the important looking Chinese
women had gaudily dressed Chinese
girls sitting with them These girls are
supposed to entertain the men with po-
! lite conversation and drink tea and eat
/ oranges, which the men pay for. At
/ the conclusion of the play, the girls go
| home; they seem to be in a class by
/ themselves. Boxer sent out for a girl
! to entertain members of our party She
did not arrive until twenty minutes af-
/ ter the order had been given; when she
( arrived she was about sixteen years
! old. and rather pretty When we de-
parted, Boxer called a sedan chair
and sent his boy. who had become
1 sleepy, home with the girl The Chinese
do not seem to drink much liquor, but
! they drink tea in the most surprising
quantities, and always without cream
or sugar.
At the theater I have in mind, the
! play seemed to be a comedy. for the
4 people in the audience roared with
! laughter; there were frequent great
bursts of laughter which seemed to be
hearty and genuine. Prom our box, the
most interesting thing was to watch the
expectant faces in-the audience. I have
never seen a more attentive and appreci-
/ ative audience.
At the other place, the play seemed
/ to be an opera. a serious affair. be-
cause there was no applause. There
was an elevated stage, but no curtain
and no scenery: when the actors retir-
ed, they retired behind curtains at
/ either side in the rear. The orchestra
consisted Of man playing a one
/ stTinged fiddle. a man playing a tom
tom COR drum. ard a man playing
bones. and a man playing cymbals. At
rare intervals a wind instrument re-