The San Francisco call., 1909-04-12
BUGGY RIDE STIRS
CHINEJcE JOCIETY|
Miss Rose Fong Outing With
Her Fiance Sets Example
For Maidenso Her
Race

betrothed maidens will whisper her
name in grateful ecstacy as they drive
with their fiances through the streets
of the quarter For Miss Fong is the
first damsel of her race ever to go
buggy riding with her betrothed.
AS Instructor Choa of the, Chinese
public school, mandarin of the Sec
ond grade, is the betrothed of the pretN
ty almond eyed, almond blossom COM
plexioned daughter of Chinatown, the
issue is more pronounced, and a Chi
nese newspaper, the New Era, has, in
ticularly occidental style of journal
ism and treats of the outing of the
young people with the same deli
cate humor and insinuation that the
naughty Town Topics would apply to a
debonair adventure of Newport belle.
The New Era does not mention
names In the story, but names are not
needed for the Chinese folk to identify
the couple to which the racy insertion
refers. And Fong Get, the artistic
Chinese photographer of Stockton and
Clay streets. admits that his daughter
is the lady of the paragraph.
Very coyly the facile reporter on the
New Era wrote for the issue of Sat
urday what is translated as follows:
On the eighteenth day of the
third month of the Chinese calen-
dar "wednesday, April 81, at about
2.40 p. m, a certain teacher in the
school was seen with a girl. who is
engaged, but not married, in
buggy driving along in Stockton,
Powell and California streets. A
number of Chinese saw the couple
and all of them said that If there
We're any girl pupils at the school
the boys then would certainly follow
their instructors example and, too,
take their girl friends buggy rid
ing.
Fortunately. it may be inferred. the
Chinese thought there are no girls at
the school Instructor Choa teaches, or
Stockton, Powell and California streets
would see a marvellous parade of lusty
young Chinese students driving their
best beloved damsels in the lavender
blouses of maidenhood along happy
lovers lanes.
Such procession would not be de
trop among a people whose tradition
is that the eager groom shall not see
his brides face until the wedding day
And as the emancipated Miss Fong is
the leader in the movement for buggy
riding among engaged couples. the
finger of Confucian scorn is pointed at
her and at the instructor. But Miss
Fong is an independent-for all that
she is not yet 20 years of age-as
Susan B. Anthony was in her most dar-
ing and demanding days. Miss Anthony
simply wanted the ballot-Miss Fong
wants the buggy.
The comparative success of the two
is obvious. Miss An
thongs followers can not vote yet, but
Miss Fong may ride about Chipatown
to her hearts content, and the older.
the orth odox, Chinese feel that in a
short while her gay example will be
followed by bevies of maidens.
Fong Get, the father of Miss Fong,
the propaganHst, abused yesterday the
yellow journalism of the New Era,
daughter and his prospective son in law.
THAT newspaper had no right to take
up this matter" said Fong Get. MY
daughter is to be married to Mr. Choa
in about month and they did not wish
to be as other Chinese have been In
China a bride is not to be seen by her
husband until the day of the wedding.
but the young Chinese don't like that
way. They want to see whom they are
to marry. My daughter and this young
man went out driving in the park, and
it is nobody's business. Mr.. Choa is the
young man who was sent out here by
the Chinese government to take charge
Of the Chinese public schools. He is
highly educated and is a mandarin of
the second grade. In China he had the
mandarin garb. but as soon as he ar
rived here he cut his queue and adopted
American dress and customs. He is of
excellent family. His surname is the
same as that of the Chinese consul gen
erals wife,"
1t would seem that the first American
custom which Professor Choa fully ap-
for mis- own was the Ameri-
can habit of courtship. No proxy busi-
ness for him He decided to cut out the
middle men in the matrimonial market,
not to save the handsome commission
which one of his rank and position
would graciously pay for the service of
being supplied with beautiful wife.
but simply because he wanted to gaze
over the bright field of Chinatown girl
hood and select the blossom that ap-
pealed most to his heart.
That he did. He found in Miss Fong
a congenial soul mate. She. too, would
have no binding traditions dim her be-
trothal vision Then came the buggy
ride. Miss Fong entered into the spirit
of the outing as spontaneously as her
fiance proposed it.
Now elder Chinatown shakes its
queued head over the problem of Miss
Fong. But younger Chinatown capers
in glee over its emancipation. Miss
Rose Fong is accounted a Pauline Re-
we're of the quarter. For while the ride