The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-09-25


Most of the missionary women who
become infatuated with Chinese live
in respectable homes uptown; they
may or may not take cocaine or opium
and their association with Chinese is
in visits to these mems rooms. Elsie
Sigel, for instance, had been frequent
visitor for at least two years in the
rooms of Leon and other Cinnamon.
And let me tell you right here, no
good woman goes to a mans rooms
without knowing what she is doing.
But it is not the Chinese that
ruin these women; it is the women
who are the aggressors. They begin
by accepting presents from these
young students, whom they are seek
ing to lead into Christianity. and they
end by falling in love with them.
Cinnamon are very good to the women
at least they are for time. They
give them presents and provide well
for them, but very few women ever
get to handle any money"
A proof of the truth of the mission
airy woman's statement was CONVEX
sation | had with a pretty young wo-
man named Sadie Stirling, who Ives
in a Chinese den with a Chinaman who
makes his living IN gambling houses.
When the young woman-scarcelV
more than a girl in looks-passed
along the dimly lighted street, near
the Headquarters of the free lance"
missionary, not one person except the
woman and perhaps the policeman
who are used to such types, would
have believed the girl to have been
of the type She was modest, dressed
exceedingly will, but quietly. and when
| looked at her l believed her to be a
sightser ahead of her party.
| approached the girl and called her
by name, ana she smiled pleasantly.
Her eyes were large and brown, and
with quality that was Madonna-like
in its sweetness. Her hands were
slender and white; her voice soft, and
she used the most discriminating Eng
lish.
"chinatown Like a Wrath EnguIfs
Me-"
Eyes, perhaps it is queer that l am
here. know l ought to get Gut OF
it," she told me. But the question
is, How? | have tried time and time
again at the big department stores to
get work, and have tried to get other
positions, but like wrath this China
town life engulfs me. l sometimes
wonder if | carry the smell of the
quarter in my clothes about with me-"
she added, plaintively. sadly.
You see, l am what they call a
good white girl among the Chinese"
she added. Il live with just this one
man and he treats me with great re-
spect. He doesn't give me any money,
but he pays for my food and laundry.
l have been here only seven months
now and | had all my clothes when
came, so he hasn't had to buy any
clothes yet. l think he would if l
asked him, but l am a funny sort, l
Il don't like to ask him for things.
You know the Chinese are not affec-
tionate and demonstrative like white
men, but they are kind enough to US.
They are jealous, though, and so
keep my trunk at a girl friends, be-
cause some day l may went to get
avay-if get job-and l don't want
my man to interfere, for he might be
jealous and not let me CO."
Husband Took Her First to China.
town.
The girl said she had been married
very young to a dentist who first took
her into Chinatown. Il was so young
and innocent that l didn't know there
was such thing as opium and my
husband first tried to make me take
some with him. l didn't know until
afterwards that he had the habit. Well,
N that way got to know good many
Cinnamon in Boston, where we lived,
and one man whom l met there
through my husband-he did dentist
work. for him-told me if l ever came
20 New York to let him know and
ne would show me around.
Il had trouble with my husband,
md came down here with friend who
was going to exhibit some of her thor
oughbred dogs in the Bench Show.
Well, went to Chinatown to see the
nan, and I never went back. am
here still. l sometimes wonder If it is
!. My family think l am dead; il
vas the only thing for me to do; they
ire highly respected in Boston, and
gave me an education in the Boston
Of Music and in the
schools there that any girl would be
'ortunate to have. But here am, Just
he white woman of a Chink-huh-
is rather droll, isn't it," the poor
.roafura oddad u,ith hroalx 4