The sun., 1910-05-23
CHINESE HUGR NO COMETS
THEY USE 'EM TO LIGHT THE
STREETS BACK HOME.
- Chnrh CSnners Is InGOFmed--In Oak
street Ne Learn % = nnbbits nalclae
That May Wen Nave Been InsplFod
by q warning slgn Amid the stAFs.


The young Chlnaman whoss ample
qus,ls was bound around a head that had
mastered ths Ehglish language Naned
his sllksn cuffs upon the counter Of his
DOyers street store yesterday and smiled
when he was asked his opinion of the
things that HAIley's comet might bring
70 Chinatown.
Him Oomst no sse.' he answered.
Newspapers talhA lies. Men 60 up
topside house and no see. HA. ha!'
From which IL was inferred that here
was one Chinese who needed ocular proof
before he would believe After IL was
established that the sky Wanderer had
really arrived there would be plenty Of
time 70 worry about possible hAppenings
But Chinatown doesn't worry much about
cOustn; an eclipse Of the moon is far more
Of an event with lts inhabitants.
ThOas who can rad the American
papers passsd On the predictions Of q
favorable series Of evening views. and
two OF three tines last week the narrow
strssts AW q few Chinamsn pausiRg for
moment 10 peer up over the uneven
roofs Whsn the clouds got in the way
and they found nothing singular about
the sky they put Il down 10 the customary
Ignorance Of Americans and went about
their business.
Another reason Was given TO explain
why Chinatown isn't nearly as excited
a. the upper West Side over the vista
Of tho comet QuAn Wick Nam. who
dresses Amsrioanwlse and has q shop IN
PeIl street, gave Il a. he bent over his
accounts and scratched down characters
that most Of us knew only on tea boxes
and laundry lists. They are too familiar
with such phenOmsna, he thought.
Back In China We have many he
said in English Of which he is justly
proud. we know that shsy don't do u
any harm there. 90 why should We be
afraid here3'
To get &C the real beart Of the matter
Mr.. Chuck Corners was approached as
he lOungsd before the doors Of the Man
DARN Cafe.
why, desc monks has got ~ fooled
10 dealt he declared Rs he fingered the
white de that nestled under the collar
Of his blue flannel shirt. I'VE t'lnk we're
pretty wise. don't we2 And dat desc
Chinks Ia way back behind us9 Well.
say, dey begin where We leave "a.
4 puts il up to q monk de other day
about dis comet. He says 'Yeh. you Mel
loans tink you're smart. heyI You t'ink
you sabe ebryt ing. All light. And den he
points up above and says What him dOi
Where be come froml Where he ROin'l
Why he comet And did know de answer
to dem questionsl Why. dey got N fooled
20 death! says TO dis monk Well. nov.
you're 40 wise. put me on. What about
itr Did he tell mel Did you ever knOw a
cAink TO tell you anythinP Dey find out
ell you know all right and you Rsk 'em
what Is q lamppOst or q teapot and dey
brings up dicr shoulders and says No
sabe'
why. deg know more about comets
dan Ws'n ever know. Over dere In China
dey have tree or four Of 'em every day.
One monk told me dat dey put out all De
lanterns every night. because whyl
Because De comets are enough. When dia
chink asks me about de comet I says
Well. Il comes here every ten years and
then u goes away again.
-Yeh. he says TO me. don't like Melli.
oans. Go back 70 China
And dat from a monkl Why, dey got
M aittn' back and wipin' our knobs.
SoaredY Why, dey amt half a. scared
a. you and me. Why should dey be- when
dey uses EN- every night fer oandlesf-
All the way through that section of
town that lies In the shadow OF bridges
and elevated trains you could hud a.
many opinions a. IN an equal AREA any
where In the city. In one cafe on Oak
street two opposed sentiments were
entertained across one marble top table
Luigi Perez. he Of the hybrid Eame aud
the coffee drinking place At II Oak street,
understood the question about comet
fear when u was put TO him In English
He explained It 10 one of his patrons in
spanish and then turned 10 his wife and
PASSED il on In Italian without removing
the amber bit Of the meeTs0haum that he |
was smoking. Luigi joined his wife in
a hearty laugh a. the thought % alarm. |
But a nervous young man who sat across
from him was not 40 ready 10 SCOT. lie
mentioned something about an earth |
quake that was liable TO happen any time
these days.
sDo Vo,i believe thatg' he was asked.
Certainly I believe IT, he said 1t
don't cost you nuthIn' 20 believe IL
And then he said he would relate some
thing and the comet could come and hit
him where he sat II Il wasn't true. A week
aRo. IL appeared. he bought a rabbit and
kept Il In his room. The morning after
the comet was supposed 70 have passed
is tail across lIs he went 20 look at Mr.
Rabbit. and what do you think? Dead |
There he was, stiff. And could anybody
tell why Il was3 Well. il YOU wanted 70
know what he thought he'd tell you.
Inst A plain case OF suicide. He wasn't
taking any chances about making fun Of
the comet. Perhaps its power was real
end perhaps IL wasn't.
But j don't cost you nuthin' to be-
lieve Il, 81 he repeated.
On the other side Of the tOWn and nearer
the Battery live many SyTians. Mr. No
karzal. whose brother is editor Of Al
HOdd. their newspaper, said that the
9vrians have become sufficiently settled
20 share the feelings Of Americans.
They go up on the roofs the same a.
the Americana he eRid, hut they are
fears Of their relatives back In the old
country.
you know that In Syria a comet IN
looked upon a. a sign Of the wrath of God.
They make a practice Of gathering to-
Eether and ringing bells when Il appears.
Tor they consider Il q menace. But our
Oountrymen here have got past that
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