Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-18
EVEN THE CHILDREN Must
HANE CLOTHES NEVER WORN BEIoh

owing a single penny! Those who know
the Chinese do not realize that their
light of centuries, be it however DIM
plays fitfully upon customs: upon super.
the wealth of fantasy to which they bow
none Of their tirne-honored customs is
more tightly chung to than this.
This year. upon che tottering throne Of
China fell the unrest of revolt. From the
ashes of a world-e'd empire there sprang
a full-fledged repu, lie, with citizens eager
for civilization ans the rites of the white
man. Our New Year fell as appointed.
but the men Of 0klina were thinking O.
war and revolt AMI the tearing down of
customs, not of Fluctuations. and good
willr
. But with the rerablic firmly established
the thought of the. New Year returned, es-
pecially as that observed by the old en-
pire was drawing near. There were but
two alternatives. The New Year must be
celebrated as of old, or more than ten
months must be added to their year be-
fore they could join in our New Year
Where would the annual settlements
come in? Debts would then run almost
two years. And back Of this thought ran
the questions. where will be the new
clothes, and where the celebration toward
which all Cinnamon look with such
keen anticipation? And the answer in
each instance was: ten months and more
off.
obviously IHdL course COulQ not be 1Ol-
lowed. Debts must not be allowed to run
nor must New Year celebration be
skipped. And so, as the only other course
open to them. they slipped back for the
time being into the custom which has
bound their ancestors these many hum
dreds of years, and today is New Year
day.
But even custom was not the only fac
tor which brought about today's observ-
ance. There are their traditions! The
Chinese are people of tradition they
are a race which believes in the power of
the great joss, and the power of all the
lesser josses. They have multitudinous
gods-the god of motherhood, the god of
fatherhood, the twisted and grinning god
of war, the god of plenty and of famine.
The Cantonese, who for centuries have
worn the queue of subjugation placed
upon their shaver polls by Manchu man
date as sign of slavery have risen to
victory under the gods Of their past
generations, the god Of war, the god of
freedom. To them they won their victory
through the greatness Of their gods-and
this fact could not be lightly put aside.
Under the smiles of these great gods
must they observe the first year of the
new republic. And these, the gods of their
fathers. and theirs for many generations,
they are honor1ng on the same day as
has always been done. For another rea-
son the New Year is celebrated today:
Gar Nee Fo Toy
Behind the gilt dragon screens of China
town today this is the word that is in
everybodys mouth. 1t is the New Year
greeting, the greeting which holds with
in it's meaning all the good will and
wishes of the New Year. With the salu-
tation the lordly merchant in his silk
and jade greets the poorest and most
Of ho We I, hn n r or.
down near the foot of Pennsylvania
avenue And as the greeting passes the
lips of each the ghost of smile fits
over the face of the inscrutable oriental
Within the rooms everything is spot
various dishes of quaint corrections
the preserved "cum quat." the candied
ginger, the big white cherries Of China