Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-03-02
No 10y N CHINATOWN
ON NEW YEARS Oky, 4618
Flu vi XII, Aged Scholar, Nouns
Over Disdain Shown for Wor-
ship of Confucius.
Prom The New York Sun

Where once they laughed from roof and
dragoned balcony the flags of Chinatown
f1uttcred in kind of languid melancholy
a. the New Year Day of the year 4tlS
Swallowed to dusk last evening. Their life
lessness somewhat matched the mood of
the old scholar, Flu Vi ri, who was making
his way along Mott street to place before
the shrine of the Great Dog cup Of tea,
three serpents of twisted scarlet paper and
sheaf Of paper prayers. The head Of
Fu VI III WAS bent SO that his chin, stub
BY with scant and why hairs. was sunk
into the collar of mink which adorned his
close padded coat Of black silk.
'fSuey ne fat toy, murmured Mr.. Flu
courteo,sly and with delicate gesture Of
a hand yellow and gnarled "Ho say
ki Ia. A Happy New Year and good for
tune to YOU All happiness. As for me it
is different, my friend. There is in China
town no more respect for the aged; little
but contempt for the old ways. It is writ
ten IN the ninth book Of Kung-fu-tse
whom some call kung tsse, whom you of
the West know Ae Confucius:
Save the pearls Of yesterdays flowers,
for in the blooming Of tomorrow's flowers
We may forget the scent Of blossoms that
have passed
YOUNG Nom CHANGE.
'Tt IL the New Year only for such as
Of the old religion and the old ways. The
young men Shear their queues disdain the
old worship, sit in the smoke of cigarettes
with their fest upon table tops, and tell
each other thoy are new, made over
people, and fail ofttimes 70 offer the sacri-
foes to ancestors. They tns in the mire
the flowers Of yesterday. There is no more
Now Year in Chinatown. Evil will come
Of it-ovI will come Of it."
Flu vi HI bowed again, inclined his right
hand upward in . salute Of light and
graceful dignity, and drifted around the
corner, his sandals sounding suf-suf-suf,
- il in doleful refrain to his melancholy.
With his going disappeared the only in
tsresting figure in the open streets, for on
swapping 6rccrackcrs, laughter OF chill
dren, exchanged greetings Of men folk and
MI Of the pleasant choruses of every mans
birthday there was dlllncss and deadness,
to the spirit even Of Western
barbarian.
The law, despoiler Of happiness, slayer
q delights, has drained Chinatown Of the
mirth and sparkle of an ancient holiday.
There did not come to Pell and Mott
and Doycrs street last night, as in the old
days, streams Of slant eyed sons of Han |
from uptown and from across the two |
rivers to stake their all at pie gov and |
fan tan and to browse their souls in the |
black smoke. The law forbids. There |
Vas no feaets Of roast pig and bamboo |
shoots, with honorable merchants bowling
their honorable heads to the board rs
hey slipped rice wine and repeated the
ancient toast:
"Honored among all honest and truth
nj merchants, II is my wish for you that
sour warehouses may multiply like the
stars of the sky, that your goods may be
bought by all men and that your profits
viii be as ten thousand TO one"
GONE TO THE pUsTHEAP.
The law forbids-forbids, in that even
nee wine, the inconsiderahle quantity of
which would be sufficient for the tenn
1erate Chinese, would lead to the door of
Jail. There were no strings of firecrack-
rs swinging straight down house fronts
rom roof TO sidewalks and popping ex-
lberantly the day through and half the
hight. The blue dragon crawling upon
IS field Of yellow In pursuit of the sun has
zone TO the dush heap and lives In the
of old men, while new banner OF
larsh, straight colors receives the grinning
alute. OF youths in derby hats and clothes
Ut in Chicago sweatshops.
Fewer New Years calls vere made
han ever before In the history of China-
Own, for the custom savors of the old
INES and is sneered st BY the young !
pholders of New China Here and there
n old man carrying flaming red cards
nth good luck characters drawn there :
pom padded slowly In his best silks to
be house OF friend, and some doors of
ouses showed scarlet splotches where
1ese cards bad been pinned in the absence .
the householder.
Debts were paid as usual for In accord
nco with custom and the sterling honesty !
the Chinese, all obligations of the old
BAR must be wiped out upon the entrance I
the new " hen q man fails 10 this ii is !
me for him to mediate the most facile !
ay to Journey TO the side of his anc stors. 7
ven In the days Of the Tong wars, when 9
o Leong battled vicIo,isiy against the \
pinne Hip Sing and Colt revolvers of
e biggest ever turned out by the factory n
AIRED almost daily In the narrow streets |
10 one or smother of the ratholes boring p
DID them, debts were paid with religious u
lehty on the day of the New Year, for no :,
IN will accept the shame that goes with
ut failure.
LIFE had GONE OUT. O
But the life was out of the quarter. u
'lins, the big detective stroIling at Mott o
d Pell streets and regarded whetht he d
ew it or not. by thousand pair OF eyes &c
1T peered through shutter stats and rents y
curtains, whispered that many of the te
ople had gone to New Jersey, where, as CO
lins put it, they say there is q lot more te
ing 1t was easy TO believe that. for b'
inatown in its New Year 1918. without ca
; lure of gambling, without the warmth Il
vine, without the thick, sweet breath y
81
sr