Page 4 Advertisements Column 1

Manawatu Herald, 28 November 1896, Page 4

•^^ ° ~~~~. l CHINATOWN. j — — — — . j An Oriental City Contained Within tho . Boundaries of on American One. " Wliere is Ch.'natovm?" f'uc'i is th'i cuestlon otton «sku<l by tho rr.iu-JiT; \v-\n l;r>owp that Ssin Francisco coutiiins v.ithin its boundaries on oriental city. Some of the striking features cf this portion of tho city of tho Golden Gato cro described by a writer in St. Nicholas, from which the picturo of a young citizen of Chinatown Is , taken: Chinatown is ono of tho things most ■worth studying in San Francisco by day and by night. The josshouscs, or Chineso temples, contain costly carving 3 and curlA YOTOG CITIZEN OF CHINATOWN". ons paintings. One josshouso Is much llko another. Hero tho Chincso gotla sit in alcoves behind altars where their worshipers burn sticks of inconso or sandalwood. Hero aro Yum Ten Tin, the god of water; Kowan Tai, the god of war; Nam Hoi, tho god of fire; Wah Talr, the god of medicine; Tsoi Pah, tho god of gold, nnd a whole army of evil deities whoso favor must bo sought with equal zeal. Food, tea and ' wlno aro set before them all, and paper money and prayer paper aro burned by Chinese who worship them. Tho best Chinese restaurants are visited by Americans, who often learn to like the bill of fare. Tho furniture in these places is of heavily carved wood imported from China, and very costly dinners are sometimes served, in which tho well known bird's nest soup, shark's fins and all the other curiosities of the Mongolian cookery are set before the guests. A Chinese theater, with its curiously conventional performances, has often been described, but few persons can know how extremely attractive it is to the Chineso themselves. Tho poorest laborer in the country conies to the city when he haa a little money to gossip and visit, but more than all to go to his theater and sit there for hours perfectly entranced with delight. Chineso holidays aro always attractive to strangers, particularly the great dragon procession, resplendent in all tho colors of tho rainbow, but mostly in reds and yellows. One sees few Chineso women, but there are many children, usually well dressed, healthy and happy, ond some of them aro very attractive. They are often found in the little silk and tea shops and always seem well behaved. Th» Ingenious Ant Lion. Though in its perfect form tho ant lion is an elegant creature, not unliko a 6mall dragon fly In appearance, in its larval stage — which lasts a couple of years^ — it is an ugly customer ami is as bloodthirsty as its namo suggests. It is found in the sandy districts of warm countries. It preys on insects, chiefly ants, which it captures in an ingenious way. By great labor it digs a funnel shaped pit, some 20 inches deep, with a diameter cf 30 inches at tho top. This trap having been completed, it buries itself in tho sand ut tho bottom, its jaws alone being exposed. Presently an ant comes along and sjips down the sides of tho pit. As the Insect tries to climb up the ant lion shoots up sand at it and knocks it to the bottom. Here the fierce creature seizes tho helpless victim, and having sucked its juices shoots its body clean out of the pit and then lies in wait for its next unwary visitor. Whiskers That Never Grow Again. Golden Days mentions it as a fact that a lion's or a tiger's whiskers once taken off will never grow again. These animals shed their hair ordinarily once a year— all except the whiskers. Tho shedding depends entirely upon the climato, and there Is a peculiar thing connected with it. Men who have taken wild animals from Asia and Africa to Europe say that they never knew a lion or a tiger or any animal of the cat species to go through the Red sea without shedding. They will shed at Suakim and come out with hair freeh and glossy aa silk, and yet going through the Bed sea they will shed again. May Day. A world of white bowers And fluttering wings, A world full of flowers '. And wonderful things ... And laddies and lassies. This fresh, sunny day, To deck with bright masses Th» queen of the May! , Proud is young Harry As peacock, I ween, The May pole to carry ' Before tbe fair queen. ' I "Long life to your majesty!" Thus do they sine , As round her they merrUf Dance In a ring. \