The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 16, 1896, Page 25

THE N FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 1896. 2 2 FREE ART SUITS GHINESE Hopking Institute Has Bright Heathen Visitors Up-to-Date and Above the Gommon Liaundry Type of Almond- Eyed Gelestials It sometimes takes the ‘*heathen Chi- nee” a little while to find out a good thing, i but when he does he makes the best of it and also tells his friends about it so that they may enjoy it. A good tning in the eye of a Chinese is something that costs nothing. This fact was made manifest at the last “iree day” at the Hopkmns Institute of Art. How the Chinese found out about it is pot known, but they came in swarms, whileon all previous free days they were conspicuous by their absence. nearly 250 of them. Since the institution has been open less than a dozen have paid for admission. But all things considered, the Mon—“ | golians conducted themselves very well and showed a greater interest in the works | of art, paintings and sculpture than in the bouse and the furnishings. Secretary Martin had only one trouble | There were | 4 L Tt L r. ) £ B/-;;/ O CHOOMER CETTING, UNBER waAys { | | UYL [l U] { with the almond-eyed visitors. to make them take off their hats. Bat| once they had them off they kept them off | aslong as they were in the building. 1t| looked a little odd to see the Chinese with | thair nncouth garments sitting on $500 | embroidered silk chairs; but on the whole | they showed no respect for these things, | while the pictures threw them into a state of excitement and even reverence. Little groups of Chinese would get in front of a picture or statue and discuss it in the most interested manner. They would go guite close to it and point to the | different portions, but not one was seen to put his finger on a work of art. Strange | as it may seem, the Chinese were the most | interested in the works of the best mas- | ters, Murillo, Verestchagin, Dupre and the other chefs-d’euvre came in for praise, while the mediocre work was not noticed. Dauring all the day not a Chinaman was seen to attempt to open a closet or table- drawer, or to attempt to investigate the | works of any ot the clocks. They did not try the faucets of the wash basins, nor ask to ride in the elevator. duct was most gentlemanly, and when, at times, they spoke excitedly, their voices were always low. When closing time came, Secretary Mar- tin was given a surprise in the shape of a vote of thanks from his Celestial visitors. None of the white visitors had ever done anything of the kind, so it took him some time to recover from the shock. A very dignified and well-dressed Chinese who | spoke English perfectly came forward, | and bowing courteously said: “I want to thank, on behalf of my countrymen here, whoever has been good enough to give us | the treat we have enjoyed to-day. Ithas | been a surprise to us, and I am ' sure we bave all profited from the vrivilege of gazing at your priceless works of art. It} broadens a man’s ideas to come to a place like this, and you may rest assured that we appreciate all that has been done for us.” That was | In fact, their con- | JULTULI The most picturesque part of the San Francisco water front is undoubtedly that part known as the channel, although, | strictly speaking, it is not the water front at all. The channel is a natural water- | way that comes in from the bay a few blocks below Townsend street, but it has | been so improved and deepened that it ap- pears to be a canal. Both sides are lined with bulkbeads, and bridges have been | built across at frequent intervals, It is| about 200 feet wide. It is the combination of these things | that gives the channel its picturesque‘f aspect together with the variety of craft | to be seen there at all times. The large four-masted ship, with graceful masts | that seem to scrape the sky, has little | place in the maritime architecture of the channel. Instead there are ail manner of other craft that seem to have been de- signed for artists to exercise their pen- cils and brushes on. The location of the channel in the lowest part of San Francisco, surrounded on all sides by all sorts of factories that con- stantly throw off volumes of smoke and steam, gives an atmospheric effect not common in this part of the world. At certain hours of the day the combinations of color are truly as rich as were ever seen on the Thames, There is no part of the channel that is not picturesque. From the mouth all the way up to the lumber-yard at the end both sides are a combination of lines not easy to duplicate. And the zreat number and variety of picturesque craft. Close to the mouth are the fishing-boats. All kinds. Junks, sloops, lateen rigs, scows and schooners, ail having that “loose’’ quality so pleasing to artists. The oyster-boats are not unusual-looking craft, but when they come into the chan- nel, laden with piles of bivalves and their sides dripping with the mud from the bottom of the bay, they produce combina- tions of grays that would surely throw Whistler in ecstasies. The buildings where these boats unload are oid and have a most delightful combination of lines in their make-up. & The hayboats are not as picturesque as other craft close by. But they are odd looking, and, if they happen to be heavily laden with the zolden harvest of the bot- tom lands, will make a splotch of brilliant color little short of surprising. But all the craft in the channel are picturesque. The lumber steamers that, under ordinary | conditions, look ugly, are most pleasing in appearance when surrounded by schooners with tall masts and graceful LooKing up The CIHANNEL PICTURESQUE SGENES ON THE GHANNEL, i i rigging. The tugs, river steamers, mud- scows, dredgers and many others all have a beauty of their own, not to be measured by symmetry of form. Even the common steel bridge across the channel at Fourth street is pleasing in appearance when a number of vessels are going through. The combination of masts, sails and rieging with clouds of smoke from the tugs drifting here and there produces a most animated scene. It is a lively ove also, and the screech of whistles and the screaming of orders from captains fill the air. Life on the channel is also, picturesque, The people who work on the ships and along the shores seem to have been cre- ated to fitin just the place they occupy. See that fishermap with the red shirt and green trousers, all too large for him, work- ing in his boat of orange and blue. How Hay SCHOUNER LominG N the brown nets that he is mending har- monize with everything else and what a bit of contrast the whole makes on the surface of the dancing, sunlit waters. And the ekippers of the bay schooners. Surely they look more like the ideal sea- dogs than do the men who nowadays stand on the bridges of ocean greyhounds. Nostyle for them. Blue ciothes and blue caps are the limit, but al! so worn and weather-beaten as to tone down into a sort of gray. The longshoremen, the lumber men, the tramps, the fruit-venders and ever the policemen are all picturesque. | There is something about their garments and the way they carry themselves that makes then seem to blend into their sur- roundings instead of being a disturbing element. But then as has been stated they live where even the atmosphere is picturesque. DEGADENGE OF THE JTAMALE The Ranks of the Venders @Gradually Thinning Out The American Article Has Made Inroads on the Great Mexican Goncoction Have the hard times affected the tamale man? or bas he been compelled to go out of business because his wares becamesus- { pected? At any rate he is going, and many of the downtown street cormers, | where in days gone by he used to do a | thriving business during the hours be- | tween sunset and midnight, know bim no more. His little boiler filled with the concoc- | tions of chicken ( ?), red pepper, tomatoes, | cornmeal and shucks no longer fills the | evening atmosphere with savory odors | borne on the steam that comes forth every time he raises the lid to serve a customer. | No more does his cheerful voice call his | wares to the passer-by. And no more do the passers-by stop to buy ot the few | tamale men who are leit, even though | many of them reduced the price of each bit of indigestion to 5 cents. | Herein may be the solution of the mys- | tery of the passing of the tamale man, for it hardly seems possible that the juicy concoction can really contain chicken in | view of the prices asked for the fowl. In | any-of the markets a chicken weighing | from 12 to 14 ounces will cost about 40 | cents. How, then, is it possible for a tamale sold for 5 cents to contain at least | three ounces of drumstick ? | If it is not chicken, what is it? Hor- {rors! Don’t think of it! Imagination | suggests all sorts of things—cats, puppies, | jackrabbits and even rats. The fact of | the case is, to do the tamale man justice, | that veal is the “filler” often used. The | delicate white tender meat readily absorbs | the fiery flavors of red pepper, etc., and | can be bought for about 8 cents a pound. | It is almost impossible to tell the differ- ence by taste. | But that is not accounting for the dis- | appearance of the venders. The man on the corcer of Powell and | Market streets gave as his reason for the decline in his business the fact that many | small restaurants and saloons have gone {into the tamale business. These places | are very careful in the preparation of their wares and many of them make them in view of their customers. All the ingre- dients are shown to be clean and the | “chicken” isshown to be chicken. As these places make a business of serv- ing coffee or beer with tamales and also | provide a clean place to eat, it follows that people will go in them instead of standing on the curbstone and throwing the shucks {in the gutter. Itis certainly much more dignified. For awhile many people used to buy tamales from the men on the street and then go into some saloon and eat them. One downtown saleon has even gone so far as to give a tamale with a 5-cent glass of beer. To be sure it 1s a “Texas’ tamale, and more open to suspicion than the other kind because the ingredients are ground to a sort of paste. But many people seem to like them, because the proprietor dis- poses of several hundred every day. -~ WONDERFUOL CATS A Pair of San Francisco Felines Which Show a Rare Degree of Intelligence. Their names are Chuffy 8 nd Svengali. They are members of the cat family and both are gentlemen. In addition they are two of the prettiest and best educated cats that ever aspired to histrionic fame.. With this brief introduction asto their names and character it is not meet that the tale should end. The marked ability displayed by these feline gentlemen is such that none can fail to be interested. “Chuff” and ‘‘Sven,” as they are famil- iarly called, are the pride and especial pets of Mrs, L. D. Adam, wife of the as- sistant city editor of THE CArn. Though Mrs. Adam is not desirous of posing as an animal trainer, she has succeeded in teaching her two beautiful black cats to do a few tricks that are perfectly wonder- ful. To begin with Chuffy, the larger; his mistress will call him to her and say: “Now, Chuff, prepare for your dinner.” Chuffy will immediately rear upon his haunches, lick his paws clean and smooth down bis glossy fur. A chair is then placed with its back to the table and a plate of meat cut in small pieces placed nearit. After tying & nap- kin around his neck, Chuffy is ordeéred to take his place at the table and eat his meal. Btanding uvon his haunches in the chair, the intelligent animal will lean over the back of the chair, take a piece of meat in his paw and convey it to his mouth, ‘Chis is continued until the meat has dis- appeared. Strangely enough, however, if the nap- kin is not tied round his neck prior to the meal, Chuffy will at once gobble up the meat just like any ordinary cat, and can- not be made to pick up one piece at a time with his paw. Next, Svengali is given a chance to dis- piay his talent. A stick about three feet in length is held vertically with one end resting on the floor. At the command to show his claws “Sven” will stand on his hind feet, and, distending bis claws as far as he can, reach up and get a firm clutch on the stick. Then he will slowly lift his nind feet off the floor and hang at arm’s length from the stick. Chuffy is very jealous of this particular performance on the part of his chum, and never fails to slip up and tickle him on the hind feet. He will keep this annoyance up till *Sven” drops from the stick and climbs upon a chair for protection. When it comes to an instrumental solo Chuffy is an expert. He will climb upon the stool and hammer the keys of the piano until the whole rooms resound with the strains of what, from its lack of mel- ody, approaches very nearly to some con- ceptions of opera. “Sven” cannot be induced to play the piano alone, but after a deal of coaxing and a bit of meat, will climb upon the stool beside Chuffy and assist in a duet. * Chuffy’s best trick, and it is a rarity among cats, is to retrieve. A bird’s wing is shaken before him, and in an instant he is alert and on his haunches, wiiting for it to be thrown. As it leaves Mrs. Adam’s hand he bounds forward, picks it up and brings it back to her feet. He will even climb upon a chair and take it from be- hind a picture. There is only one thing Chuffy will re- trieve and that 1s a bird’s wing. If a chicken’s wing is used it is no go with Chuffy. “‘Sven’’ will do the clown act in | this piece, too. As soon as he gets the wing he will run under the lounge and stay there till he is given a piece of meat to bring the wing out. Both cats will lie down at the order and feign death. They are very fond of each other and are frequently found curled up near each other basking in the sun’s ray. A PAIR OF WONDERFUL CATS Evicted! What a terrible sound the word has and what a terrible thing evic- tion really is under some circumstances, but not under all circumstances. There are times when it sounds ludicrous; there are times when eviction is just, becauae there are people who make it a business to pay one month’s rent in advance and then refuse to pay more. Their object is then to remain in the place as longas possible before being thrown out by the Sheriff. When such a state of affairs exists it usually takes the landlord about three months to get rid of his undesirable ten- ants. Such evictions are comman in cers tain parts of the City and fornish amuse- ment for the neighbors, who crowd around to see the ‘“fun.” There are no tears shed ob such occasions. Profanity is indulged in by the evicted persons instead of tears. Cases of people being evicted from their homes on account of poverty and sickness | are extremely rare. The honest working people will generally pay their renteven though they have to go Without food. An Eviction on Natoma Street When they are in distress the landlord generally “‘sees” that their case is brought before the Associated Charities and at- tended to. To evict such people is dan- gerous in wany ways and the landlord may have to pay some sort of damages as well as pring his house into disrepute. The owner of alarge hiouse on Fourth street evicted a poor family about a year ago. The act was such a heartless one that all the other tenants moved out, and his house is only partly filled up even now and at a much lower rent than he had ever received. For four months there was not a tenant in it, and he lost more than if he had allowed the poor family to remain there rent free for ten years. The kind of evictions of common occur- rence are similar to the case of Mrs. Bchneider, who was made to leave . her house on Natoma street a few days ago. Mrs. Schneider’s name is no guide to her nationality, for she was born in Ireland. She has giyen considerable trouble to the police on account of her fondness for cer- busband was & German tailor who went away one night about eight years ago after she had split the side of his head with a poker, and never came back. She has been unable to find him, although he is most likely in San Francisco, pecause he sends her money. Mrs. Schneider moved into her last house about four months ago. She paid $5 for one month's rent of two rooms, and no more. Since then the law has been at work to get her out, so she has had four months' rent for the price of one. After much red tape had been gone through with, the Sheriff and his men came and carried all her honsehold goods o the sidewalk and dumped them in a heap. The stove wason top of the mattress, and buckets and flatirons were mixed n confusion with chairs and tables. Mrs. Schneider watched the men at work without saying a word, and followed them in silence to the street. She had been through the same thing many times. A policeman and a small crowd were on hand, but the Sheriff and his deputies got out of the road as fast as possible, - “You're a nice one to be standing by see a poor woman thrown out into the street,” said Mrs. Schneiaer, turning to the policeman. ‘““What are you paid for I'd like to know? Why don’t you arrest them robbers? You baven’t time, but I'll report you to Mayor Sutro and he’ll give | Go along with you, | you plenty of time. you lazy beer sign.” At this stage of the game the landlord came by 1o assure himself that he was at last rid of his unprofitable {enant. “Thbere’s the monopolist and robber,” she sereamed, rushing at him and shaking her fist under his nose, ‘‘who makes his living by grinding the life-blood out of poor peonle. Thief! Thief! Thief! I know you and I ain’t afraid to tell the world all about you.” “Madam,” ventured the landlord, “don’t you dare use such language to me or—"’ fou won't do nuthin’ o’ de kind,” said a big, fat young man in the crowd. #Dat lady’s my mudder an’ I kin lick eny geeser like you wot tawks to her.” “Here, you, Schneider,”” said the police- man, “keep your tongue out of this or you’ll go back to the place you just spent three mwonths 1n for sneaking that lead pipe.” The dutiful son subsided at once and the land!ord made his escape, while Mrs, Schneider filled the air with blue-tinted profanity. The landlord and the police- man came in for a bitter tongue-lashing. The officer at last told Mrs. Schneider that if she didn’t stop he would ‘“send for the wagon.” Mrs. Schneider knows what {he wagon means and her fury vanished in a mo- ment. Reaching into her pocket, she took out a large red handkerchief and, untying the corner, disclosed eight silver dollars. *‘Here, boys,” turning to the crowd of loafers, ‘‘carry my things to Lanigan’s in the next block. 1'm going to take the rooms he hasto rent, and after paying the rent for a month there’ll be enough left to buy the big bucket full of beer,” DOG AND GROWLER This Natoma-Street : Ganine Has Become a Gonfirmed Patron of the Beer Saloon Out on Natoma street, near Seventh, there lives a dog whose business in life is to buy beer. Not to purchase the amber fluid by the carload or hogshead, or even the barrel, but in very small quantities. So small that it is generally called ‘‘rush- ing the growler.” The dog belongs to 3 man named Smith and is known to the whole neighborhood as “Carl.” A very appropriate name, all things considered, although thedog would, most likely, be justas much pleased if he were called “Friiz.”’ Carl’s owner says that he is a pointer, but judging from the general appearance of the dog there are a good many other breeds in bis composi- tion, He really looks a great deal more like a gigantic Ecotch terrier than any- thing else. He also appears to be very lazy. His bones look to be too big for his skin, which in turn looks to be too big for his bones, 80 that he ambies along in a careless sort of way and seems ready to drop to picces at any moment. When Mr. Smith wants beer he simply whistles for Oarl and the shaggy specimen of canine comes on the jump. Anold battered tin bucket thatin its day has carried the material for many a good time is given to him. Carl takes the handle in his mouth and the money is putin the bucket. The sum is generally five cents, and Mr. 8mith makes it a business tohave that amount always on hand. Oarl at once starts for Bullivan’s on the corner. Mr. Sullivan knows Carl, and after taking the nickel he puts the proper amount of beerin the bucket and the dogat once starts home to his thirsty master. If the day happens to be Sunday Carl will very likely repeat the trip in a few minutes, A DOG THAT RUSHES THE GROWLER