Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1916 — Chinese Colony of Atlanta Is Sorely Puzzled [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Chinese Colony of Atlanta Is Sorely Puzzled

ATLANTA, GA. —Half a hundred members of the Atlanta Chinese colony, having extricated themselves three years ago from a predicament, now find themselves in a dilemma. When Dr. Sun Yat Sen took the helm 'as

president of the new republic he ordered his loyal subjects on the two continents to embrace’ the Christian religion, to cease embracing their joss god, and to cut all queues close to the head. All these things the Atlanta Chinese did with an alacrity that had not always characterized the race; and as for the joss they had worshiped so many years, they tore him down and burned his body to a fine crisp. Atlanta’s Chinatown took on an en-

tirely new aspect, and a number of Chinamen joined the churches and offered up their supplications in the regular American way. They even quit the Chinese ceremonial at Chinese funerals. It was customary for a leader to sit on the hearse and throw small bits of paper into the wind. These papers had holes in them, and the Chinese believed that evil spirits must wriggle through each hole before they could reach the body. Ere the last piece had been tossed to windward the corpse was laid safely away, In other words, these changes from ancient custom came with the republican form of government in China and Dr. Sun Yat Sen; and, now that Yuan Shi Kai has made the republic look like a last year’s bird nest, Atlanta Chinamen want to know if there is any obligation to return to Confucianism, joss gods and queues. , _■ -, ♦ _ « The answer must be recorded in the negatlve, as far as the rank and file are concerned, for a more unpopular official than Yuan, ’tis said, never PTieted One of the worst charges Yuan faced from this side of the globe was that he ate his chow mien out of a golden bowl, and his chop suey sticks were of the glittering metal. He also shut himself up Jin the royal palace and refused to receive callers, which did not look to most of the laymen Chinese like a very democratic thing to do.