tolled the
death of the old and announced the birth of the New Year, one would
think that Pandemonium was let loose. Unless one has heard it, no idea
can be formed as to what this unearthly noise really is. We are told it
is to frighten away evil spirits, to invoke the favor of the gods, to
bid, as they fondly hope, a final farewell to ill-luck; and, again,
simply because they are happy, and when in this frame of mind, they love
to manifest their joy in noisy demonstrations. A certain time in the
early morning is spent in worship at the shrines at home and in the
temples. They place before their sacred images, offerings of tea, wine,
rice, fruits and flowers. The Chinese lily is in full bloom at this
season, and it occupies a conspicuous place in the joss-houses. It is
for sale on every street corner.

The day is spent in feasting, pleasure seeking, and in making New Year's
calls. The Chinamen are always greatly pleased to receive calls from
white men with whom they have business dealings, and they exhibit their
cards with much pride. They are very punctilious and even rival the
Frenchmen in politeness, and it is considered an offense if any of their
proffered hospitalities are declined.

But while Chinatown is the most extraordinary feature of San Francisco,
and is visited by tourists who naturally look upon it somewhat in the
light of forbidden and hence exceptionally attractive fruit, it is not
by any means the most interesting or most important feature of one of
the finest cities in the world. San Francisco is the metropolis of the
Pacific Slope. It occupies the point of a long peninsula between the bay
and the ocean, and so unique is its site that it includes some
magnificent hills and peaks. The history of San Francisco bristles with
border and gold mine stories and tales of the early troubles of
pioneers. Whole pages could be written concerning the adventures of the
early days of this remarkable city. The time was when a few frame
buildings constituted the entire town. The rush of speculators following
discovery after discovery of gold, converted the quiet little port into
a scene of turmoil and disturbance.

Every ship brought with it a cargo of more or less desperate men, who
had come from various points of the compass determined to obtain a
lion's share of the gold which they had been told could be had for the
taking. The value of commodities went up like sky-rockets. The man who
had a few spare mules and