basements was for ten men to sleep
in a room six by ten feet and do their cooking over a little charcoal
fire in one corner of the room. The beds they slept in were simply
bunks. The population of Chinatown had somewhat decreased since the
Exclusion act was passed. Few Chinamen came over and many, having
saved up a little fortune, had gone back to China to stay. Of the
entire population of Chinatown there were about 1,000 who voted; they
constituted the native born element. The men and women dress much
alike.

One of the sights which the inquisitive traveller to the Pacific coast
rarely missed was the Chinese theater. Entrance was gained through the
rear from an alley by the payment of 50 cents for a ticket. After
walking down a narrow passageway, climbing up two flights of stairs
and down three ladders one reached the green room in the rear of the
stage where one saw the actors in all the glory of Oriental costume.
No foreigners, as Americans were regarded, were allowed in any part of
the theater except on the stage where half a dozen chairs were
reserved on one side for visitors who came in the back way. There was
no drop curtain in front of the stage and the orchestra was located in
the rear of the stage. The orchestra would attract attention anywhere.
The music was a cross between the noise made by a boiler shop during
working hours and a horse fiddle at a country serenade.

As one walked along the streets of Chinatown he noticed on many
doorways a sign which read something like this: "Merchants' Social
Club. None But Members Admitted." There would be a little iron wicket
on one side of the door through which the password goes and some
Chinese characters on the walls. There were dozens of these clubs in
Chinatown, all incorporated and protected by law. But they were simply
gambling joints into which men of other nationalities were not
admitted, and where members could gamble without fear of interruption
by the police. Chinamen are born gamblers and will wager their last
dollar on the turn of a card. Perhaps if 25,000 Americans or
Englishmen or Russians were located in the heart of a Chinese city
without any of the restraining influences of home life, they would
seek to while away their idle hours at draw poker or as many other
forms of gambling as John Chinaman indulges in. The Chinamen have
little faith in one another so far as honesty goes. In many of the
clubs the funds of the club are kept in a big safe which