Wing Sing in Montreal
“Wing Sing in Montreal.” LA Express 27 February 1904: 6.
[Note – Wing Sing is the pen name of a well-known Americanized Chinese merchant of this city. He recently left Los Angeles to make a visit to his old home in China, going by way of Montreal. Before starting he promised The Express to write a series articles in his own untrammelled style, telling of his travels. Appended is the seventh contribution – Ed.]
MONTREAL, P.Q., Feb. 22. – I never see no city more better than Montreal. It is as big as San Francisco, but though it much more quiet it make much more money and do much more business. The people they give plenty time to play. The cold, it is very cold, but the Canadian man and the Canadian woman they not like stay in the house too much. They sport like little child that is strong like man.
My cousin he take me to place called “skating rink.” All the people there they have piece of steel under their shoe and they move fast on a big piece of ice like the bird that skim close to the ground, and their eyes they be so bright and the good luck color is on their cheeks and their nose. Also my cousin take me up on very big hill of snow and he say “What you think this sport? The Canadian man calls it tobogganing.”
I watch. I see the man and the woman and the boy and the girl come up the hill pull very flat piece of wood with the end curl round like the roof of a Chinese house. My cousin say that piece of wood travel faster than the railway car. I say no can believe, but he speak true. When the man and the woman and the boy and the girl come top of hill they all sit in one row on the piece of wood and it shoot down so that I shut my eyes, and the man and the woman and the boy and the girl, they are coming up the hill again. My cousin say the hill than one mile of snow.
One day I go out in the carriage with the bells. Never no carriage go so quickly and smooth as it go. All the ground we cover is white and clean. It is so all over the city of Montreal. When I go out of my cousin house I wipe my shoes on the mat, for I not like soil the pretty snow in the street. After we ride two, three hours, my cousin say, “How you like ride on river?” I say, “What you mean?” He say, “You ride over the river St. Lawrence. Every winter the cold make it so hard that the steamer not can run, but the man can walk on it, and the horse can run on it and five hundred carriages with bells not can break it.”
It is the war which all the people in Montreal talk about – the war, and how to get men to build the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway that they have charter for to build in three year. It is not possible to build it without they get Chinamen, but what Chinaman come to this country if he have to pay $500 head tax to come in?
Chinese people, their heart is more with the Japanese than the Russians. It is too bad that the selfishness of the rulers of nations should bring so much trouble. It is so always. If the rulers are not benevolent, the people are involved in death and ruin.
I think I come back to Los Angeles next month. This is no time for the man of peace to go visit his home. I write my wife that I be very sorry but I go see her next year.
WING SING.