CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Gift of UNIV. OF PENNSYLVANIA OLN. GV121 .C9™" ""'"""y "-'""nr °'"iliiu'NiSliiraSiPiii?.!,M',tlS,.,9!)'"ese in America olln 3 1924 032 lioe '096''' The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924032406096 ■'4 rK^;mf::,. ^^^"V>"'' ^^ li^/ JH-y ,- ppt, , l.'^^il'^'JBLlCATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITV OF PENNSYLVANIA. '■,^''''^' SEKIES IN Philology; 'Literature and Archceology' .^t^^V^ -V- Vol I. No 4 fejju ^ '^ • The Gambling Games .,r. i\'' .- -* -' Ot THE t '' ' . Chinese in America FAN T'AN : the Game of Repeatedly Spreading Out. _ PAK KOP PIU or, The Game of White Pigeon Ticket. .*;!\ I i ',11 l*- '• STEWART CULIN, 5«fe%,^ ^ECRETARV OF IHR MUSEUM «I* ARCHEOLOGY ^NP PAtA bJ|s^'^=' /'' NT"D. C- HODGES, , ' , MAXNJEMEVER, <,' ^i^ ?^^ Agent for United States, Canada and Engrand Agent for the Continent of feurope ■% ^£^ '*' ,' ■ 47Lafayette Place, New YorL,N Y Halle, a S , Germdny .'« -)• ' PHILADELPHIA , Univfrsity of 'P^sss\t,vfsi^ Press, ' iSgi •/ f^.. i'f-".-' ' a\ft»C*3«»-5^{4«i'/^r» '^t-.* M^^^^l,M^mt DATE DUE ^ npp^ " i*~ii fwk — x-^aa WtU^^^-fi »-j|;_n ^ "~^== -^ FXB— 2. 48;4F WA¥4^4i 17^AP WWI'llul't nrtra* j^^^^^^ i»i GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A. Ul '■-■y %y The Papers of this Series, prepared by Professors and others connected with the University of Pennsylvania, will take the form of Monographs on the subjects of Philology, Literature, and Archaeology, whereof, about 200 or 250 pages will form a volume. The price to subscribers to the Series will be ^(1.50 per volume; to others than subscribers, $2.00 per volume. Each Monograph, however, is complete in itself and will be sold sepa- rately. It is the intention of the University to issue these Monographs from time to time as they shall be prepared. Each author assumes the responsibility of his own contribution. K WAN TI, THE GOD OP WAR From a Chinese Picture in the Arch^ological Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. Publications of the University of Pennsylvania. SERIES IN Philology Literature and Archaeology Vol. I. No. 4. The Gambling Games OF THE Chinese in America FAN T'AN : the Game of Repeatedly Spreading Out. AND PAK KOP PIU or, The Gaftie of White Pigeon Ticket. BY STEWART CULIN, *■ • SECRETARY OF THE MUSEUM OF ARCHEOLOGY AND PALAEONTOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. N. D. C. HODGES, MAX NIEMEYER, . Agent for United States, Canada and England Agent for the Continent of Europe 47 Lafayette Place, New York, N. Y. Halle, a. S., Germany. PHII,ADELPHIA : University of Pennsylvania Press, 1891. A. ^^4-75, 6 'gyg F'H CORNELL uUNSVERSITY \L!BRARV THE GAMBLING GAMES OF THE CHINESE IN AMERICA.! The best known and most popular gambling games among the Chinese laborers in America are fdn t'dn Sind^dk kip piU. Fdn t'dn is a game usually played upon a mat- covered table, with a quantity of Chinese coins or other small objects which are covered with a cup. The players guess what re- mainder will be left when the pile is divided by four, and bet upon the result. The name means " repeatedly spreading out," and refers to the manner in which the coins or other objects are spread out upon the table.'' It is usually conducted by a company of several persons, and is almost invariably played in a room on the ground floor, or in a cellar or basement. A white paper tablet with the name of the company is usually pasted without the door, with a simi- lar label bearing the legend yat yi koi p'i, which announces that the game is open day and night. In San Francisco, a man fre- quently stands in the doorway and invites passers-by' to play, crying mdi t'dn dfdt tsoi Id ! Buy fdn t'dn and make money ! In New York and Philadelphia, a sentinel is invariably stationed within the door, to keep out intruders and give warn- ing of danger while the game is in progress.' The gambling rooms are simply furnished, and have bare walls, except for a few texts on white paper tablets, or the rules of the game, which are sometimes wfKten upon white paper and suspended on a board. There is a table about four feet ' Read in part before the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society, New York, January 26th, 1888. ' The writer is indebted to Herbert A. Giles, Esq., H. B. M. Consul, Amoy, China, for sug- gestions with reference to the etymology of fin fdn, and the terms used to designate the dif- ferent ways of laying the wagers. ' This custom gives the not altogether incorrect imprecsion to a visitor that each house is in a state of siege. 2 The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. high, covered with Canton matting, alongside of which is usually a railed space containing a high chair for the cashier. Around are a few wooden stools upon which the players may stand. In the centre of the table is a square called the fdn ching or " spreading out square," which consists either of a piece of tin with its four sides marked from right to left with the numerals from "one" to "four," or, as is more common here, of an un- numbered diagram, outlined in ink, upon the' mat. This is usually about eighteen inches square. , Two men are required to run the game. One of them, called the fdn kiin or "ruler of the spreading out," stands by the side of the table which corresponds with the "one" side of the tablet, while the other, called the ho Mn, whose office is that of clerk and cashier, sits on his left. The tdn Mn takes a handful of bright brass " cash " from a pile before him and covers them with a shallow brass cup about three and one-half inches in diameter, called the t'dn k'oi or "spreading out cover. "J, The players lay their wagers on or be- side the numbers they ?e*lect on the plate, and the t'dn kdn raises the cover and carefully counts off the "cash" in fours, one at a time, not touching them with his hands, but using a tapering rod of black wood about eighteen inches in length, called the t'dn pong, or " spreading out rod," for the purpose. J- The objects used in the gamesdescribed in this paper have been deposited by the writer in the Museum of Archaeology of the University of Pennsylvania. The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. 3 If there is a remainder of one, after he has removed as many fours as possible, " one " is said to be " opened " ; if two or three remain, "two" or "three" is "opened," or if the pile has contained an even number of fours and there is no remain- der, the "four" is "opened." The operation is conducted in silence, and when the result is apparent, the t^dn kUn mechani- cally replaces the separated " cash " into the large pile and takes another handful from it, which he covers as before. There are several ways in which a player may lay his stakes upon the table : First, mdi fdn, or tdn fdn, "buying a single number." The player lays his stakes in front of the number he desires to bet on, with a narrow red card, called a kau l(, " dog's tongue," be- neath, them. If the number played on is " opened " the cashier pays the player four times the sum wagered, but if one of the other numbers is opened the player loses. Second, mdi eking t'au, " buying the front of the square," also called mdi hong, " buying a row." The player lays his money in front of a number as before, but without the red card. In this case. he receives his wager back if either of the side num- bers is "opened;" gets double, if the number played on is opened, and loses if the opposite number is played. Third, mdi kok, "buying the corner." The player lays on a corner of the square. He is paid double if one of the con- tiguous numbers is "opened," but loses if either of the others is "opened." Fourth, mdi nip, "buying a twist." The player lays his ' money near the end of the side, instead of at the centre, with a red card on top. If the number played on is " opened " the player receives twice the amount, or if the number on the adjacent side is "opened" he gets it back; but if one of the other sides is opened, he loses. The cashier pays the winnings from a money-box beside him, after deducting a percentage, which alone constitutes the company's profit, as no matter in which way a player lays his money, the chances are precisely equal between him and the company. No charge is usually made on winnings of small amount. 4 The GAMBtiNG Games of the Chinese in America. A player may put his money directly on the table, or he may use counters or chips instead, a supply of which, of differ- ent denominations, is usually heaped .within the square. These counters consist of ts'ln isz', or Chinese " cash," which represent- ten cents; pdk chit, "white pearls," representing ;^i ; kak cku, "black pearls," ^5 ; chessmen, j^io, and dominoes^ ^50. Other values are sometimes assigned to them. When counters are used, two, red cards insfead of one are placed beneath them, iti the case of the first wager, mdifdn, and one red card in the second, nidi eking t'au, and the third, mdi kok: When counters are used, the player frequently deposits a bank note or his purse with the cashier, who places a Chinese playing card of the kind called ts'iung kwan p'ai beside it, to identify it, and hands a corresponding card to the player. This card the player sometimes puts upon the table with the counters representing his stakes, where it takes the place of one of the red cards. Then when a player loses and continues playing, the cashier places the counters he has lost on the ts' Sung kwan p'ai that indicates his money ; but if the winnings are in a player's favor, he puts one of the red cards under the player's marker, and deposits on it the counters that represent his winnings, after deducting the company's commission. The latter is usually about seven per cent.. A player is not ordinarily permitted to stake a counter rep- resenting a sum larger than that he has deposited with the cashier, although the games are sometimes conducted on credit and settlements made the next day. The companies reserve the right to decline any wager and close the game at any time. The games are opened at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and at 8 in the evening, and often at li in the morning on Sundays and holidays. The company always opens the game, one of its members acting as t'dn Mn. The partners sometimes take turns in keeping game, and receive twenty-five or fifty cents from the common fund each time, or one of them may be appointed to act as keeper, and then receives a salary of about twerity-five dollars per month. ^ These dominoes are frequently covered with paper upon which their accredited value is written. ^ The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. 5 Each member of a company who keeps game has a book in which he records the profits and losses while he is acting as keeper. After the game has continued for about half an hour, or sooner, if the coihpany has lost money, a settlement is made with the players, and any of them are permitted to take the table and run it for their own profit, upon paying a small rental to the company and a fee to the cashier for his services. The ho Mn, or cashier, receives a salary of about twenty- five dollars a month, and usually has a small interest in the com- pany. Very little capital is required by the fdn fdn companies. The members usually contribute from fifty to two hundred dol- lars together, ana this is sufficient unless the losses are large. The gambling cellars are usually owned by people interested in the stores, by whom they are rented to the companies at from ten dollars and upwards per month, but sometimes iii considera- tion of a share of the profits of the tables. There are eight companies in Philadelphia and between thirty and forty in New York, several companies often using the same table alternately. The profits of the smaller companies in Philadelphia are said to average about, five dollars per day, but this amount is often much exceeded. The coins used in playing fdn t'dn are those of the present dynasty, such as are now current in China, and are imported expressly for gambling purposes in "large quantities. Only perfect pieces, and preferably those of the same mintage, are selected, and these are cleaned with vinegar and afterward polished by being shaken with damp sawdust in a cotton bag. Those of the Kanghi period (A. D. 1661 to 1722), and of the Kienlung period (A. D. 1735 to 1796), which constitute a large part of the present circulation in China, are generally used, but pieces representing all the emperors of the Manchu dynasty, except the present ruler, may be found upon these strings of cash, and a collection embracing the issues of many of the provincial mints can be formed from them without much diffi- culty. Some of, the strings of "cash" of the periods already referred to, appear to be quite uncirculated, and are probably 6 The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. reproductions made expressly for gambling purposes. The brass cash are not used as counters upon the board, leaden pieces from Annam, called nai ts'in, " dirt cash," being substituted to prevent confusion. A word might be said concerning the playing cards used as markers. Their name, ts'iung kwanp'ai, signifies " Commander in Chief Cards," and their history and symbolism furnish a curious and romantic chapter in the social and political life of the Chinese people. Those used in fun t'dn differ from the cards used among the Chinese here in card games in being wider and in often having white instead of black or red backs. The kmi li are narrow cards, with both faces of bright vermillion, like the backs of some of the ordinary playing cards. Many variations from the method of playing fdn t'dn as above described, occur among the Chinese in America ; white buttons are frequently substituted for coins, and a fcurved piece of bamboo for the tapering rod ; while a square drawn with ink upon the mat takes the place of the numbered metal plate. Such- changes are made either for the purpose of turning a run of bad luck, or to give the game a more innocent appearance and render the conviction of its proprietors more diflficult, under the law against keeping gambling houses. Quarrels are of frequent occurrence in the gambling cel- lars, and this game constitutes one of the principal causes of disputes in the Chinese colonies.' pIk kop piu. More respectable than fdn t'dn'' and distinguished from it and the games played with dominoes and cards by the title of Sz' man kduyik, or " exchange for literature," is pdk kbp pid, a kind of lottery, which shares an equal popularity among the Chinese gamblers. Its name signifies "white pigeon ticket." In China, where 'It is the custom when the cashier makes a mistake for the aggrieved player to seize all the money upon the table 'This only relatively, as no form of gambling is considered respectable among the Chi- cS^ses ^^ ^^'^°°"'^^"'*'^ *° '" ^°"'^ letters or in social converse among the educated The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. 7 lotteries are illegal, they are frequently carried on among the hills near the cities, and it is said that pigeons are used to con- vey the tickets and winning numbers between the offices and their patrons ; whence the name applied first to the tickets and from them to the lottery itself. In America the offices of the/^>^ kbp piii are always located in an upper room, suggesting the survival of the use of the loft, from which the messengers were formerly dispatched. Biit no such precaution is necessary ; the mails carry the tickets, and runners daily traverse the cities from laundry to laundry, solicit- ing custom. Pdk k'bp piii is always carried on by a company, which assumes an auspicious name, in the same manner as the store companies, and has an office, where the drawings are conducted, usually in a room over a shop.^ This office consists of a small compartment, with a strong railing in front, extending midway from the floor to the ceiling, which permits a full view of the interior. Wooden shutters are frequently used to close this railed space during the day. The drawings take place every night. Between 9 and 10 o'clock t\ye^pdk k'bp pM sin shang, as the manager of the lot- tery is entitled, lets down the wooden shutters, locks himself in his cage, and is prepared to sell tickets for the drawing that takes place that evening. The tickets for the pdk kbp pM are imported already printed from China in large quantities, and invariably consist of pieces of unsized paper about five' inches square, upon which have been printed from a wooden block in black, blue or green ink, the first eighty characters of the Ts'in- tsz'man, or Thousand Character Classic.^ This book, which con- tains precisely one thousand characters,, no two of which are alike, is so well known in China that its characters are fre- quently used instead of the corresponding numerals from one to one thousand. They serve the purpose of numbers on the tickets. »It is customary for the store companies to act as backers of the lotteries and guarantee yment of the prizes. 2 The tickets used in the United Sta invariably printed in green or blue ink. payment of the prizes. 2 The tickets used in the United States are now largely made in San Francisco, and are 8 The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America.' The impression on these tickets is reproduced in Fig. 2.' ^^ n^m^^m^m^ liji*! JJMI ^ n ^ * >g *& ikM ^^ K^^^^M ^'A ^m^^^ik^m ^ }k m- ^ m 1 %m^i^^^'4^$Lir\ tm ■t^^i^s^^m 4i>,m ^^M.^m^Mm[ tm i^nMf%^^l\ Fig. 2. ' Dr. Morrison gives the following translation of the text, which comprises the first sec- tion of the TsHn tsz' man : I. Heaven and earth black and yellow ; 5. The canopy of the universe, wide and waste ; 9. The sun and moon, full and waning ; 13. The stars and constellations arranged and set out. 17. The cold comes and the heat goes 21. The Autumn is for ingathering and the Winter for hoarding up 25. The intercalary superfluities complete the year, 29. And the notes of the gamut adjust the superior principle of nature. 33. When the clouds ascend on high, they occasion rain ; 37. When the dews concrete they become hoar frost. 41. Gold is produced at the "graceful water;" 45. Gems come from the " Kuan lun hill." 49. Of swords, the most distinguished is the " Great Chamber; " 55. Of pearls, the most celebrated is the " Night Splendor ( " The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. 9 The line in the middle space reads : ckid lot un tai k'ap. " Im- printed according to the original copy." Those in use here are identical with used tickets obtained from the Strait's Settlements. Twenty of the eighty numbers are drawn every night. The company sells each player ten or more numbers, and pays prizes to those who purchase a certain number of characters drawn. A player prepares his tickets by dotting the characters he selects with black ink, and this ticket is handed to the manager, with the money wagered. ■ He has a number of blank tickets, bound in the form of a book, on one of which he marks the corresponding characters, and writes the player's name and the amount. Ten numbers are sold on the basis of one dollar, and this is the usual form of the wagers. When the office is open, the runners and agents, and such customers as have not entrusted them with their commissions, present their marked tickets, with the money, and see that their bets are duly recorded. About an hour after letting down the shutters the drawing takes place. Eighty pieces of white paper have been provided, upon which have been written or printed the eighty characters of the tickets, one on each, a box of hand stamps for the purpose, forming part of the equipment of most lotteries. The manager carefully rolls the eighty pieces of paper into as many pellets, so that they cannot be distinguished, one from one another, and places them in a large tin pan. He mixes them thoroughly, and then, one at a time, counts twenty of the pellets into a white china bowl, distinguished by a white paper label marked "one." He then counts twenty more into another bowl labeled " two," and, in turn, places the remainder, in the same way, into two other bowls marked "three" and "four." One of the players, who is paid a small gratuity, is now asked to select one of the bowls, and the one he designates is declared to contain the -winning numbers. These the manager 59. Of fruits, the most precious are the damson and the plum ; 61. And of vegetables, the most Important are the mustard plant and ginger. 65. The sea water is saltish, and the river water fresh. 69. The scaly tribes plunge deep, but the feathered soar high. 73. The dragon (designated) a teacher (in the time of) " the Fire Emperor," 77. While birds were the mark of offices under the " Human Sovereign." 10 The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. carefully unrolls, one at a time, at once pasting them on a board in the back part of his office. The spectators watch every movement, and cheating is dif- ficult. It is almost impossible for the company to direct it against the players, but the manager sometimes contrives to defraud the company, by arranging that certain numbers shall win, about which he has informed the players with whom he is in collusion, in advance of the drawing. Those who purchase ten numbers lose their stakes unless they happen to have bought at least five of the winning num- bers. Those who guess five or more of the winning numbers receive the following sums for each dollar they wager : or 5 winning numbers " 6 " (C y (C " 8 " " 9 " "10 i 2 20 200 1,000 1,500 3,000 The companies, however, always deduct five per cent, from these amounts, and when the ticket has been sold through an agent, fifteen per cent., ten per cent, of which is paid to the agent. Proportional sums are paid when the amount wagered is less than one dollar. Most of the companies sell more than ten numbers, from ten up to twenty, at a proportional advance in price as the player's chances are increased, and the prizes vary from those paid when ten numbers are sold. The price which should be charged for more than ten numbers, with the prizes to be paid, and the methods of calculating the company's' chances, and what its profits should be, are contained in a book known as the pdkkop pin. i'b, of which several editions are current among the gamblers in American cities. One in general use, entitled "Shang ts'oi tsit king" or "A quick way to get rich," may be pur- chased in the Chinese shops. The manager of the lottery must have special knowledge of the business. He, and his assista:nt who prepares thi pa- pers for the drawings, are dignified with the title of Sin shang, The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America, ii literally "first born," which is equivalent to Mr., and is about the only title of respect used among the Chinese laborers in America. The principal manager is paid from forty to sixty dollars, and his assistant from thirty to fifty dollars per month, for their two hours' service at night, in addition to which they usually have some remunerative employment during the day. They may have a share in the lotteries, but are not permitted to purchase tickets. When the winning numbers are declared, messengers at once carry tickets on which they are marked with red ink, to the Chinese stores and restaurants, where they are prominently displayed. Many of the stores act as agents for the lotteries, and charge purchasers fifteen per cent, commission. The run- ners also charge fifteen per cent, advance, so that their custo- mers pay one dollar and fifteen cents for ten numbers, of which they turn in one dollar to' the manager. Anyone can buy tickets at the office without paying a commission, but most of the tickets are sold through agents, as they can sell them for amounts as low as ten cents, while the offices usually will not receive less than one dollar from others. Be- sides, they insure their customers against mistakes in mark- ing their tickets, the companies being very ready to decline to pay prizes on account of such errors. The winner must be paid on the day following the drawing, and failure to pay re- sults in the destruction of the business, but this is of very in- frequent occurrence. The lotteries are often compelled to suspend, however, through their capital being exhausted by repeated losses. The cash capital required is not large. In 1886 there were four pdk kbp pM companies in Philadelphia, known as the Kwong T'di, "Extensive Increase", T'in Wo, " Heavenly Harmony ", Fuk T'di, " Fortunate Increase ", and Ch'iu Ts'un, "Encourging Fountain ". In New York there were five, and numerous companies existed in the Chinese col- onies of Boston, Chicago and the larger American cities.^ ' Another form of this game, known as Shan pii or " mountain lottery," is occasionally opened by Chinese gamblers in American cities. It is played with the same tickets and in the same manner as Pdk kbp pM, and differs from it in the entire receipts from the sale of tickets, less the company's commission, being divided among the players who guess the largest number of characters. 12 The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. Origin of the Games. There are no traditions concerning the origin of the game of fdn t'dn current among the Chinese in America.^ Similar games are found among many primitive peoples, and it may have been handed down among the Chinese from an early- time. Pdk kip pid is said by the Chinese here to have been in- vented by a governor who had used money belonging to the State for his private purposes, and who succeeded, by means of the lottery which he established, in not only restoring the money he had embezzled, but in acquiring great riches. The following story, translated from the Chinese by the ' Rev. Mr. Lobscheid, of Hong Kong, purports to be an histori- cal account of the origin of this game, the name which he ren- ders as " The Game of the White Dove : "" " This game is an old establishment, and was first introduced , by Cheung leung ' of the great Han Dynasty. When the city was hard pressed, and provisions were beginning to fail, they (the besieged) were anxious to increase the contributions, and to exhort the people to subscribe more for the army, but were una- ble to do so. Hence they established a game of chance (to guess characters), by which they hoped to tempt the people to hazard their property. In order to fix a method of losing or gaining at hazard, they chose 120 characters for the whole game and eight characters for one subdivision. If the people lost one (whole) subdivision they lost three It of property ; if they gained one division they were rewarded with ten taels. These regulations being once established, who would not sacri- fice a little in order to gain much.' The two games in the morning and evening were attended by men and women who tried their luck by guessing. They had only opened the game ' I have since heard its invention attributed to Kwan Cliung {Kiin Chung), one of the most renowned statesmen of antiquity. Died B. C. 645. The Chinese Reader' s Manual, No 293. In a general way the Chinese speak of the camp as the place where most games bad their origin, the soldiers being encouraged to amuse themselves, In order to keep them together, when not engaged before the enemy. ^A Grammar of the Chinese Language, Hong Kong, 1884. Part II, p. 156. "Cheung l^ung {.Chang Liang) died B. C. 187, was one of the earliest adherents and afterwards chief counsellor of the founder of the I^an dynasty. The Chinese Reader's Manual, No. 26. The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. 13 for about ten days, when they had accumulated more than 1000 pieces of silver; and after a few more decades theif wealth was boundless. The money thus gained was considered a con- tribution to the army for the reduction of the empiie " At present the people practice the game as a profession. They borrow the characters from the Thousand Character Classic, of which eighty are chosen and arranged after a new plan, ten characters forming one division, which the people are permitted to purchase for more or less (fpr whatever they please.) Three cash gaining ten taels makes the people covet the game without loathing. When they guess five characters they gain five li; when six characters they gain five candareens ; when seven characters they gain five mace; when eight char- acters they gain two taels and five mace; when nine char- acters they gain five taels ; when ten characters they gain ten taels. When this game was first established, the houses were often at a great distance, and communication being difficult, and the people anxious soon to know the result respecting their gaining or losing, they employed letter doves to carry the news to the parties, whence the present designation : ' The Game of the White Dove.' " Gamblers' Guilds. The Chinese gambling-house keepers in New York City have at present (in 1891) a regularly-organized guild, for the purpose of mutual protection. This is found necessary, as they are constantly the objects of attempts at blackmail on the part of certain of their countrymen. A society for this express purpose, called the Hip Shin T'ong, or " Hall of United Virtues," existed in Philadelphia in 1888, when its inner workings were disclosed in the course of the trial of some alleged Chinese gamblers in a local court. Its members each contributed five dollars for "expenses," and were sworn to secrecy. After two Chinese had been convicted of gambling under a charge brought by officers of this society, the sum of ;^ 1400 was extorted from others under arrest as a 14 The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. price tor the withdrawal of proceedings. The disclosure of this fact in the newspapers, brought about through a quarrel over the spoils, led to the immediate dissolution of the society, and it has not been heard from since. Its membership was en- tirely recruited from the ranks of the secret society popularly known as the / king, and the plan of its organization appears to have been drawn from that of the same order. It is not alto- gether sure that the 1 king itself has not degenerated into a mere blackmailing organization, as its lodge in New York City, the Lim I T'ong, is known to levy a monthly assessment of sev- enty-five cents on each lottery, and fun t'dn table. The Kung sko, or " Public Hall," in New York City, however, which was founded by Chinese merchants, and furnished at their expense, is supported by a similar contribution of fifty cents per month, so that the amount paid to the Lien I T'ongmay be regarded by the gamblers as a reasonable compensation for friendly offices. A more or less formal organization exists among the Chi- nese gambling-house keepers in Philadelphia, and meetings of those interested are assembled in the usual manner, by sending to each, gambling company a slip of bamboo tipped with red and inscribed with the time and place of the meeting, where this object serves as the credential of the house's representative. Effect and Significance. The habit of gambling among the Chinese laborers in the United States is often reinforced, if not actually acquired, during their residence here. The emigrants are principally poor country people, and, although there are a few professional gamblers among them, the majority, from their youth and lack of money, if for no other reason, were quite unaccustomed to hazard their earnings in the manner that is almost universal among the Chinese in the United States. A few, the keepers of gambling . houses, reap the benefit, and return with competencies to China, to be succeeded by others, who are in turn enriched ; but the mass of the people, who contribute to this result, are often compelled to stay on far be- The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. 15 yond the time they would otherwise remain in this country. The effect in general is to increase the tendency on the part of the Chinese to cluster in cities near their gambhng houses, and to give permanency to their settlements. The custon}.„Qf_..gam-hling. is oftenjooked upon as one of the distitictive traits of the Chines e, and as such is almost in- variably commented upon when any reference is made to them in casual speech. In the opini6n of the writer, it may be re- garded as a concomitant of their present state of culture, rather than as having any special ethnic significance. The gambling instinct is one that exist s in a strong degree among man^_peoples, and evcnr-witlr'TIsTarthough somewhat repressed in its grosser forms by legislation, constantly exhibits itself as one of the moving passions of our race and times. , No doubt the-games described in the foregoing account as current among the Chinese laborers in the United States will be displaced in time by speculations and amusements more in conformity to the laws and customs of their adopted country, with the result, it might be svipposed, of somewhat abating vulgar prejudice against these interesting people, and establishing their claims, to fairer tr'eatment at the hands of their fellow mortals. Gamblers' Superstitions. /' The gamblers are more superstitious than the mass of /' their countrymen. All 'colors, save white, are carefully avoided I by the owners on the walls and in the decorations of the gam- S- ! bli'ng rooms. White, the color of mourning, the color of the \ [ robes thought to be worn by the spirits of the dead, always con- " \fidered inauspicious, is associated with the idea of losing' money, and is believed to bring bad fortune to the patrons, with corresponding gains to the houses. fEven the inscriptions to the tutelary spirit are always written on white paper and white candles burned before his shrine, instead of the red ones ordi- narily used for religious purposes. Pieces of orange peel are usually kept in the box with the porcelain buttons used here instead of Chinese coins upon the : 1 6 The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America. fan fdn tabley they say for the purpose of purification/ but really in order to bring good luck to the house. In San Francisco- it is the custom for garnbling houses to provide a supper every night after the games, each, house keeping a good cqok for the purpose. Anyone may go in a:nd eat what he wants, but it is not considered lucky for one person to address another and urge him to come to the table, and the meal is usually eaten in silence, all talk about gambling being especially avoided. When several persons are seated at such a table and have commenced eating, it is con- sidered very unlucky for another to join them. Gamblers on their way to play/i« t\dn, turn back, if anyone jostles them, or if they happen to come in contact with a wagon or other obstruction in the road. If a player's hand enounters another'^ as he lays his stake on the table, he will not put his money on the number toward which he was reach- ing. Gamblers refrain from reading books before playing, and books are not regarded with favor in gambling houses, from the word shii, "book," sounding like skii, "to lose," in the provincial patois. All inauspicious words are avoided. Thus, the alma- nac, t'ung shu, is called kat sing,"\M