Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-20

Growing on Houses. Lotus Lakes
Flower Boats, and Unreliable Native
Press.
CantPn, China, Correspondence Of The Inter
Ocean.
Suppose we take a little exercise
over Honam," said Consul Seymour
as we were standing on the front bal
cory of the United States consulate
this morning, looking across at the
island Of the name which he had quot
ed.
VI course I promptly assented, and
we walked to one of the granite stair
ways that lead from the Shameen
dowl TO the water level. Signaling a
samfan, we were soon comfortably
seated In one of the peculiar Chinese
passenger crafts, of which there are
always thousands visible from almost
any point on the river front. Two
women pulled at the oars, or mani
pulated bamboo poles where the depth
of the water interfered with rowing,
while two more were engaged on the
poopin sculling.
THESE ARE NOT THE FASTEST
of the Chinese boats, but they are
fairly satisfactory in respect to speed.
The slipper sampans, used mainly for
cargo purposes, are the fastest of all
and they will run right away from the
fastest foreign-built row boat, al
though looking rather clumsy. They
are propelled by two or four coolies,
who stand up and push their bars
from them, while looking in the
same direction in which the boat is
going.
We directed our course first to the
bungalow Of Mr.. Nye, the American
ViceConsul. Mr.. Nye has been out
herein Canton half a century, and
seems to feel that change of climate
now, in view of advancing infrmity,
would be fatal.
Mr.. Nye was disengaged, and read
lily consented to accompany u.s. AS
we emerged from his house he called
my attention to some bastard ban
yans growing out of each of the cor
ners of the building, the seed of
which had been planted there by the
wind a great many years ago, and
with had been watered by the caves
trough, until the trees had attained a
firm grip and quite imposing proper
lions.
Don't you feel afraid that they
may strain the walls SO that they will
collapse?" inquired.
''Quite the reverse" was the reply.
''The walls have been SO strengthened
by the rootlets as to be able now to
resist any cyclone"
We first visited the Honam Temple.
one Of the largest and finest in all
South China. When this is said every
thing has been said China does not
produce anything very grand
IN THE WAY oE RELIGIOUS ARCHITEC-
TURE,
and hardly anything that is distinct
i've. We passed down a dirty avenue
of banyans, followed by the regtag of
the whole island, whom even the dig
nifty of the whole American consulate
was not sufficient to awe into silence
Sometimes the appeals of this howl
iRg mob for ''cumshaw" were nothing
short of deafening. We looked into a
number of halls, all much alike, in
spected gilded images, huge candle
sticks, and sandalw0o incense tapers
and nauseam, and then went quite a
distance to the rear to see the mausole-
um where the ashes of deceased priests
are deposited. This was a very sub
stanual monument, composed of
granite slabs, eleven feet long by two
feet wide. Near by was the crematory
the first [ have seen in China-a
small stone oven six or eight feet
high, equipped for the incineratlon Of
a slnge body at time.
Then we were escorted back to see
the
. SACRED SWINE"
Can any one think Of a more incOn-
gruous consideration These were
nothing more or less than a drove of
obese hogs, such as may be seen every
fail at county fair in the United
States. They are kept at the expense
of the temple in recogs ition OF the
command of Buddha that every man
shall do all ia his power to prevent
the destruction of single creature
By the way, Buddhism IN China is
not at all the poetical thing which
some may ignorantly fancy. If Ed
win Arnold could have come here
after having written his Light of
ASIA think
HE WOULD HAVE BECOME SICK
at his stomach; and if he could have
inspected the workings Of Chinese
Buddhism prior to the publication of
that pleasant little idyll, I doubtif the
world would ever have pursued the
poem.
But it was something more sub
stantially novel that L intended to
make the burden of this letter when |
commenced TO write. With the in
fluence of the whole American con-
sulate behind me, [ was permitted the
very rare privilege Of passing over the
famous Houqua estate, one OF the
wealthiest and most imposing homes
IN this whole empire More than
this, | was permitted to see the females
IN the yariOuS branches Of the HOuOua