The Atlanta constitution., 1900-07-09
[$}60O M0o[p2@ Lotion
written for The Weekly Constieuu'i'


How fast the earth is shrinking. How
far away was China when we old men
we're boys 1t took 4 three-years cruise
around the world to find II. and even then
cur merchantmen only touched at the
ports and learned but little of the vast
unknown interior. Her immense domain
was set down at five and one-half millions
of square miles, being oEe-tenth OF the
habitable globe and nearly twice the area
of the whole Unites States. Her popu-
lation was in 1860 SOC. 100000 and Is now
pre- bably COO, 900, 900. Her government FOR
| at least 3.co0 years has been ore or rev.
olutions. internal broils and changes OF
dyrasty, but 1t has stood and still STANDS
and no doubt will continue to stand.
| Travellers tell us that the stagnation ana
ignorance that has long been charged
upon China does not exist; that Trey are
an Industrious peace-loving people. ana
all their troubles come from outsiders
I was Illuminating about this CHINA Dusi-
ness and the war over there and the cable
dispatch ,s that come In a day. for we
had an old-time district school In our
town last ni,'ht and cid Mother felton
and myself were the two youngest schoi-
ars. She had on draw-strfnS frock ana
a pair of pantaletts and was sucking
stick of molasses candy. and l had on
shirt and one gallus and a pair OF
bree ches that come down nearly 10 the
top of my blue homemade SOCKS. ohe
was Becky and was Bill. We belonged
to the infant class and had to stand up
and spell "ba' and "bee" and DO.
Becky cried because she couldn't speil
AK and had to go foot. 1 consolidated
her all could. Kirby Anderson was the
sn allest boy in school and the largest
durce He was in geography and said
China was as big as Barlow county, ana
that's how / come to ruTninate ABOUT
China. All that I ever learned about
China in my geography was that fehih
was its capital and the people were all
heather and eat rats. ana tnere was d
great wall around the entire country our
bc ok makers ought to have known better
for Marco Polo had Travelled all over that
country and lived there for twenty-four
years and was made governor or a large
province, and ne says ne never mlnSled
with a better people. ConfucluS gave
them laws 2.50) years ago that they sun
reverence and obey. Families are ialth-
full to each other and children are taught
to otey their parents as long as they I'VE
CCnfucius had such reverence lor DIS
mother that he mourned for her for three
yesrs when she ,iiei. How many sons DO
that in this Christian country. OF course
they have some race traits and customs
that seem very bad to us, but they are not
malicious nor selfish nor are they re-
oLeeful unless wrought up to II ~ pad
treatment Our Christian people massa-
cred 200 of them out west few years ago
for no crime but because they were IN
tho way and wanted work and accepted
II at less wages Who ever saw more
harmless. Industrious people than those
scattered Cinnamon who are found In al
NEST every town and village I'm this coun-
try. For thirty years 1 have observed
them in my travels from Virginia to
Texas and never heard a complaint Bet
ting and gambling is a national Emuse-
ment, but II is on a limited scale and
makes nobody rich or poor. 1t doesn I
compare with our stock gambling or high
rolling on steamboats, or Kentucky poker
among the bloods. 1 never saw General
John C.. Breckenridge but once. and
that was at a faro bank in Richmond
during the war. Colonel Towers took me
in there to show me how the thing was
done and TO our surprise Breckenridge
was doing II.
But the great crime against China was
the introduction of opium from India by
the English. This began in 1910. and in
1S2S had gotten up to 1000 chests. In
vain and in vain did the emperor and his
cOrnsellors protest ana plead They saw
"
ru'Iing their people. In 1888 II had In
creased to 24.0O0 chests. and It's importa-
ton was stopped by force of arms-and
2I,G00 chests were seized and destroyed.
This brought on a war and the Chinese
government had to pay 81. 900 for the
opium destroyed. for It's value was $1,000
IL chest. Then treaty was patched UP
and the opium business increased to a.
COO chests in 1860 / wonder what II is
now. But the English merchants now
pay n duty. but hat amounts TO sew
eIal millions of dollars annually. What
will not Johnny Bull do for money? No
wonder Cinnamon have a suspicion of all
foreigners and a contempt for our mis-
sicLaries. The Chinese authorities passed
a law against eating opium and gave IL
n death penalty but ii was smuggled in
all the same and they declared trat not
even Buddha could stop 1t.
Now as to that great Buddha, my read
ing tells me that the common people do
not express any great alteration for him
Lor faith In hm?. AS DR.. Johnson re-
marked to Boswell. "it is necessary for
every nation TO have some religion.
whether -hey understand 1t or not" and
hence the superstition of the Chinese has
taken hold of Bl1dha as the best they
can do. But this unknown God has failed
them so often in great emeI gencies they
have no unwavering faith in him. And