El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-17
CHINA AS
A SHADOW
The Hon. F. X. Schoon-
makers Great
Lecture
.CHiNA'S ACHIEVEMENTS
In the Past And A Forecast
OTHER Future That Means
Much For the Unit
ed States.

The first of the lectures for the bene
| fit OF the public school library was
given last night ct Myar's Opers
house by 81 on. F. X..Schoonmaker or
| "China, the Shadow OF the World.
For two hours and half Mr.. Schoon-
maker held the attention of his audi
ence and no one who attended had
| reason to regretit. His subject was an
entirely new one to the people of El
Paso and probably to the great majori'
| ty of Americans to whom China Is as a
sealed book.
In speaking of China Mr.. Schoon-
| maker spoke on the many false ideas
and preIudices entertained by Anne
ricsns generally in regard to China
and things Chinese. Much of this he
showed is due to a mistaken idea Of
what these customs really sre.
The lecturer explained that the
Chinese seen in the United States are
only those Of the very lowest class of
coolies, from the province of Canton,
the water rats living on boats on the
great rivers because of the overpopu-
lating of the land. 1t was not OF these
that he would speak but of the educat-
ed classes who were the most cultured
people of the earth. AS an illustration
of the high culture to which the people
have come the speaker spoke of the
instance of one of their civil ser vice
examinations at which a million of
scholars competed for supremacy in
the higher branches of literature,
science, and arts.
China is conceded to be the oldest
nation On the globe. So old that
many dynasties had held the Mongoli-
al government when Egypt was in her
infancy. In the traditions of China
there eXsists the account of the two
great exoduses when, by forced en-
igrasion the crowded condition of Chi =
mas population was reduced to self
supporting degree.
The i'm perial council in session as
Pekiu few years ago proposed third
exodus, but Ii Hung Chang proposed
better plan. He had made q study
Of Christian nations and recommended
his people to follow Englsnd's exam
Pile, 1. e., become a manufacturing ma
tion. He set about to obtain the re-
quisite data to further his project,
and had scientific mmissioners ap-
pointed TO gather Information regard
ing the possible wheat producing
area of the world. So we'll has this
work been carried out that Ii Hung
Chang is in possession of charts show
ing acreage and the capacity of pro-
du caion of wheat In the entire world
He has proven to his satisfaction that
IBERIA, Argentina and Sicily cannot
be relied upon for the constant supply
" hich will be needed and has found
the United States the only country
perfectly adapted to supply China's
great demand. he sa, that soil con-
posed OF volcanic ash l. the requisite
for wheat producing and made the
remark 10 sn AmeriC,I during his tour
tina, when the trade with China once
opened with trans = ortation service
adequate to the demand Snake river
would be lifted and poured over Idaho
This from Chinaman 1000 miles from
what we call home may be taken as a
revelation to the native American.
The speaker dwelt at length on Ii
Hung Chang, the Grand Old Man of
China HON Gen. Grant proclaimed
"the greatest intellect OF the age"
He cited severa, Incidents to show the
vast ability and scholarly attainments
OF this grea. man. For one example
he had read or had read to him eight
thousand standard English works.
Mr.. Schoon maker spoke OF the lam
gusge and literature OF China This
literature he said was one of the
grandest and most extensive on the
globe. The language, in the opinion o.
missionaries andothers whohad studied
it was so perfect as to be better fitted
to express the higher thoughts and
grandess conceptions of the human
mind than even the Greek The