The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-07-11

IT ana even then our merchantmen
only touched at the ports and learned
but little Of the vast unknown interi-
or. Her immense domain was set
down at five and onchalf millions of
square miles, being one-tenth OF the
habitablc globe and nearly twice the
area Of the whole United States. Her
population was in 1860 500, 900, 600
and is now probably 600, 900, 600. Her
government for at least 1900 years
has been one Of revolutions, internal
broils and changes of dyrasty, but it
has stood and still stands and no
doubt will continue to stand. Travel
crs tell us that the stagnation and
ignorance that has long been charged
upon China does not exist; that they
are an Industrious peace loving people,
and all their troubles come from out
siders. l was ruminating about this
China business and the war over there
and the cable dispatches that come in
day, for we had an 'old-timc district
school in our town last night and old
Mother FELTON, and myself were the
two youngest scholars. She had on
draw string frock and pair of panta-
let's and was sucking stick Of mo-
lasscs candy, and | had on a shirt and
one gallus and pair of brecchcs that
come down nearly to the top of my
blue homemade socks. She was Becky
and was Bill We belonged to the
infant class and had to stand up and
spell "ba' and "bcc'' and "bo."
Becky cried because she cculdn' tspcll
"ax' and had to go foot. consolatcd
her all l could. Kirby Anderson was
the smallest boy in school and the
largest Ounce. lie was in geography
and said China was as big as Bartow
county and that's how ] como to ru-
inmate about China. All that | ever
learned about China in my geography
was that Pekin was it's capital and the
people were all heather and eat rats,
and there was great wall around the
entire country. Our book makers
ought to have known better, for Marco
Polo had travelled all .ovcr that coun-
try and lived there for twenty-four
years and was made governor Of a
large province, and he says he never
mingled with better people. Ccnfu-
cius gave them laws $500 years ago
that they still reverence and obey.
Families are faithful to each other and
children are taught to obey their par
ents as long as they live. Confucius
had such reverence for his mother that
he mourned fer her for thEee years
wh.n she died. 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 revengeful unless wrought up
to it by bad treatment. Our Christian
people nassacrcd 200 of them out west
a few years ago for no crime but be-
cause they were in the way and wanted
work and accepted it at less wages.
Who ever saw more harmless, indus
trious people than those scattered
: Cinnamon who are found in almost
every town and village in this country.
For thirty years have observed them
/ in my travels from Virginia to Texas
and never heard complaint. Bet
: ting and gambling is national amuse-
ment, but it is on limited scale and
makes nobody rich or poor. 1t doesn't
compare with our stock gambling or
high rolling ou steamboats, or Ken
lucky poker among the bloods.
never saw General John G. Breckin
ridge but once, and that was at 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 do
ing it.
But the great crime against China
was the introduction of opium from
India by the English. This began in
1910, and in 1923 had gotten up to T.
900 chests. In vain and in vain did
the emperor and his counsellors
protest and plead. They saw that the
opium habit was spreading and ruin
ing their people. In 1888 it had in.
creased to $4,000 chests, and it's i'm
portation was stopped by force Of arms
and "a, 900 chests swere seized and
destroyed. This brought on war
and the Chinese government bad to
pay S21, 1000, 900 for the opium destroy
ed, for it's value was $1,000 chest.
Then treaty was patched up and the