The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-07-19
Talks of the Long Ago When He
Was In the Heyday of Youth,
HE TOUCHES UPON CHINESE HISTORY
Boys Who We're Taught In Old Field
Schools Were Afforded Little Knowl-
edge of the Vast Empire.

| 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 one-tenth of the habitable
| globe and nearly twice the area of
the United States. Her population
was in 1860 500, 600, 900 and is now
probably 100000 Her govern
eminent for at least 5000 years has
been one of revolutions, internal broils
and changes of dynasty, but it has
stood and still stands and no doubt
will continue to stand. Travellers tell
us that the stagnation and ignorance
that has long been charged upon China
does not exist; that they are an indus
trious, peaceloving people, and all
their trouble comes from outsiders.
was Eliminating about this China
business and the war over there and
the cable dispatches that come in a
day, for we had an old-time district
school in our town last night and old
Mother FELTON, and myself were the
two youngest scholars. She had on a
draw-string frock and pair of panta-
let's and was sucking a stick of mo-
lasses candy, and had on a shirt and
one gallus and pair of breeches that
come down nearly to the top of my
blue homemade socks. She was
Pecky and / was Bill. We belonged
to the infant class and had to stand up
and spell "ba' and "bee" and "bo."
Becky cried because she couldn't spell
FAX" and had to go foot. [ consolated
her all I could Kirby Anderson was
the smallest boy in school and the
largest Ounce. He was in geography
and said China was as big as Barlow
/ county, and that's how L come to
ruminate about China.
All that / ever learned about China
in my geography was that Pekin was
| its capital and the people were all
heather and eat rats, and there was
! a great wall around the entire country.
| Our bookmakers ought to have known
better, for Marco Polo had travelled all
| over that country and lived there for
| twenty-four years and was made gov
ernor of large province, and he says
| he never mingled with better people.
Confucius 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 pa
rents as long as they live. Confucius
had such reverence for his mother that
he mourned for her for three years
when 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
or they revengeful unless wrought up
to it by bad treatment.
Our Christian people massacred 200
of them out west few years ago for
no crime but because they were in the
way and wanted work and accepted it
at less wages. Who ever saw more
| harmless, industrious people than
those scattered Cinnamon who are
found in almost every town and viii
lage in this country. For thirty years
have observed them in my travels
from Virginia to Texas and never
heard a complaint. Betting and gam
bling is a national amusement, but it
is on limited scale and makes nobody
rich or poor, 1t doesn't compare with
our stock gambling or high rolling on
steamboats, or Kentucky poker among
| the bloods.> [ never saw General John
G. Breckenridge but once, and that
was at faro bank in Richmond dur
ing the war. Colonel Towers took me
in there to show me how the thing
was done and to our surprise Breckin-
ridge was doing it.
But the great crime against China
was the introduction of opium from
India by the English. This began in
1910, aud in 1928 had gotten up to
1000 chests. In vain and in vain did
the emperor and his counsellors pro-
test 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 its i'm
portation was stopped by force of
srms-and u, 900 chests were seized
and destroyed. This brought on
war and the Chinese government had
to pay $21, 900, 900 for the opium de-
stroyed, for its value was 81 ZOO
chest. Then a treaty was patched up
and the opium business increased to
"a, 900 chests in 1860. wonder what
it is now. But the English merchants
now pay duty, but this amounts to
several millions of dollars annually.
What will not Johnny Bull do for
money? No wonder Cinnamon have
suspicion of all foreigners and con-
tempt for our missionaries. The
Chinese authorities passed a law
against eating opium and gave it
death penalty, but it was struggled in
all the same and they declared that
not even 3 dha could stop it.
Now as to that great Buddha, my
reading tells me that the common peo-
pie do not express any great alteration
for him nor faith in him? AS DR.. john
son remarked to Boswell, sit is neces-