The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-09

snow. Formerly the winter was very dul
and uneysntful but the introduction o.
the telegraph brought it Into communities
tion with the rest OF the world. and o.
late years the opening of the railway serv'
ice to PekiD on the one side and Taku ant
Shan Hai Kwan on the other have en-
larged the opportunities of the population
The imperial post. now under the control
Of the imperial Chinese customs, gives
service which will compare favorably with
that OF our own country.
Western md Oriental Views.
A visit to Tientsin shows that the city Is
not handsome from European viewpoint.
Compared with municipalities in the west
ern world it is very dirty. even filthy. but
when cOntrasted with such cities rs Annoy.
Flu Chau. and Canton it is a miracle OF
cleanliness. Although there are no sew
ers, the natural drainage is excellent. The
land is fiat, sloping slightly to the various
waterways. and the soil is largely sand and
gravel, which enables the surface water to
drain off rapidly. The streets are wide
from the Monaghan point Of view and the
houses small, strongly built. and wind and
water-tight
There is little pretension to architectural
beauty, nearly all the edifices being square
brick structures. unrelieved by color or by
ornament. The charm OF the place lies in
its industrial features. 1t is the favorite
market OF the breeders of the stanch little
Chinese pony. These wonderful brutes
are about the size of the Exmoor pony and
are notable for their strength, speed and
endurance. They are popular throughout
China and are exported by horse lovers to
fta hill md to Iot-.
and the Straits Settlements.
No prettier sight can be seen than on a
market. day at Tientsin. when a dozen
horse breeders come in from the country.
each with his little flock Of ponies, which
are vigorous and playful and nearly all as
wild and savage as young tigers. They
bite. kick, charge, and scream like DEM
ons. Chinese exports and English anna
teur racing men go from herd to herd and
horse to horse picking out the steeds which
are to compete in the races.
Another pleasant feature Of Tientsin life
is the ffgurine market. The Tientsin fig
nres or figarines are famous throughout
the Far East, They are made Of a grey
clay about intermediate in quality between
the Milwaukee clay and the North Carolina
kaolin. Unbaked and baked, the clay Is
OF delicate grey color. very much like
the fashionable shade Of grey suedes. The
artists mold these into little figures. rang
ing from one to ten inches in length. Their
fayorite subjects are the characters Of
daily life. the beggar, the opium fiend, the
leper. gambler. herdsman, dotard, soldier,
sailor, farmer. and fisherman.
The modelling is admirable, and the
mimicry is REINFORCED by the liberal use
OF color and of cloth. silk. and other ma
terials to form the clothing. The best
itp vfor ;fpov in hofr 6a1i 70
ture. The figurines are made by guild
which claims to be four thousand years cid.
and which Is certainly more than Q thou-
sand years old. In the studios one can zee
three generations working together upon
the little modelling tables. In general the
men mold the figures and the women.
whose skill is extraordinary make the
clothing.
Rivals of the French.
A third local industry is the making OF
paper and tlnsel flowers and garlandz. In
this field the Chinese are equal If not su-
perior to the French. They manufacture a
hundred varieties OF paper resembling
every important floral tissue. They make
paper that is hairy out OF which they fash
ion begonia leaves. They make a wax
paper for orange and lemon blossoms. thin
ribbed papers for long grasses, cross-ribbed
pers and spotted papers in shaded colors
which become petals and sepals in the
finished flower.
A fourth industry, which seems to have
escaped the notice of most travellers. and
which the writer was particularly interest
ed in. is that in oils. Long ago the Chi
rese perceived the importance of this class
OF substances to the human organization.
and devised a simple, though wasteful.
method of manufacture. From the bean
they extract bean oil. which is used for
lighting. cooking. and eating.
The peanut supplies an oil which COM
pares favorably with that of the olive; in
fact. many old residents in the East prefer
peanut oil to the finest brand of Lucca-
From the mustard they extract mustard
oil. which they use for rheumatism, neu-
ralgia. and for a counter irritant in coughs
and colds. From the peppermint they draw
at least four kinds of oil which differ in
color and viscosity. This is their favorite
remedy for all sorts of ailments. There
are various nut oils, fruit oils, ard vegeta-
bic oils similar to the COLA oil of Europe.