The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-07-27
ARP Is REMINISCENT.
Talks About the Days When He
Was Young.
CHINA Was Further Away Then Than
NOw-Says Earth Is Shrinking
Some of the Chinese
ways.

| How tar away was China when we Old
men were boys. 1t took three-years
cruise around the world to find it, and
even then our 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 one-tenth of the habitable
| globe and nearly twice the area of the
whole United States. Her population
was in 1860 500 100000 and is now prob
ably 6OO,0O0,O0O. Her government for
at least 5000 years has been one of rev
olutions, 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 stag
nation and ignorance that has long
been charged upon China does not eX-
list; that they are an industrious peace
loving people, and all their troubles
come from outsiders. | was ruminat-
ing 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 my
self were the two youngest scholars.
She had on a draw-string frock and
pair of pantalettes and was sucking a
stick of molasses candy. and / had on a
shirt and one gallus and q pair of
breeches that come down nearly to the
top of my blue homemade socks. She
was Pecl-r md T woe P;Il No IaIorraJ
to the infant class and had to stand up
and spell 'ba' and ''be" and ''bo."
Becky cried because she couldn't spell
lax" and had to go foot | consolated
her all L could. Kirby Anderson was
the smallest boy in school and the lar
gest Ounce, He was in geography and
said China was as big as Barlow coun-
ty, and that's how | came to ruminate
about China. All that | ever learned
about China in my geography was that
Peking was its 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 over that country and
lived there for 24 years and was made
governor of large province, and he
says he never mingled with a 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 parents as long as they live. Con-
fuciuS had such reverence for his moth |
er 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 |
are they revengeful unless wrought up |
TO it by bad treatment. Our Christi |
people mastered 200 of them out west |
4 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 a more harmless, indus
'rious people than those scattered
Jhinamen who are found in almost
very town and village in this country?
COR 80 years | have observed them in
ny travels from Virginia to Texas and
ever heard complaint. Betting and
is national amusement. but
is on limited scale and makes no.
'ody rich or poor. 1t doesn't compare
With our stock gambling or high roll
ng on steamboats, or Kentucky poker
mong the bloods. 1 never saw Gen.
Ohm c. Breckenridge but once, and {
hat was at faro bank in Richmond
uring the war. Col. Towers took me
Il there to show me how the thing was
one and to our surprise Breckinridee
'as doing it.
But the great crime against Chira
'as the introduction of opium from :
ndia by the English. This began in
$40, and in 1928 had gotten up to 1000
hests. In vain and in vain did the en- {
error and his counselors protest and j
lead. They saw that the opium labit I
as spreading and running their peo- I
lie. In 1898 it had increased 10 $4,000 v
hests. and its Importation was o
opped by force of arms-and $1,000 /
lests were seized and destroyed. This v
rought on a w2r and the Chinese gov
had to pay s21, OOO, 900 for the
plum destroyed, for its value was
1000 a chest. Then a treaty was
ltched up and the opium business IN II
'eased to $4,000 chests in 1850. Iwon-
II what it is now. But the English u
erchants now pay a duty, but that
MOUNTS to several millions of dollars .
lnually. What will not johnny Bull
, for money? Nd wonder Cinnamon p
i've suspicion of all foreigners and :.
ntempt for our missionaries. The =
,ineSe authorities rNaSSad n 1,,. ~