The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-07-28
THE HEATHER CHINEE.

The following eultOrfai from the
DAILY States on China, gives some
interesting information of this far
wsy and only partially known
and, whose people have risen in re-
,eIlion against christendom and
breatens to mar the peace of the
world:
Writing of Cathay, or China, in
l245, John de Plano Carplni, a |
franciscan friar, says of the peo-
pie "They seem TO be kind and
polished folks enough. They have
no beard, and in character of coun-
tenance have a considerable resem-
blance to the Mongols, but are not
SO broad in the face. They have
peculiar language. Their betters as
craftsmen in every art practiced by
man are not TO be found in the
whole world. Their country is
very rich in corn, in wines, in gold
and silver, in silk, and in every
kind of produce tending to the sup
port of man."
In 1858 William Of Rubruk,
French Flanders, also Franciscan
friar, said of the country: "Fur,
ther on is Great Cathay, which !
ltake TO be the country which was
anciently called the Land of the
Sores for the best silk stuffs are still
got from them. The sea lies be
tween it and India. These Cathay
ans are little fellows, speaking muct
through the nose (wonder if the Ne"
Englanders Of to-day are descended
from theml, and, as is general Will
all those Eastern people, their eye
are very narrow. They are first
3 rate artists in every kind and thel
, physicians have a thorough knowl
! edge of the virtues of herbs and al
admirable skill in, diagnosis by tn
, pulse. The common money o
t Cathay consists of pieces of cotton
+ tpaper about a palm in length AM
breadth. They do their wrltln!
with a pencil such as painters pam
v with. and a single character of their
" comprebends several letters so as t
form a whole word. +"
"Here," says the Encyclopedia
Q Britannica, eve have not only tn
;, first European notice of pape
v money, but partial recognition Q
the regularity of Chinese writing.
The nineteen provinces composin
= the Empire have an area of l,399
d 600 square miles and a populatlo
y of $40, 323,5 45. What reasonabl
hope is there, then, of subjugatln
this immense Empire with its teen
1t ing p3uIation? 1t has been we
4 lsaid that a victory at one poii
would be like the stroke OF a sabl
:. Ion wave of the sea. AS We lear
y from the above quotation, tn
d Chinese have always been sk'flful
d the arts and sciences, and the
e capacity for imitation or of adap
ability is matter of common obse
walton by all who are familiar wit
q their habits. We have recently see
e mention of the disappointment
experts who went from Europe an
America under contract for ter
a. of years to superlntend mannfactu
g. ing establishments. Within ye
= 1.-The native assistants would learn
as much as the experts knew al
70 the latter, on some pretext or a
he othsE would be set adrift. Hen
pr it ssihat they have learned the u
n of modrn arms, and Europe, while
- did not dream that they had ev'
: provided themselves with them,
'e suddenly awakened to the fact tn
f. her armies are confronted WI
ct practiced and skilled artilleryme
The greatest general the world ev
knew and whose marvellous pl
he science was the wonder Of the az
ID said while prisoner on St. Hele
:, that,if the Chinese Empire were co
81 solidated and her armies disciplin
Oh and led by man of military gent
mt they could overrun all Eurol
a. Without the fanaticism of the f
~ lowers of Mahomet, with no hope
reward for death on the battlefie
~ by a translation of Paradise whe
OF they would enjoy communion vi
az dark eyed houri, they are equally
of fearless and as reckless of life
10 war. never hesltating to foll'
wherever their officers may lea
70 And hence shrewd old Ii HUI
Is Chang was eminently right when
warned Europe not to arouse
sleeping lion.
IN. The Chinese boast civllizati
aa. extending 1900, 900 years into
!, mythic past and entertaia. natu
- contempt for the people of d.
"a whom they regard as outside bar
ms rians who would subvert their lay
les their customs and their religion.
n; 1T any wonder, then, that they gait
in COUNTLESS numbers to the 30
an banner, like the clans of the Gael
cd the standard of their Chiefs?
ow
Last week was inserted the caro-
Hoo. w. l.. Foster, OF Shreveport,
" nouncing himself as candidate
W.