Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-05-31
LONGEST STEPS ON THE EARTH
They Extend Six Thousand Feet Up a
Mountains Side.

,r They Extend Six Thousand Feet Up
Mountains Side.
If The height of the holp mOunta
h [Tailschan, in Chlna) is about 6,0t
,e feet above Tianganfu, and the distan,
is is something over sixteen miles. III
h road is probably the best in all Chin;
4 About mile north of the city walls
large gate stands amid the ruins {
"a once flourishlng suburbs, and afUe
passing this gate found myself in d
!. avenue several miles in length, ant
q lined with temples, converts and hol
shrines, where pilgrims stop and pra
+ if they succeed in shaking off th'
o thousands of beggars who occupy thi
4 only road leading to the summit. The,
are not ordinarily modest beggars, bu
the real lords of the Tai-schan. VIII,
! levy a sort of entrance fee, whicl
every traveller is compelled to pay
, They are not content with crouchins
, modestly by the roadside, for tha
would enable pilgrims to make theil
escape, In order to prevent this eacf
beggar builds sort of wall of loose
stones about three feet high across the
avenue, with an opening of only q
yard in the center, and in this opening
be sits or kneels, knocking his head on
the ground, and shouts screams and
howls at the approaching pilgrim.
They make room for nobody. Each
traveller has to step over them, and
naturally enough few cash coins are
thrown to them in order to avoid being
touched or pulled by the clothes with
their sore and filthy hands. They are
most numerous in the lower portion of
the road, but they assail the pilgrims
also few thousand feet higher up On
the mountain. The real ascent begins
at stone portal at which, according
to it's inscription, the great Confuclus
himself halted and turned back $500
years ago, not having had the strength
to climb the 5000 stone steps leading
to the top. Imagine staircase lead
ing to the top of Mount Washington.
These Tai schan stairs are by far the
highest in the wide world, for taking
the number of steps in one story of an
ordinary house to be twenty, the num-
Der of Tai-schan steps equals 800
stories. Still. l had to climb up, for
these steps are in many places so
narrow that l dared not trust my
bones to the Gale Of my two chair
coolies; moreover, they were exhausted |
by the fatigue and heat and apparently
unable to carry even the empty chair.
Their tariff for carrying one person up
and down the Tai-schan, a distance of |
twice sixteen miles, is 800 cash, or 80
cents-15 cents for each coOlie!
Aftersix hours of tedious climbing
passed through the gate or heaven
and stood on the large plateau at the
which is covered with num-
erous temples and stone monuments.
The main temple is that of the holy
mother, consisting of a number of
buildings surrounded by a high wall.
bronze statues and bronze
adorn the several courts,
n the last of which rises the principal
'emple, with huge statue of the holy
mother on an altar. The doors of this
temple are opened only once every year
for an imperial commissioner, who
comes to collect the monev offerings
Of the pilgrims. But, thanks to a
substantial brkshish, or, as it is called
n China, "kumshah.'' priest pushed
/ loose bar of the main gate aside,
nough to let me have a glimpse OF the
Interior. The floors of this large
emple was filled with heap of coins
hree feet high-coins of every descrip-
ion, size and value, ancient and !,
modern, mostly brass cash, but many
billions of them, representing probably y
10, 600 United States currency. The
money is divided among the converts
nd beggars OF the holy mountain, but
he lions share goes into the packets of o
hat enterprising lady, the Dowager
Empress.
Still higher up stands temple de-
icated to the sleeping holy MOTHER" i
nd entering 1 found an elegantly
urnished bed room, with full life O
ize doll lying under silk coverings on
he bed. The accompanying priest y
7hispered to me not to speak too loud.
est l should disturb the young lady 's a
lumber.-Century Magazine.