The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-10-22
Life in Pekin.

Ind how much stranger yet was the
arrival at Pekin after we had left the
house-boats and had been carried several
hea4es- sedan chairs through country
roads that were changed into swamps,
through villages whose dirt and wretch
edness were like the prelude to the vast
symphony of human misery toward
which we had been travelling throughout
all these weary DAYS. writes ,he Baron
Monthly for September SO much has
been said and written about the filth, the
stenches, and poverty, and decay of Pc
kin. and yet the reality always surpasses
the worst that you expected. IL seems
at first a nightmare I'm whic.. the world
has turned back into chaos. Every morn
ing you awake with the same feeling Of
oppression, the same question. How is il
possible 10 live here?
Then gradually the frs strangeness
wears off; you meet other people who
have stood ~ all for years. and who are
all kind and friendly to the new conner.
Practical affairs begin 10 claim your at
tention; you have 10 pan and arrange
the material details OF life and oe.tv
worries often prove an antidote for the
greater weariness of existence. In the
malady in which we all went through,
and which had been given the name of
"Pekinite," the .rst stage was an abso-
lutte indifference. Kind OF horror-struck
torpor. Convalescence began with the
first symptoms, OF returning interest,
and with some people the malady then
took an unexpected course. and they be-
came violent lovers Of China, who resent
ed any disparaging remarks about the
object o. their affections: but there were
also those 10 never quite recovered, and
constantly ;uffered from relapses.
Your greatest chance for settling down
| ETTu bpComtHg rVCUHrtted 10 -Tr III Pekin
Is to develop. : YOU can, some kind OF
! hobby We all had our little harmless
manas: with most OF us IL was some
form of curio hunting; people discovered
| In their souls a longing or blue and
white china. a craving for flve-colored
| vases OF kang Hsi's epoch. or for old
carved doors and they spent hours de-
| cussng the prices with the curio dealers,
who came every morning to the lega-
cations. their blue bundles over their
| shoulder. and spread out their wares in
the courtyards. But IL some collected
| menageries Of strange NEUROLOGICAL
bronze beasts. the hearts OF others went
out toward live animals; we had ladies'
who We're comfvrted by small Chinese
dogs with upturned black noses and long,
silky hair. or by Siamese cats. who pride
AlltHlNtiNtS Oil hiht eyes anu Dlath line
along their tailless back: we also had
the men who talked necessarily of their
racing stable, In whose eyes the Pekin
spring and autumn meetings had ASSUME
ed the importance of Ascot itself, who
saw In their shaggy Mongolal ponies SO
many Derby winners! Even political in
terest was attached TO these stables. One
of them was called the Franco Russian
racing stable" and when one OF these
political ponies ran for a cup. the owners
| watched with as much eagerness as IL II
bore the destinies OF the aA.ance on it's
| back.
Each OF us had some all-engrossing OBJ
| iect from the student whose happiness
| consisted In unraveling an especially OBJ
| scure and utterly unimportant Chinese
| text, to the man who went about with
| his kodack, eager 10 take "A snap shot OF
some fantastic idol that SO far had es-
| capped all photographers. These differen,
| pursuits were so many ways I'm which
1 We took opium-for the craving TO forget
! really Is as strong i'm the white as I'm the
/ yellow mani And must not fail 10 men
| ton I'm this connection those people who
\ came to China with the object OF doing
4 good to the Chinaman." and who OBJ
| tained their living and their opium out OF
| this profession. whilst the said China
| man stood by indifferent. thinking. per-
| haps behind us impenetrable livery brow
that -At-l44.A- learn franz ataYhed
| I'm that human wisdom wn 'se last word
is resignation