Evening star., 1902-02-01
NE TR0PDLiS OF ASIA
IL Itf
--ss.----
Canton is onslof tie Worlds Busiest
: Towns
As WE'LL As I ONE !: soF THE LARGEST
Queer ThingsoneSsees on Walk
Through Its Streets.
CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE
CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE
Copyright, 1902, by Frank g. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

continent. 1t is the Industrial center of this
side of the globe, and the day may come
when 1t will surpass any city of the world
in size. London has almost reached It's
maximum; New York is in it's prime. but
Canton, which is older than either, seems to
be at its very beginning, for it. has been
born again. Throughout the ages it has
grown into a city of two and one-haif mil
lions through a business of wheelbarrows,
boats and manual work. 1t is now to have
steam, electricity and all labor-saving in
ventfons. 1t is to be the end of the great
trunk line originated by the late Calvin 8.
Br1ce and other Americans which shall
cross China from Pekin to Hankow and
thence come here, tapping the industries of
hundreds of millions.
The Canton of today has not railroad of
any KIND. In the future it will have as
many tracks as Chicago, and the cars will
shoot out from here to Tonking, Yunnan.
Burmah and all parts of the Chinese en-
pfre. 1t has thousands of little factories
now. In the future it will have more steam
mills than Philadelphia. more foundries
tnan Pittsburg and more cotton mills than
Massa chusetts.
have spent many weeks in Canton
during my several visits to Asia. The
immensely of the city grows upon me.
IL is vast hive in which every human.
bee Is at work Chicago covers about the
Whole OF Cook county. Canton proper is
surrounded by walls only six miles in cir
cumference. The walls are thirty feet
hlgn ana are battered and worn. They
now embrace only the older parts of the
city. Modern Canton has long since over
flowed them, and It now extends for miles
up and down the Pearl river 1t covers the
banks, and it has even gone out and built
houses on the water itself.
Chinese Water Rats.
The boat population here is enormous.
at Canton than at any single place in the
world. You could take the floating popu-
lation Of Venice and lose it in the floating
population of this city. China has more
boats than all the rest of the world put to-
gether, and Canton has more than any
other part of China. There are hundreds
OF thousands of people here who are born,
live and die upon boats. There are thou
sands of babies who are always within six
inches of drowning. i have visited many
OF the boat homes sculling along from one
little floating house to another, creating
CONSERVATION among both parents and chill
dren by pointing my camera at them. On
some of the boats babies We're playing on
some they were squalling and on some TAX
Ing a meal from their mothers. Many of
the small children had barrels or floats of
wood tied to their backs
These are life preservers to keep them
from sinking when they fall in the water
Other little onesgwereitied by ropes to the
podlS, DuL DIS d RUE the CnllQren SpraWled
about free. They lodged this way and that
as my boat maved toward them, diving
down into the hold or hiding behind a sail
or mast to keep out of the way of the
camera. This morning pointed the instru-
ment at four little boys playing on the
wharf. Each had a barrel on his back
was about to press the button when one of
them spied me and gave yell, whereupon
the quartet scampered away crying, their
barrels flying out behind them as they ran
1 find the Chinese here decidedly object to
being photographed. When Hubbard T.
Smith was in charge of our consulate he
apiece If they would hold him up in the
consular chair while he had a photograph
taken. They indignantly refused. one Of
them asking Hub Smith whether he
thought him such fool as to stand in that
picture all the rest Of his life lifting up the
American consul for twenty cents. 1 had a
similar photograph made the other day.
1t cost me dollar.
Canton VS.. Chicago.
From the wharves 1 went on into the city.
moved slowly, for the streets were crowd
ed with aImond-eyed humanity. and was
jostled at every step. Now and then 1
stopped in store to rest. and as I did so
made notes of my surroundings that L
might give you an idea of a pure Chinese
city 1 shall try to do it by comparing
Canton with Chicago.
Canton is bigger than great city on
different if it were situated IN the planet
of Mars The town is made up Of one and
two-story houses built along streets so mar
row that you can often stand In the center
and reach both walls by stretching out
your hands. They are so narrow that two
wheelbarrows can hardly pass, and so that
when two sedan chairs meet, one has TO
hug the walls to let the other go by A
Chicago dray could not get through them,
and big dry goods box carried on pole
by two coolies crowds the passer3by to the
wall.
The Chicago streets are well paved So
are those of Canton, but the pavements
mere are of flagstones worn smooth by the
tramp, tramp, tramp of millions of bare
are. in fact, little alleys paved with stones,
SO little that the, only beasts of burden
within them are men.
Suppose you could take out of Chicago
every street car, every dray and wagon,
buggy and cab; suppose you could remove
the horses, the buses and the automobiles
and take away the elevated roads and let
the only means of conveyance be shanks
mare and boX-lke sedan chairs two feet
wide, slung between poles carried on the
shoulders of men, Then you have the rapid
transport of Canton.
70 carry out the Illusion you must cut
down Chicagos big buildings to ridge
rooted structures of blue brick of one and
two stories, with here and there a pawn
brokers' shop, six or seven stories high
close to the streets and their over-hang-
ing roofs must almost shut out the sun
In the swell shopping sections you must
roof the space between with oyster shells,
shuttin out the glare and giving an opal
escent light to the crowd below.
Gorseous store signs.
You would have to- change all the signs.
We Americans do not know what fine bus
mess signs are If T could have one hun
dredth part Of the gold which Is piastered
over such signs in Canton, my prospective
grandchildren might ride in their carriages.
The signs are wonderfully carved They
are .nlaid with fgoldsleaf or enameled I'M
brilliant colors 80 that you see blaze of
through the streets Each sign is board
a foot or more wide and from four to ten
the firm doing business. Some advertise
the excellence of the store within and
others bear such names as Lucky Prof
It's" Good Fortunes and Cheap john
Suppose we take one Of Chicago's chief
business streets and with the magic wand
of the fairy make it Chinese. We have
brought the walls close together; the plate
glass windows have all Disappeared; the
big department stores have vanished and
oIvop