The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-06-02

all over the city, There is =, Chinese
settlement in the city. Within half q
dozen hfucks of the business .centarss Of
| the city are;th Chinese restaurants and
opium dens. These places, OF course,
are not nearly so dirty and filthy az the
opium dens OF China, but they are here
FOR John" must have his opium smoke.
Opium is the curse OF China, but it must
6e remembered that England forced
China to buy opium when she did not
want it. La consequence the Golfers Of
the British merchant are bursting with
his ill-gotten gains, but the Opium
War will always be q dark blot on
highlands history. But with all his
faults John" is not wholly bad. Many
OF these Cinnamon have cut off their
pig-tails, (no one but Cinnamon knows
just how much that means to him) re-
nounced the doctrines of the great
Confucius and are loyal Christians. We
often see these Cinnamon at church.
1t seems a little odd at first to 90 to
chur"h and sit behind row OF China
men but one soon gets used to that in
st. Louis. The writer lives within
a stones throw Of a Chinese Sunday
school. st. Louis also has large
German population, and one of the An
ess residence sections OF tho city is
almost exclusively German even to-the
exclusion Of the English language. AS
ual these people are very thrifty, and
Un some of the very finest residences
in the city, many of them being sur
rounded by spacious and beautiful
grounds.
But whatever else may be said of the
people it cannot be said that they are
lacking in hospitality and good will.
They welcome the stranger and soon
make him feel that he is among friends.
Perhaps it is the oldtime southern hos
pitality, perhaps not; but whatever it is
it warns the heart and almost makes
one forget that st. Louis is noisy and
dirty smoke-begrimed.
st. Louis has her faults. What CITY
has not? But with all her faults she
has her redeeming features. In sum-
ming up it may besaid that st. Louis is
city Of marked contrasts. She is a
great mixture of good and evil. The
population is varied assortment Of
races and colors. She has sheltered
some of the smoothest boodlers and
nourished the shrewdest and most Wig
orous opponents Of boodlery. She has
some OF the most eloquent ministers
and some Of the most depraved GRIMM
ais in America. Her tall church spires
cast their shadows athwart the door
ways Of nearby saloons. She is both
fascinating and disgusting, but after all
st. Louis is great city and she has not
yet reached the zenith of her greatness.
She is fully awake to her needs and will
by and by eradicate the political and
social evils which have been the subject
OF so much newspaper comment and will
emerge from it all greater than ever.
Just now ST. Louis is the center Of
attraction. The eyes Of the whole world
are turned st. Louisward, for here the
greatest Worlds Fair ever known is
just opening. Chicago had great ex-
position; Paris had great exposition;
but the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
is greater than them all. 1t is worth
something to be on the ground to wit
ness this gathering of the nations" It
is the next thing to trip around the
world. We have seen the wiley Boer,
the sagacious little Jap with his tall
silk hat, the bold Britisher, the polished
Frenchman,, and the gaudily dressed
Oriental in the streets. But the World s
Fair is another story and we leave the
telling for another time. e. o. MOORE.
st. Louis, ION the Mississippi" April
| %, 1901.