Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-06-30
AN AMERICAN TELLS
OF CHINESE LIFE
A Good Description of Conditions
and Life In the Orient-Japs
Drilling Chinese Army.
Canton, China, June 9, 1905.

hiShAJ NiNihAou OOuhNAyt iu houO
such deep impression upon me that
l win give brief sketch in the
Courier, of life and conditions here,
presuming that the article will in
terest my friends in Grants Pass.
How wonderful 1t seems as a
nightmare and as | re-enter its mar
row streets, a chill creeps over me
when 1 think what would happen
were l to lose my way. 1t is hard
to conceive of more CHASTITY dream
than to be lost in this frightful maze
of crooked streets. Everywhere it is
dark, cramped and shut in from the
light of day. These streets seem to
lead on for miles and miles so that
one might wander for days before the
outer wall and the green rice fields
are reached. The streets are corridors
in prison, like subterranean
trenches, like tunnels in mine.
The high walls on either side seem to
be creeping in upon you and your fear
is that you will be crushed between
their greasy surfaces
The stencil in the air is as unbear-
able as gas. The alleys are full of
sallow crowd, some in dingy clothes,
others in gorgeous silk, some with
bare yellow skins. Their shaven
heads and grinning teeth strike fear
into our heart as you hurry by, like
a hunted thing, from lane to lane.
They all stare with curious faces,
then there comes to you memory Of
their deviltry and of their murderous
risings, and of their fiendish cruelty.
You are filled with alarm and you
imagine you are imprisoned, as your
nerves run up to their highest ten
sion. You are seized with a great de-
sire to escape before the walls. be-
decked with joss paper, crush you and
the stencil stiles you, or the growing
crowds trample you in the muddy
stiNSbh' lhtlN 10 uu bOunu dbOut tllt
place like our cities, only a muttering
in an unknown tongue. and the
muffled tramp of thousands of padded
feet.
1t seems like dream that | have
been away from here six months, and
during that time l have travelled two.
thirds of the way around the world
and have seen modern civilization
in all its perfection.
The weather here has been intoler-
able for the past six weeks, smoky,
overcast and generally dreary. Vice.
roy Shun, of Canton, thought he
would bring a change in the condi-
tions of the ele nents. so he ordered
all forts, in and about the city, to
constantly fire their guns night and
day, so during the three nights that
| was there, sleep was impossi BILE,
there was continual cannonading
resembling the noise to be heard on a
battlefield. The air became impreg-
natd with dense smoke and the
fumes from the powder would almost
stife you.
Owing to the present conditions in
the East" you hear great deal
about the yellow Peril" and the
possibility of its development, which
can only be realized by those who
are here on the ground and note the
constant changes. Japan's deep laid
political scheme is to influence China
against the whites Even now in
Canton there are over 1000 japanese
serving among the Imperial troops to
give them military instruction, while
several pieces Of field ARTILLERY have
been introduced by the Chinese
officers at Canton. Everywhere you
go you will see these yellow upstart
Japanese wearing que and dressing
the same as the Chinese. The great
military success of Japan has inflated
the Japanese with such an over
whelming pride, and such very
false impression Of their powers, as a
nation, that they now aspire to moth
ing short of becoming the dominant
power in China. To this end they
are secretly working among the
Chinese stirring up hatred for the
white race, using as an argument the
success of Japan to illustrate the
possibilities Of China If guided and
directed by japanese
While in Nagasaki, Japan, the other
day, / saw many hundred Russian
soldiers and officers, who were taken
prisoners at Port Arthur and who
were awaiting transportation to their
home country. AS mingled among
them realized that with all their
faults they were white men and Their,
came upon me full realization OF
the difference between the white and
the yellow race.
/ believe the evils Of war and stress
of conflict is quite necessary, which
must come at given periods to bring
about certain necessary changes.
which conditions demand for the bet.
terment of the world vet one can but
deplore the terrible waste Of life
and the suffering of the brave durins
the present terrific comb t in which
their respective governments hay,