The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-03

70 nave visited every town and country
within reach: not because / will enjoy
the reputation Of being a great traveller,
but as a protection. / have observed
that when you fail to visit a certain
place, other travellers say lou missed
it, and that the places you did visit
are visited by everybody, and do not
amount to much. In addition to this
1 shall invent places Of great interest
and claim to have visited them. When
a traveller asks me: did YOU visit Pc
kim" shall reply, % yes; not much.
Did you go to Kankikf2"
In case he says he did not; that he
never heard of it, I shall reply:
you missed it. Kankiki is the
greatest thing over there: temples. and
ceremonies and professions, and queer
things of every kind. I greatly en-
joyed it. Good hotels. and low prices,
and every attention. Not many travel
ers there though: travellers keen in
the beaten paths so much.'
I resolved to do this at Kyoto. and
asked forgiveness of the thousand
images in one of the temples. If silence
gives consent it is all right with the
images.
There is a row on board over bath
towels. Every passenger is given a
bath towel at the beginning of the
voyage, and this he is expected to carry
to the bath every morning, use, and
then carry back to his room, for use
the next morning, and every morning
passenger on the ship is in open re-
volt, except myself; 1 don't complain
about anything. Mr., Moffatt, my room
mate, gets two fresh bath towels every
morning, and he gets them without
much difficulty as he gets everything.
Mr.. Moffatt has been to Canton, China
trying to secure a concession to work
copper mines on a Chinese island. But
he could do nothing; the Chinese seem
content to let the immense deposits of
copper alone. Mr.. Moffatt discovered
that a French company once secured a
lease on the copper mine, agreeing to
pay a large sum in case they failed to
operate It The Chinese officials saw
that the French were unable to secure
either supplies or labor, and the
French were compelled to abandon
the enterprise, and pay the forfeit.
The anti-foreign- sentiment in China is
very strong, and Mr.. Moffatt says it is
all due to the missionaries. 1t is be-
ieved over here that if the mission
aries were taken out of China, the
country would soon be open to foreign
capital; and China really has great
natural advantages Canton needs a
railroad, and it is great opportunity
for somebody, but the Chinese are
continually wrought up over mission
airy troubles and Will not grant the
necessary. concessions to the capitalists
who are clamOring to build the rail-
road. The Missouri man who has
room opposite to anime says he is d
posed to missionaries: there is no dis
putting that missionaries are very un-
popular in the Orient I have been
much impressed with this fact.
Mrs Williamson, the English woman
we have known since leaving San Fran
cisco. is on her way to visit rajah in
India. and while there win engage in a
tiger hunt She is a great traveller, and
very modest and agreeable. She lived
several years in South Africa, and was in
Johannesburg during the Jameson raid.
The women and children were ordered to
leave the place in half an hour, and they
collected hurriedly at the railroad station
without food, and many of them almost
without clothing. For three days and
nights they Travelled toward CapetOwn, in
cars so denseIy crowded that all the
passengers were compelled to stand up,
or lie on the floor. A number of Cornish
miners had secreted. themselves on the
train and robbed the women and chill
dren of the Hitler food they had. Two
women and one eatld died during me
terrible trip. ~
In crossing the American continent Mrs
Williamson. remembers Omaha, and IN
talking to her about the country. I am
compelled to use Omaha as q base; I have
described Atchison to her, first telling her
side is much like that at Omaha, etc. If
she kills two tigers in India, she has
promised to send merone. She will go out
to hunt them on the back Of an elephant,
and as she has never fired a gun in her
life am not counting on tiger skin
Last night was quiet and hot, and I
sat on deck two hours almost alone;
there were only three or four passengers
on my side of the ship. ] spent my time
in watching a light on shore; light
from a lighthouse. which gave two red
flashes. and then two white flashes. The
lighthouse was located on d lonely cape
running out into the sea, and here We
bid goodbye to China. e. w. H.