Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-14

store last week and after waiting three
days. sent a coolie for it.
There is no country in the world,
however utterly lacking in beauty, no
climate that does not sometimes give
us delightful days, and no nation with
out admirable characteristics. So even
In the first hour spent in Shanghai,
while I was moaning in spirit for the
beautiful mountain scenery of home,
was compelled to admire the pictur-
esque attractiveness of the road along
which we were passing in our drive to
JeSSfield, that part of Shanghai In
which st. Johns is located. Curving
and twisting with apparent disregard
to all considerations of haste, the
Bubbling Well road threads it's way
among many imposing residences with
their we'll kept grounds, shut in, in
English fashion, by high walls over
our heads the great trees arched their
branches, making a delightful avenue,
which at every turn presented some
pleasant change. And then the col
lege grounds the compound occupying
a long strip of land of about thirty
acres, around which the Soochow creek
-ShanghaiS great waterway to the in
terior-sweeps in a deep W forming
a silver girdle to the peninsula. Our
approach was by a narrow tortuous
lane, the only outlet we have to the
main road, but a moment later 1 for
got all about the lane in gazing over
the wide expanse of lawn set with it's
trees and shrubs and surrounded by
Its Gordon of buildings, on the extreme
left the college church, in front and to
the right the three large college build
ings, while off to the left CENTER partly
hidden by trees, there were a couple
of foreign houses-residences of the
workers.
Inspiration for Poets
And many times since that first day,
when in my walks along the country
side l have come upon some little vii
lage by the side of a stream, it's rude
stone bridge standing arched over the
calm waters, as it has stood for CEN
turtles and will stand for centuries yet
with it's fine old trees overhead and it's
simple picturesque country people at
their homely tasks, many times have
felt that here also could a poet find
inspiration and an artist see the
picture painted by the hand of natures
God.
80, too, as the days went by and
the late summer became autumn and
the suns rays lost their terror, we
had beautiful days in which the
genial warmth of midday was so ear
nest that all through the long after
balmy air of an Indian summer day,
and even later, when the weather came
cold and crisp the sparkling white of
the mornings frost would give
place at midday before the power
of that same sun which we so
feared during the long summer, and
when at last the snow came, as it did
two or three weeks ago, Transforming
the landscape for two brief days, we
| tra9faH IN fny
than before.
People Noble in Character
"And so, too, the people immobile as
they are and irresponsive to the
earnest efforts of those who are trying
to rouse them to higher planes of life
| and thought, so also the people are
possessed of a nobility of character,
even as Carlyle called John Bull
noble, in that he was conservative.
| When you consider how many CEN
turtles have passed over the heads of
the Chinese people and left them un-
changed, you liken them to their own
massive pieces of ancient architecture
which, built away back in the days
of some long forgotten dynasty, will
! be standing when our grandsons'
grandsons are passed away, and you
realize, If never before, that some
where behind that yellow mask is the
quality that can conquer worlds-en-
durance.
80, indeed, my first impressions of
the Chinese were favorable, nor has
five months work among Chinese boys
and young men done anything but
Chinese are groat people. In St. Johns
college, where that work has been,
there are at present over 300 students,
most of them of course in the prepara-
tory department. but the orderly way
in which they go into and out OF
chapel, their behavior in class rooms
and study hall, and their industry and
anxiety 10 learn, would put to shame
many an institution of similar rank al
home. A number Of our old students
have gone to America from time tC
time and some of them have entered
Yale and other of our foremost insti-
tutions, and / have yet to hear OF one
who has failed to acquit himself
creditably.
Efficient in Athletics
"On the athletic field, which is also
a novelty in this part of the world, they
are becoming more and more efficient
and although all the foreign-taught
schools around Shanghai are working
on the introduction Of physical exer,
else, among the Chinese, our boys have
as yet always held the supremacy In
athletics and now require absolutely
no encouragement TO make them take
| that amount OF exercise which is neces
sary IL we ever hope to bring the Chi
nese scholar to the ideal condition o
mems sana sano in corpore.'
"Of equal interest is 1t to see by
! what motives they are actuated ant
! what ideals Of life they hold. In {
recent composition class the gradual
ing students handed me papers on tn
1 question In What walk OF Life i