The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-26
Counting china's Millions.

from Harper's Weekly.
 We have seen no attempt to frame a graphic conception of the stupendous az gregate of China's millions half so suc- eessful as that of our veteran American Baptist missionary the Rev pr. William Ashmore Oow living at Wollaston, Mass. It was first worked out during his resi- dence at Swatow, China, in 1SSS and printed there. But it will serve excel lently well at the present moment when in various relations, poll cal military and social, as well as humaatarlan and religious, the worlds attention is being concentrated upon China. Dr Ashm,ge' method is to imagine the pop1lat'en of 4OOOOO,OOO on the march in review. Before he gets through, the readers head fairly swims and reels at the passing of the interminable muititudes
 The authorities differ on the population of China The old official census of lSl. made it 360 COG, 600. A late statement based on partial returns puts 1t at 3S2, 100000; but it is often quoted in round numbers at 100000 GOO. Dr. Ashmore takes the low est of all these figures in the calculations that follow. For a basis of comparison he adopts the exodus of the nation of 6OO0,OOO which passed before Moses, field marshal of the living God" on it's match from one country to another by the way of the Red sea, the wilderness of Paran, and the river Jordan. That pageant of the tribes of Israel has inspired literature and all the arts from that day to this has been celebrated in legend and music and yet no adequate conception has prob ably ever been formed of the stuaendous cavalcade. But that was 6OOO.OOO as against the 360, 000 of Chinese which pr. Ashmore arrays. To help us form the picture he calls to mind the review of the United Armies of the union at Washing ton after the civil war. Anybody privl- legged to possess a seat for that pageant has talked of it ever since For witness ing the review of China's hundreds of millions Dr. Ashmore warns us to get ready our tents. Make them good and strong, able to endure peltng storms and changes of season, for 1t Is no holiday s work you are settled down to-"
 Twelve hours day is long marching, but he proposs keeping the vast army of living men, women and children going at that rate Furthermore, he makes them march in close order: and not only that, but in iockstep," allowing but a foot and a half to each person instead of the two and a half feet to each man allowed in military close-erder marching. Twenty miles a day is good work for a column on the march, and at that rate each million will require fourteen days in passing.
 And now with all things ready the grand old missionary starts the columns and review on the first day of June. He marshals the Chinese by their great prov inces. First comes Chihli the capital province of the empire, about the size of the state of Illinois. In that space Is packed a population of 27,9O0,S71 They will reach 7952 miles. nearly and the line will stretch from the steps of the capitol at Washington, across the continent. and far away into the middle of the Pacific ocean, and will require S97 days In pass ing.
 You see you are In for it." says Dr. Ashmore; you thought you would sit it out on that line if it took all summer, but summer comes and summer goes and there you are still; lay in a stock of coal, for winter will be upon you before a quarter of them have gone by; autumn passes, winter passes, spring passes, and you are well into the heat of a second summer before you have seen the last of that column, and that is only one co, umn. After that there will be teen more columns, and the procession will have been over thirteen years in passing. '"