Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-10-02
TOUR OF THE ORIENT.

FIRST OF SERIES Of LETTERS FROM
Mr.. EDw0RDS.
Our Special Correspondent Starts on Two
| Years Tour Of The Orient, Sending His
First Letter From Honolulu.
| [Dr Clarence E. Edwords. a veteran news
paper man aud correspondent is making q
two years. tour Of the Philippines, Borneo,
Sumatra, Indian Ar.hipelagO, China and
japan for a number Of American newspa pers,
reesy DsaE 81 ss his
section in this paper, and will be read with
much interest. we are sure Editor.l
Honolulu. H. I. Sept. alas I
sailed out Of the Golden Gate looked
back on the hills Of San Francisco,
wondering il my two years absence
would bring changes that would make
the city look as it did before the
great disaster. In fourteen months
wonders in the way of reconstruction
have been accomplished in the great
metropolis Of the Pacific. and / feel
that can best begin my series Of
letters with few words about San
Francisco and it's phenomenal growth
after it was ravaged by earthquake
and fire.
It must be remembered that nearly
thirty thousand houses were destroyed
at that time and that more than five
hundred city blocks were wiped out.
The entire business section of the city
was burned. entailing a monetary loss
Of about Thousand million dollars.
How many lives were lost in the
disaster will never be known. In the
year that has passed the people have
been city building on scale never
before seen in the world They are
building city in its entirety all at
one time, and have already completed
one-third as many buildings as were
destroyed and have thousands of
others under way. II this pace be kept
up until I return it will be q better
city than it was before the disaster.
The old San Francisco was the pride
Of the world, and no traveller was
satisfied unless he could tell of visit
to the city by the Golden Gate. Be-
cause Of its intense Bohemianism it
was q city Of infinite charm. One
could walk few blocks and imagine
himself in foreign country. Streets
marked. the lines between Asia.
France. Spain. Italy. Russia, Poland
and other countries, and the Scolonies
between the lines OF demarkation were
as distinctive as the countries them
selves. The people kept to them.
selves. holding to their manners and
customes as if they were actually in
their fatherlands. When a visitor
wandered into one of these districts
he would hear nothing but language
OF the country repr resented.NNIt was a
we'll known fact that in many of San
FraDcisco's foreign colonies there
lived people who were born there, yet
who could speak no language but that
of their forefathers.
When San Francisco was envelOped
in flames wondered if the old
colonies would ever be re-establishet,
little thinking that the first feature
to be restored would be the unique
and interesting cOngregating Of for
eigners 1t is a matter OF fact that
the first permanent reconstruction
was that of the foreign elements who
hurried back to their old homes.
Italy, Spain, France, China, Japan.
Poland. all OF them are again there
just as before the fire. and am. sure
that when return I shall have no
difficulty in finding the old Bohemian
haunts which made. San Francisco so
fascinating to visitors.
A voyage across the Pacific is usual
ly marked with little of incident,
consequently there was unbroken rest
and quiet until yesterday morning
when the captain said we would see
the Islands by noon. His Prediction
came true. for just as the bell an
nounced 10 o'clock some one cried
20, see the cocOanut trees" There
they were, sure enough. looking much
as described by Mark Twain when he
said they looked ''like feather busters
struck by lightning" Yet with all
that q cOcoinut tree is an inspiring
sight when it first comes into view,
for it brings some of the mystery OF
the tropics. and as we steamed slowly
along the coast, noting the peculiar
green OF the sugar cane fields, and
passed Diamond Head, that majestic
extinct volcano which guards the en-
trance to Honolulu harbor, We had
many evidences OF the fact that we
were in new world.
The deck was crowded with people
gaily decorated with flowers, while
strains of sweet Hawaiian airs floated
across the water from the band. Hun
dreds Of nearly naked boys clung in
swarms to the railing. ready to dive
into the waters OF the bay Tor pennies,
dangerous ordor breathed from the ex-
otto blossoms. and all nature seemed
to invite rs ashore Everybody seemed
laden with flowers. Around their hats
were beautiful yellow leis, Hawaiian
word for wreath. / gladly stepped
ashore, for six and half days aboard
ship, no matter how pleasant the CON-
pany, makes one long for breathing
spell on land.
In my next letter shall tell of my
1 timuPeSsiOUs Of Lha island citv and tt,sa