Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-10-02
Or, Edwards Letter

OuoAi6uoi, Ohlhoy' A<Su
"trip to the old city Of Shanghai, en-
tering this time by another gate, ]
found exactly the same conditions
and the same throng Of hurrying peo-
pie passing in and out Of the gate
and inside were the same narrow
streets, filthy and noisome. The same
rude, hurrying, jesting crowd OF wat
er carriers, sewage carriers, market
men, peddlers, and hundreds OF 9TH
or men carrying loads Of all descrip-
tons. l was puzzled to understand
why they were all in such hurry
and why they kept up such con
slant din of varying sounds. The
street cries of Chinese cities are
most peculiar, all of the peddlers
and carriers warning others by dis
cordant sounds of their approach,
emitted in shrill, high key, but why
they were in such an awful hurry
could not understand. Time to a
Chinese is nothing. Their clocks are
based on the principle that If one Is
within an hour of the proper time
he is close enough. Chinese clocks
have no minute or second hands, it
being the first hour until it is the
second, and so on for all time. Yet
these people were rushing as madly
as if they had but a minute longer
to accomplish what they were going
after.
I could realize that these fellows
with their heavy loads slung over
their shoulders on long poles, would
hurry to get to the end of their jour
neys in order to ease their limbs Of
the heavy bpurden, but it was mol
only the carriers who hurried, buI
the peddlers, the peripetatic jugglers
the women, children, everybody.
New sights were brought to view
in this second visit to the city, ant
l had opportunity to see a number
shops. One of the picturesque sights
of the Chinese city is the blazon o
color from shop signs. These sign
hang perpendicular, and are OF al
sizes, shapes and colors. The chara
tiers are all of either gilt or red, blu
the paper cardboard on which the,
are written are all the colors OF tn
rainbow. Over the doors and on tn
sides of the doorways are long strip
of paper with characters on then
and when these are translated on
wonders how they come to hav
such incongruous notices in sue
places. They portray the ebeauties
spring, of flowers, Of cleanliness an
all the virtues in which the Chimes
are deficient.
One seems smothered when pas:
ing along these narrow alleys that d
duty for streets, and as they contiI
ually curve about one seems to b
always coming to a blind wall. Tn
numerous signs screen out the SIX
and with the bad odors and dirt 20
feel as if you were in some narro'
tunnel used to give passage for tn
: sewage of the city. There is a b.
r wildering medley of sights, and on
could loiter an entire day with eve
recurring surprises. A feature Of tn
city is that all sorts Of business al
done out-ofdoors, and It Is no Ii
usual lining, for example, to see
man complacently sitting on a sto
on the street while the barber wit
the crudest Of instruments, shave
; head and face, cleans his nose an
ears, and performs such other toll
, necessaries as are usually done
the strictest privacy. Even the wa
!. er he uses is dirty, while the tow
; Is positively filthy. Both have be
, used since the days work began, al
will continue to be used until nigh
no matter how many people come u
der his care. Restaurants are hume
! Gus, and the windows are filled wi
. the most unsavory looking dishe
which offend both eye and nose. Tn
have dirty dried fish, dirty drie
ducks and chickens, dried shrimp
. yellow cheese, small seeds that al
sprouting, little nuts done up in p
per, pork cut in hunks, great piect
of pig skin, baked, and from whic
the restaurant man cuts off piece
with a dirty knife, and which b
hands to his customers with greas
and dirty hands. The edibles are {
such queer and strange composite
that 1 never had the slightest desir
to trust any of them. This is
marked contrast with condition
both in Japan and the Philippines,
: In neither Of these places did eve
feel that I was getting more tina
my share Of dirt.
II One of nv fadS is markats an