The San Francisco call., 1908-05-17
Bv Hamilton Wright

y ANTON. China, is one OF the old
est cities in the world. Thought
10 have been founded in the time
Of Noah. it has remained as It
began. a typical Chinese mart, in all
the thousands Of years that have
eiapsed. Saving the diminutive but
impressive European quarter, Canton
with its. perhaps. almost 100000 people
living like rats. probably presented
much the same general appearance in
the tire Of Christ as it does today
Housing a countless horde OF indus
trial workers, each Of whom performs
his piecemeal task with crude appli-
ances or else by hand, wonderful Old
Canton is. at once, one Of the most an
cient. largest. dirtiest and, incidentally.
most interesting cities II typihes the
old China. that strange old. China OF
EXQUISITE silks and satins and lacquer
work: OF moss grown towers, tenn
pies, mosques and. minarets. that seem
Ike The monuments Of medieval
Europe: the China that presents
civilization unique. and which was al
most as developed. in its singular way
IN that period when the forbears Of the
American people were clad in skins
and hunted the boar and bear in the
forests of Gaul and Saxony rs it is at
the present time.
IN some respects Canton is decidedly
the most interesting city in China.
Outside OF the small but imposing Eu-
ropean quarter established. Canton pre-
sents the typical squalor Of a Chinese
mart unaffected by foreign influences.
Excepting the huge temples. none OF
the native buildings are more than
20 or so feet in height Viewed from
the surrounding eminence, one can see
no streets in Canton-a sea OF roofs
IS presented-the streets are dark with
narrow alleys between them. and the
millions OF Chinese swarm like flies. The
smells and stenches of Canton are ap-
palIing and variegated. but they viii
disappear gradually before the inno-
vations OF the skilled European en-
gineers employed by the governor of
the province.
IN certain sections Of the city thou
sands and thousands of Chinese are
employed in the manufacture Of rare
and beautiful silks and linens, almost
ali OF which is done by handworked
native looms. IN other districts ex-
quisite wood carvings are done by eK-
pert Chinese. who use the priceless
ebonies and mahoganies Of India, Bor-
neo and the Philippines. An American
tourist who takes his wife among
these silks, linen and cabinet factories
risks his fortune for a woman cannot
resist these superb and exquisite
works OF art and will squander money
right and left.
On the Busy River
The huge river at Canton. almost on
a level with the city, presents a
scene Of bustiing commercial activity.
Here are hundreds of modern steel
steamers, and valuable cargoes are
loaded for almost every port in the
world On the river, too, are thou
sands Of native craft with their per-
manent floating population. Among
this population the slave trade is q
thriving industry. at least as far as the
buying and selling OF comely young
Chinese girls is concerned. The trade
was greater in the past and is rapidly
succumbing 10 the incoming civiliza-
tion. The greatest index OF this mod
ernism is the last link in the new rail-
road fs7e north from Canton, which is
almost completed; soon China will
have a vast railroad system reaching
completely north and south. This Will
90 much to alleviate the terrible fam
ines that periodically strike China
whenever the rice crop is destroyed,
and which but lately ragged in full
swing in the interior. Soon q railroad