Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-07-10
TRIP TO THE ORIENT
Clarence, e. Edwords Touring the
Eastern Countries.
NE is OUR SPECIA CORRESPONDENT.
INTERESTINGLY WRITTEN IN WEEK
LY LETTERS, WHICH WILL AP.
PEAR IN THE RECORDER.

PEAR IN lHE RECORDER.
Shanghai, China, Feb. 26,-The
foreign city of Shanghai, that is,
the city where dwell the foreigners,
has been described so often that |
shall pay no attention to it, or its
beautiful parks, fine streets and
buildings, and general air of clean
illness and sanitation. ] think you
will be more interested in learning
something about the real Chinese
way of living, and while the story
is not nice one, l shall try to do
Justice to the occasion, and tell
how the real article compares with
our ideas of cleanliness.
The native city of Shanghai is
surrounded by a high wall that
looks as if it were built for the pur-
pose of forming barrlcade, that
nothing short Of q ten inch gun
could ever throw. The top is
crenelated as if for the use of can
non, but no cannon have ever been
there. These walls have number
of gates WHICH are closed at night,
keeping the Chinese in and the for
eigners out. The cityis divided of
into many districts, something like
wards in an American city, but
these districts are separated by
high walls with gates. This system
is so perfect that if a crime be con-
mitted in one district OF the city at
night, the criminal cannot escape
until the gates are open In the
morning. Between the walls, sur
rounding the houses, are narrow
lanes which serve as streets, and ii
I were to describe the filthy and
horrible condition of these passage
ways, / am sure no paper would
prinr the disgusting details. The
conditions of fearful noise and filth
in all Chinese cities is such that no
Caucasian could live in them, and
as result all the larger Chinese
cities have concessions to foreign
ers, where they live and keep
things clean.
AS l approached the gate of the
Chinese city Of Shanghai, I was re-
minded of disturbed ant hill. Out
of the gate poured such a jostling,
hurrying, shrieking throng of hui
manity, that / thought Bedlam
had been let loose. As we neared
the gate the throng became more
dense and the noise increased until
| wondered how we were going to
get through. | remembered that
in Japan / was treated with polite
ness and courtesy wherever went
and consoled myself with the
thought that the same courtesy
would be extended here by Chinese.
But that is where / counted with
out my host. Chidese are neither
polite nor courteous, and in addl-
ton to that they hate the "fan-
qui," or foreign devils, as they call
all white men. This aversion APP
plies equally to all foreigners.
The high walls of the city were
Just, beyond bridge which crossed
a moat or canal, filled with the vii
est of liquid filth, and as entered
the gate lodging the loads of the
carriers, / saw such a crowd of
! men and boys as | never expected
to see anywhere on earth. 1t was
very much like a reproduction OF
Dante's Inferno, with disregard OF
everyone. Women and children
were rudely pushed and josSled out
of the way, and | was compelled to
keep my wits about. me to avoid
being run into by men carrying
buckets of sewage to be deposited
in the moat just outside the city
wall. Everything was unspeakab-
ly filthy and dirty, and no one car
cd whether you we're thrown down
and trampled on or not; in fact, |
think they would have been glad
to thus show their antipathy for
the American.
! AS proceeded along the street
in this strange throng, some boys
caught sight of me and immediate
ly shouted "fanquai," which at
tracted the attention of such other
boys and men who were idle