The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-12-28

they sat there and chatted. There
were Ch1nese paintings on the walls
mere and shone out a beautifully
written text Of the Chinese classics.
IN the center Of the room was a table.
lhls was Of carved teakwood. It
had no cover, but, with a view to my
1t was set with refresh
ments OF various kinds. There were
cakes, fruits and candies, and other
dalntles were brought in during the
audience.
I was able to meet Sheng Kung Pao
by an introduction from DR.. John c..
an American who is high
IN the confidence of the leading Chi
nese officials. He was for a long
time, and is now, one Of the confden-
tlal foreign advisers of Sheng, and he
has been associated in a similar ca
paclty with the v~iceroys Of
and Wuchang. He accompanied me
TO the nalace n performed the cere-
mony OF introduction, after which he
lett me with Slleng and the inter
prefer.
Tete-a-Tete With a Chinese Millionaire
we had but a short time to wait. His
exceliency came in through a side
door and as DR.. Ferguson presented
me he reached out his hand and shook
mine IN American fashion. He used
the light hand, giving me a strong
grip with his long yellow fingers. AS
ne did so he looked me straight in the
face, and his bright black eyes seem
ed to be searching my soul. Indeed
MS eyes were SO keen that the re-
malnder Of his personality was thrown
into the background, and it was some
time before [ took in the details. Then
l observed hat the eyes belonged to
an old Chinese, of medium height and
STOPPING shoulders. They shone out
OF a salloW complexion, over high
cheekbones and from a rather thin
lace. His excellency was dressed in
a long gown Of blue silk. He had a
black silk hat on his head, the rim
of which was turned up all around
n out of the back Of which extended
a broad waving feather. He wore a
white turnover collar and his coat
had buttons Of gold.
The great financier smiled as he
greeted me. He led me across the room
and motioned me to sit down at the
table. giving me a chair at his left,
which is the seat of honor in China
AS we sat there, our elbows almost
touching. rested his left hand on the
table, and. as he became interested in
the talk, now and then tapped the
: board with his nails. AS he did SO I
could not keep my eyes off his hand.
The nails on the last three fingers
; that is, on all Of the fingers except the
: index fngers-were at least 8 inches
long, and the thumb nail stood out
: Ike ii SpOOu. w men not tapping MS
e~xcellency's hand, resting on the nails,
, had the tips Of the fingers raised
above the table itsef to the height Of
an ordinary glass tumbler, and the
wrist was we'll up off the table. The
, finger nails were as white as ivory.
!, and it struck me that it must be a
troublesome. matter to keep them so
clean.
China's Steel Industry.
The conversation opened with the
, discussion of the Hanyang steel works,
which l told his exCellency 1 had just
: visited. I asked him how they were
doing. He replied that they were
: steadily increasing in efficiency and in
. their ability to turn out modern rails.
structural steel and other such mate
rails. He said that the company had
already exported pig iron to America,
I and that it could. if it would, now sell
: iron there in competition with the
9 United States steel trust at a profit
. He said that the day would come
S when China would produce all its own
: steel. and that every province would
S eventually have its own factories and
~fOundries. Shene expects much from
Japan as a purchaser of Chinese iron
4 and steel, and he considers our Pacific
t coast a legitimate tributary of the In
dustrial China of the future.
e ] asked him as to his iron mines. lie
e replied that the supply of ore is almost
e ~inexhaustible. and is finer than that
of most parts of the world. IL IS as
s pure as the famed iron of sweden
n and is much more easily won. AS TO
S the coal he is now using, this makes
q fine coke, and China has been export
ING coke to Iapan. His eXcellency be-
+ lieyes that China has all the materials
$ to make it a great manufacturing
countrv and that its people are natu-
rally fitted to be the chief industrlal
> nation Of Asia.
China's Railroad Era.
7 here referred to the new railroads
e which China has projected, and asked
him if their construction would DC
Q rushed. He replied: w lntend &C
r. :t,nC lc i,,cf q . f9Sf as WI