Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-12

to height nearly half that of the Wash
ington Monument. 1t had ne stories.
and spiral staircase within led fr,m the
ground to the summit. About each story
was gallery, rooted with green tiles,
ana from the corners of the roofs hung
bells which tinkled when swayed by the
wind: Upon Its top was mass Of iron
as big haystack This was p'ated
with gold. and could be seen for miles up
and down the Yangtse- kiang valley.
OF this mighty tower the Dasln is ali
that remains. 1t has been placed upon
foundation of marble and now lies some
distance away from the mighty monu-
ment which it covered. The tower itself
was destroyed during the TAPPING rebel
lion, because the insurgents thought it
was affecting the spirits of the air and
bringing bad luck. Its materials were
taken for other buildings and the foreign
ers carried away all that was left. Today
the very foundation is gone; and the Chi
nese viceroy, who has made his capital
guns on it's site, and the factory hands
are called to their work by the shrill
whistle of steam.
In add ton to this there are powder mills
nearby. and every now and then an ex
plosion occurs which frightens the ghosts
of the tower and horrifies the citizens.
for fear it may STIR up the dragon,
upon whose back Marking is built. Not
Withstanding the modern awakening.
ghosts, witches and DRAGONS are live ele-
ments still in this part of the world. The
Chinese believe in spirits and they will
do nothing without consulting their
wishes. The witch doctors here have a
regular profession. They read the stars,
the winds and the waters and pretend to
predict just what the spirits of good luck
and bad will do upon every occasion. l
nave told you how, when the late en-
peror was buried. the government sent
out geomancers to pick out a lucky site
for his tomb. No sensible Oh nese would
rest in his grave if it We're not so Sc
lected; and in building house or max
ing new town for the living these men
are called in to pick out the sites.
X
In such work the geo1nancers do their
best to find spot connected with
dragon. OF all the animals the Chinese
consider this the most lucky. 1t forms
the imperial coat of arms, IT is seen upon
the triangular imperial flags and it brings
good fortune or bad to every dynasty or
ruler. According to the Celestial belief
the dragon can do anything. 1t can swell
itself into an elephant or shr nix to a
Snat. when an eclipse is expected the
trologers tell the people that the dragon is
about to attempt to swallow the moon and
the emperor thereupon sends forth an eGlict
commanding all good citizens to turn out
ana peat drums and pans to scare him
away. This was actually the case a few
months ago during my stay in Peking
And what has all this to do with Nan
King? A great deal! The ground on
dragon. and the emperor who founded 1t
said: IF l can build my capital here on
the dragons back it will last forever"
That was many generations ago, and
walls which he constructed arc still
solid: they are as wide as country road,
are from forty to ninety feet high and
twenty-five miles in length.
The Marking of today. with its half
million people. lies In their center. and l
drove through them on my way to the
town. The walls are made of bricks Of
about the same size as those used in the
great wall of China. laid up in two pa Al
lei lines of solid masonry, the space being
filled in with earth and stone. They are
paved at the top, and upon them are still
piles or stones, placed there long ago,
that they might be thrown down upon
the enemies besieging the city. These
walls surround a great space which is
now devoted to farming. The buildings
Of the city cover considera BILE ground but
there Is enough still vacant to contain
another city the size of Boston, BaIti-
more or st. Louis.
But ! want to tell you about the Nan
king of today. l am writing of the
awakening Of China. and this old town
has its eyes open. 1t has jumped from
It's couch of the ages, and is primping and
adjoining itself for the modern civiliza-
ton. 1t is paving its streets. The filthy
conditions OF fourteen years ago have
The rutS have disappeared,
and one can now drive through the town
In carriage. There are some passenger
still. but they are fast be-
ing displaced by nrikishas. | under
stand that the beggars. who were SO
numerous in the past. have changed their
occupation and become human horses.
They have taken to pulling the rikishas.
and they will take you anywhere in the
town for Ave or ten cents ride. The
buildings are improving. There are glass
windows in many of the shops. and the
citizens are putting up resi-
dences OF European style. The foreign ,
ronsuls live in two-story bricks, the Amer