Norwich bulletin., 1909-06-05
THE LONG AGO AND THE LATER ON
Experience Eighty Years of Life By George Tsda Bromley
By George Tisdale Bromley

I could be pumped into a Chinese would
any better prepare him for heaven than
does his unwavering devotion to
| Buddha-
On the top of one of the hills back
Of the hotel at Che-fu is a Baby
| Tower such as one sees all over
| China, and until within a few years
| they were used as receptacles for fe-
male infants which werS cast into
their deep shafts to die Of starvation
or of whatver else would come to their
relif. The towers have now gone out
Ct use, not by reason Of any change Of
heart in the Chinese but because the
Sisters of Mercy have established hos
pitfalls for female infants. The chill
dren that would have been put out Of
the way are bought by the sisters from;
the mothers and reared by them in tbs
Catholic faith to become missionaries
In the future.
There are five churches in Che-fu
and I was told that the attendance on
Sundays was, on an average, about
eight persons. Tbs churches were
built not so much to fill long-felt
want as to crafty the pious discordant
element of Chinese society in Che -fu--
all of which enables the heather Chi
nese to behold how good and how
| pleasant II is for brethren to dwell to-
| Rether in unity"
Mrs. Bryson, the author of "Chiid
Life in Chinese Homes and the wife
of a missionary, was one Of those I
met in Tien-tsin, very charming
woman. Her book is well worth read
ing as an insight into the customs of
the people with regard to their off
spring.
found that the Chinese care moth
ing for their wives and sisters. They
| think the world of their mothers, and
their devotion to the maternal parent
is unwavering
| During the summer months Che-fu
| is the resort of the people of Shanghai
and Tien-tsin, and q very delightful
resort It is. It being the rendezvous
of the warships of various nattonalties,
the officers naturally assist in making
things very lively in the city. 1 had
my quarters at the Family hotel
about two miles from the city, on the
shore of the bay. Connected with the
hotel. was a six cared launch with a
uniformed Chinese crew. and zone
morning I chartered the launch and
boarded the flagship Marion, Of tho
United States navy. commanded by
Admiral Davis. AS landed on deck
I met the admiral as he was about
leaving for the city. We had met be-
fore, at Shanghai, and after greeting
me very cordially, he invited me into
his cabin and, after a few minutes
chat and a glass Of wine, he took his
departure. On leaving. he asked me if
would accept consular salute On
leaving ship. I declined with many
thanks as was fearful Of Creating a
jealous feeling in the breast of the res
ident consul. But when he babe me
good-by, I was invited to the officers
mess room, and for couple of hours
we had right royal good time. AS 1
, III. H.
launch cast off, they blazed away with
the salute directly over my head. I
wanted to stand up aud acknowledge
the honor, but I didn't dare to, for
fear of going overheard But I did the
next best thing. / sat In my scat and
raised my hat. Meeting the admiral
that evening at an entertainment, he
asked me how I had enjoyed my visit
to his ship. I replied that the visit
was exceedingly pleasant, but in the
salute that I had received was fear
full that they would have to use It In
raising my body instead of being in
honor of my visit, all of which was
duly acknowledged.
1 stood the heat Of August in Tien-
tsin far better than do many of the
old residents, though It had been years
since felt such a warm temperature.
When / went abroad 1 took my UNI
brella and fan, and I generally rode
in a jinriksha. It was warm work
for the jinriksha boy and If he had
worn any clothes except a cloth around
his loins he would have been apt to
suffer. But as the wind is tempered
to the shorn lamb" so is the sun to a
naked Chinaman. The country side of
the settlement presented a very sin
gular appearance to me. The heavy
rains had filled all the excavations
where the earth had been taken out
for grave mounds and pathways. and
as one stood on the ramparts outside
of the improved portion of Tien-tsin
and looked way off over the vast
plain dotted with miniature lakes,
ponds and canals, each bordered with
a dense growth of millet, ten or fifteen
feet high, it struck me as being a
grand sight. But what seemed the
strangest thing about ali this was the
fact that the lakes and ponds were
filled with fish, and the Chinaman
never investigated further than to
learn that the fish were good to eat
He ate and asked no questions An
other singular feature of this fish
business: In July, 1885, most of the
lakes and ponds We're dried Gp. and al
that time there were fears that the
drought would cause famine So Sc
rious had the danger become that the
emperor at Picking repaired with his
royal retinue to the Temple OF Heaven
At midnight, amid the changing of
gongs, the clashing of cymbals, the
pounding of tom-toms and all the
other unearthly sounds the Chinese are
capable of making, he offered up
prayers fsr rain. He prasad TO the