The Holt County sentinel., 1910-03-04
From Fred Hershner.
HONOLULU, II. A., Feb. 5,


you what / can of Shanghai, China.
My time for correspondence was very
much limited while in that port, so /
was obliged to wait until we reached
this port.
Shanghai, the great commercial
metropolis. and center from which
foreign influence and civilization radi-
ates throughout the Celestial En-
pire, is one of the most interesting
- places in the world. Here the Occi-
dent meets and mingles with the
Orient, and the result is a melange of
impressions, color and experience
impossible to obtain elsewhere and
unparalleled in history. Situated in
practically the same latitude as Cairo
and New Orleans, the climate of the
Yangtse Delta varies considerably
from that of these places. In the
summer. from the middle of June to
the end of Setember it is said the
heat is sometimes excessive, the mean
reading of the thermometer being in
the neighborhood of IS degrees
Fahrenheit. The winters are cold,
with occasional falls of snow and
piercing winds from off the frozen
plains of Siberia. On the other hand
spring and autumn afford ideal
weather, the sunshine being virtually
continuous and the temperature
equable. Generally speaking, the
climate may be described as one-third
tropical and two-tlIirtis temperate.
Transportation between Shanghai
and Woosung is maintained by rail;
road or small boat. Atpresent the
river is not navigabld by the largest
steamers, but the work of deepening
the river channel is i'm active oper-
alton by the Whangpoo Conservancy
Board, and within a few years ships
of the largest draught will be able to]
proceed direct to the port itself.
Shanghai lies in the province Of
Kiangsu, and stands on the vast plain
formed by the delta OF the Yangtse
Kiang. No hills or mountains exist
i'm the vicinity, the nearest being POI
miles away to the. westward, and these
are but small, rocky protruberances,
which were formerly islands in the
sea- This,plain is cultivated like a
garden and carries every Imaginable
sub-tropical plant, besides the pro-
ducts of warmer temperate zones. In
the autumn such crops as cotton and
rice are harvestedyw wheat and
other cereals ave gathered in May. |
Almost every known iveretable and
fruit can be grown, and In this par
tieular Shanghai is probably one of
the best supplied cities in the fwerld.
Trees and flowers, abound: and . the
general vegetation iIss Of the. most
luxuriant description - 'yTF'i I''."s;7
While the name Shanghai stands
for the whole great commercial
metropolis of China, the huge agglo-
meration of human hauntS is split up
into three distinct districts, the In
ternational Settlement the French
Concession and the Native City. The
last comes first in order of seniority.
having been founded according to "a
well known authority in the year 304
b. c., and the literal meaning Of the
name is ''On the Sea-"
The international Settlement was
founded i'm 1913 and is a. combination
of the original British and American,
concessions, which, by agreement
among the various powers, was en-
larged in 1898, and is governed by a
Municipal Council, controlled to some
extent by court of counsuls, con-
stituted by the representative of Oc-
cidental powers and administering
political affairs of the heterogeneous
community under a code of laws en-
bodying the principles of extraterri-
toriality and known as the Land
Regulations. COnsulS of some IL diff
ferent nations are stationed in
Shanghai, each exercising jurisdiction
concession was obtained i'm 1S49, and
is. administered solely by French Of
ticials assisted by Muniscipal coun-
Gil. 1t has no administrative con-
nection whatsoever with the Inter
national Settlement.
The native city is roughly circular
i'm form and the walls are some three :
miles i'm circumfence. Entering by
the new north gate at the end of the
Rue Montanban, one Immediately en-
counters a never ending crowd of ma
tives of all grades and ranks. Among
the throng the beggars are noticeable,
but as they are inyariable profession
ais, and are organized Systematically
i'm Guild under the Beggar King, no
qualm or charity need be experienced