The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-06-01
CHINAMAN FIRST CARNEGIE
BEAT THE LAIRD OF SKIBO TO
LIBRARY IDEA 1900 YEARS.
HIS PLANS WERE IDENTICAL

Ancient Houei TIE Dotted the Land
With Libraries Containing His
Picture. Was Rich Chinese Mer-
chant Who Lived in the First Part
of the Fifth Century.
DETROIT, Mich.-There was once
a wise old gentleman who said some
thing about everything being more or
less vanity and who was convinced
that there was nothing new under
the sun. Edgar Allen POe's one pet
idea was that everything had been
tried out in China centuries ago. But
who would have thought that An
drew Carnegie, who has embarrassed
so many cities by giving them auto
graphed library buildings, was any
thing but a novelty? Remarkable
discoveries of a French expedition in
Chinese Turkestan show that if the
philanthropic Mr.. Carnegie is not a
reincarnation of Houei-T'ze, a rich
Chinese merchant, who lived in the
first part of the fifth century, then
Houei-T'ze has the Laird of Skibo
beaten by 1900 years on his scheme
of beneVolence.
Mr.. Carnegie gives away libraries
which must be called Carnegie libra
ries. So did Souei-T'ze. He gave
away libraries all over China and
Turkestan and furnished the work
men to build them. He also stipu-
lated that his picture should adorn
the wall of each, behind which was
then the librarians desk. Mr.. Car
negie's frugality demands that the
institutions he creates be kept up by
the fortunate communities in which
they are placed. Houei-T'ze took adj
vantage of the rising religious mar
ket at the time and installed a corps
of Buddhist monks in each of his.
Name Was Forgotten.
Mr.. Carnegie made his money in
steel and then retired. His Chinese
prototype made his in the mart, by
sending ships and caravans to far
places, which in those days was much
the same thing. But the very strang-
est thing is this: For all that
Houei-T'ze's benevolence dotted Chi
ma even into Turkestan for centuries,
his name has been unknown and the
walls that held the pictures of his
face have been hidden. At last one
sand-coyeTed, rock-hewn library has
been uncovered by men of an alien
race, and the name of HOuei-TZe
again blossoms forth.
A combination of French scientific
zeal and a friendly sandstone, blown
perhaps by the great librarians
starving soul, did it. But for the
two the Chinese Carnegie" of the
fifth century would have gone on be-
ing forgotten. 1t almost makes one
wonder what is the use of giving
away libraries and things like that
after all.
The French expedition was under
the guidance of M. Pelliot, an ex-
plorer of note. They left Paris in
June. 1906, and have just gotten
back. Chinese Turkestan is no joke
to the traveller. 1t is mostly desert,
whose temperature varies from 1870
degrees to 35 below zero. 1t wasn't
always like that, but the foolish peo-
pie chopped down the trees in the
days of plenty-which shows that
there is another thing being done
now that China knows ali about.
At last they struck a place called
TouenHouang, once a powerful city,
now collection of dozen huts. In
the hills back of the town they found
about 500 grottoes filled with the
most interesting rock paintings. One
day a sandstone came up. The
nd In Of
cred. 1t was opened and loi Mr..
Carnegie Houei-T'ze, who had pinned
his faith of immortality upon libra
ries, was suddenly justified.
2 10000 Manuscripts.
Inside this institution were some
10000 rolls of manuscripts and COM
pact packages of separate leaves be-
tween boards Joined by cords. 1t
was apparent that the place had been
walled up about 1895, under the
menace of an imminent invasion, and
that the manuscripts thus hidden, to-
gether with statutes, paintings and
other objects, go back as far as the
first century. The great mass of the
library was written in the usual text
of the Chinese Buddhist, although
some Of the writings are in Hindu
and the dialect Ouigour. Among
them were some of the classic works
ON religion, some fragments of the
lives of pilgrims and stories of voy-
ages, particularly the rare voyage of
Houei-Tch'ao in the Five Indies.
But most illuminative was the deed
which Mr.. Houei-T'ze, perhaps rela-
tive of the traveller, gave to the
monks when the library was finished
and which contained a short account
Of his demands, his benevolences and
bis, reasons. Libraries l have given
by the score, read the document. II
have scattered them over all the land
that the light of learning may never
be dimmed, and that the grateful