Semi-weekly herald., 1910-09-26


most important in the province of Fer
CANA. This is the most fertile section
of Turkestan, also. because OF the Wa
ter supply from The neighboring noun
tains on the Chinese border. 1t is IN
actual example OF the desert bios
soming as a rose Til is no more
barren or lifeless locking country on
the face of the globe, outside OF the
limits of the oasis. but water viii work
miracles as wonderful as any that puz
lzIe the readers OF the Bible. And who
ever refuses to believe in miracles III
these modern days of slfeptleism, lst
him come hereand see what the hand
of the Creator can accomplish with Tie
aid of engineering skill and money
But why come here? You can gee the
same miracle performed in the south
ern counties OF California, around the
sandy plateaus of Utah or in any OF
the arid regions of the United States
Only the deserts seem wider and more
desolate here in Asia than they do at
home. Life seems so much lonelier-
be cause its ways are not our ways;
genuine happiness is so far from the
q eat majority of these people, and
the experience Of the races who have
inhabited this section Of the world
since the beginning Of time has been
so full of cruelty, violence, death and
disaster, and so bare OF comfort and
enjoyment, that nature seems less be
nevolent and more resentnul than in
our happy and hospitable land
The desert ends here, however. As
you go eastward the area OF barren
land is limited, and, indeed there are
more swamps than sand hills between
Kokan and the Chinese border. The
foliage is splendid. It seems as If lhe
trees grew faster and were more lux
uriant in leaves and branches than
anywhere else, and we can easily see
from the car window why Fergana has
been called the most fertile province
OF Turkestan.
Fergana was formerly an independ-
ent khanate and Kokan, which is l,l7G
miles east OF the Caspian sea, was It's
capital. 1t never was famous for any
thing in particular. 1t never possess
ed the influence or attractions OF Sa.
markand or Bokhara, or riyaled their
splendor in architecture or display OF
wealth, but its people have always
been prosperous, and it has been much
easier to make a living out OF the
ground here than anywhere east OF
the Caucasus Or the Volga valley.
| Modern Kokan is much more inter
esting than the old native city. be.
cause it represents life and progress
There is something doing every day
in the development of natural re.
sources and in extending the wealth
producing capacity of the country. The
population OF the Russian town t.
about 10000. who live on both sides
o. two long, wide. well shaded streets
named in honor of Skobeleff and Ro.
senbach, the Russian generals who
massacred more natives in the sub
Iiusation of Turkestan than any others
A station on the railway near Kokan
The tendency Of the earth to quake
eompels people to live in one-story
buildings, but there is plenty of ground
to spread them over, and, rs in other
Russian settlements of Turkestan, ev.
erybody has garden and a groy e, and
surrounds them with high mud walls
SO that you can see only the tops
OF the trees. This is aggrayating to a
visitor who has heard of the artistic
gardens and the beautiful lawns which
decorate the homes of the wealthy peo
pie. Being the headquarters of the
military governor of the province and
his administrative staff, Kokan, like
Tashllent, has a martial air, and the
largest buildings are devoted to mill
tary purposes. The barracks are enor-
nous; there are large warehouses and
armories and arsenals, hospitals and
officers quarters, big Greek church
where the soldiers may seek saliva.
ton, theater where they may find
diversion, a club where. it is said. the
officers gamble and drink a great deal
more than is good for them, aud two
fine schools for the education of the
children of the military class, in which
fortunately, the civilians may share.
The Russo-C Chinese bank and other
financial institutions have branches
here, and do large business for the
size of the town. do not know an
other community of similar popula
tion that has an export trade of larger
proportions and prohts-chieay cot
ton, wool, hides, Persian lambs skins
and rugs-and the volume OF imports
seems unnecessary until you come to
understand the vast quantities of mer
ohandise of every sort that is shipped
through the mountains by camel cara
vans into China. This business T.
altogether in the hands of Jews. who
have the reputation of being very rich
but $1,000 is considered a large for
trne here. The natives own the cam
els and handle the caravans. the cam
I