The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1915-10-09
ROADS IN CHINA.
They Remind One Very Much of
the Snakes In ireland.
BECAUSE THERE ARE NONE.
What Apologies There Are For Them
Are a Great Deal Like tho Bed Of a
Stone ouarry-Ths Torture That
Goes With Trip In a Pekins Cart.


Stone ouarry-Ths Torture That
Goes With q Trip In a Pekins Cart.
Describing the roads. or, rather, the
lack OF roads, in China and the tor
ture that is undergone by the tourist
who. used 10 the luxurious modes OF
travel we may employ. trusts himself
70 the uncertain joys OF trip In
Peking chair. writer IN the Wide
World Magazine says;
''Now, a Peking cart Is n very yener-
able mode Of progression. When our
ancestors were lightly dressed IN woad
and had no conception OF any wheeled
vehicle the Chinese lady was paying
her calls In the back OF n peking cart.
the seat Of honor under the tilt. well
out OF sight OF the passers by. while
her servant sat In front. the place of
comfort. II such word can be applied
to anything pertaining TO Peking
cart.
"In spite OF its long and aristocrauc
record II there is any mode OF progress
sion more wearying and uncomforta.
bic have not met IT, II Is simply
springless board set on couple or
wheels with wagon tilt OF blue cotton
over II and a place for heavy luggage
behind. The Chinaman sits on the
door and does not seem to mind. but
the ordinary westerner. like myself.
packs his bedding and all the cushions
he can beg or borrow around him and
then resigns himself to his fate
The Peking cart has one advantage,
people will tell you--it has nothing 10
break In Il But there are moments
when It would be a mighty relief II
something did break, for II the wood.
work holds together as it tosses you
from side to side yoH yourself nre one
sore. bruised mass. No; cannot rec
ommend q Peking cart. even on the
smoothest road.
"And the roads In China are not
smooth. We all know the description
Of the snakes In Ireland. There are
none and much the same might he
said about the roads In China. There
are SO called roads, certainly, upon
which the people move about. but
have seldom met one that was nny
better than the surrounding country.
and very. very often on this Journey
met roads where 1t was ease aud lux
ury 70 move OF them on to the neigh
boring plowed field
''The recipe for a road there In the
north seems to be: Take a piece OF the
country that IL really too bad 10 plow
or TO use for any agricultural purpose
whatever. that a mountain torrent. In
fact. has given up as too much for the
water, upset a stone wall over it-a
stone wall with good. large stones In
it-take care they never for a mo
ment lie evenly, and you have your
road
Leaving Peklng for the eastern
tombs. you 60 for the first two or
three hours along paved way OF mag
nincent proportions planned and laid
out as highway should be. The great
stones with which 1t is paved were
probably put there by slave labor. how
many hundred years ago ! do not
know. but the blocks are uneven now.
some of them are gone altogether.
though how a huge block OF stone
could possibly disappear passes my I'M
and whenever the carter
could he took the cart down beside
the road. where at least the dust made
d cushion for the nail studded wheels,
and the jarring and the jolting were
not quite 30 terrible.
1T takes as long TO get beyond the |
environs Of Peking In d cart as II does
to get out OF London In q motorcar.
First we passed through the Babylon !
ish gate. and the great walls were be- (
hind US; then. outside the city. nll look
ing dusty. dirty and khaki coiored In
the brilliant sunshine, were numerous
small houses. and the wayside was
lined with booths on which we're
things for sale.
"Along the roadway came an endless
array OF people, clad for the most part
In blue cotton-men walking. men with
loads slung from bamboo across
their shoulders. donkeys laden with
baskets or sacks OF grain, with fat CHI
lese on their backs. There were Peking
carts. there were mules, there were
ponies, and this busy throng q almost
he same as 1t was a couple Of thou
and years ago.
-f,ut II was n long. long while be-
'ore I could feel was really IN the
country. There was the khaki colored
and. there we're the khaki colored
houses, built Of mud apparently, With
graeeful tiled roofs. and blue clad peo-
,Ie everywhere and everywhere at
york
Always the fields were most beau
ifuiiy filled. There we're no fences.