Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-07-04

stay on our return. Before we could
leave the city we were obliged to go
to the chief of police and report our
arrival and at what time we would
leave, AID for what point, and af-
ter getting a permit to leave the city
we turned to enjoy the surround
ings of this wonderful city.
This Hong Kong island is about
ten miles long and from two to five
miles wide and has a surface of
about thirty square miles. II was
one of the Ladrone group SO named
by the Portuguese Ladrone, mean
ing thieves, and these islands were
the center of perhaps the greatest
pirate infested location the world
has known. The island lies like
great sugar loaf, the highest point
1925 feet and the sides of this steep
mountain once solid mass of gran
lite now terraced out earth hauled
on and covered with the most beau
uful tropical verdure. It was on
our return from up the river that we
took in the town, but before des-
cribing the upper river cities of
Canton and Macoa, pronounced
(Macow) will fully describe Hong
Kong as we spent a number of DAYS
here on our return and it was with
a feeling of sadness we left it's in
viting surroundings.
The city Of Victoria has a business
district almost entirely built of
granite and the cutting shows the
work of men educated in their line.
Their parks are surrounded with
beauty. their Botanical Gardens
Cemeteries showing all the earmarks
of the highest civilization, their
places of amusement on broad
scale. An auto drive around the
island impressed one with roads fin
er than Southern California can
boast of and the beautiful surround
ings OF the harbor, with island peaks
bobDlng up at every point where it
would be means of beauty, with
ships, sampans, dahows and Junk
passing through the straits that sep
arated them make the untiring sur
rounding ever inviting.
A cable line takes one to the ton
Of the mountain to the Peak hotel
and as it is terrible hot during the
summer months the wealthier re-
IcOAt W ShSoO hO1ShtS WucTe There is
a breeze and beautiful surroundings.
Great terraces have been blasted in
the rocks and palaces of homes
erected all along these heights. ALI
the valleys are cemented and the
water falling is carried to immense
reservoirs from which it is filtered
and supplies the city with healthy
soft water.
The rainy season commences
about the first Of May and it rains
every day for about ninety days
and during that time the most of the
years rain falls about ninety inches.
Down in the native quarters of the
lefty it is very much co1gested, in
fact one of the most congested To-
cations in the world, but in the dis
tricts occupied by Caucasians the
grounds are large and in all cases
beautiful.
Hong Kong is the point from which
the great surrounding cities of Can
ton and Swallow and other cities
with their great population manu-
Featuring in their slow but most per-
feet manner find a market for much
of their goods, they having here
u dulh5 pldCC6 W ulSpO6o I'll u Iu6
many foreigners that visit this place.
1t was here that the writer secured
many beautiful pieces of the indus
try of these unpaid for their labor
human beings.
The money used here has for it's
standard the Mexican dollar, the
Mexican dollar being the only money
used throughout China and accept
ed at its face. American gold that I
was carrying they discounted here
8 per cent, and American bankers
checks or express checks about the
same.
On the water front of the city is
a beautiful square, beautified SEEM
ingly to perpetuate royalty which
we as free American citizens have
about as little respect for at this
time as we have for skunk. On
the four corners of this square are
bronze statues of the Prince of
Wales and King Edward and con-
sort and in the center of the square
Queen Victoria in a beautiful monu-
ment. While the writer must ac-
knowledge these rulers did SO with
little autocracy but must insist that
IUS UcluS VIM uOCo TSSl Iulh5o ioA
humanity should be honored before
those who gain their supremacy and
honors by their birth and no partic-
ular other mark of distinction.
Ninety one miles above Victoria
on the Pearl River is Canton one
of the greatest cities of the world
with over 100000. There are
two means of public conveyance, by
water or by RAIL- we chose the water
route, secured Accommodations on a
river steamer leaving late in the
evening and arriving at Canton at
six in the morning. AS I went to
my stateroom that night saw seven
rifles standing in the corner and
my curiosity getting the better OF
me went on inquiry. soon learn
ed that pirates infested the waters
of the rivers surrounding Canton
l was shown to the deck of the boat
and surrounding it was barbed wire
SO placed that it would be very diff
ficult to climb on from outside but
was told by the captain that their
greatest fear came from within from
the steerage passengers who often
many hundreds. Among |