Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-02-01
SALEM BOY WRITES
ON LIFE IN China
David |. Cock, willamette
Graduate, Now Teaching
at Canon, China

a
has written the following letter from
China. Mr.. Cook was a graduate from
Willamette with the class of 1916, and
sailed last September for Canton, Chi
ma, where he is teaching science and
bible in the Canton Christian college.
He writes:
Honglok, Canton, China, Dec. q, ~
Ny dear friends;
l see that this is the shortest day of
the year but it is only beginning to
grow dark at six 'clock. l am going to
make few carbon copies of an account
of a trip recently taken and l may
mention a few other things before clos
ing.
Last Monday morning | started on a
brief camping trip with sixty five col
lege boys, six American and two Chi
nese teachers. Formerly we had planned
week at certain mountain up the riv-
er, but the many reports of robbers
made it seem best to- change plans.
Many of the boys had cause to enter
tain fears of being kidnapped and their
parents forbade them going. Even on
this shorter trip many held back for
the same reason.
We started out at eight o'clock, each
man carrying his own bunk tied in a
loop and slung over his shoulder IN mill
tary fashion. In addition we carried rice
and other provisions. The students en-
gagged four coolies to carry their cook
/ ing utensils but these will probably be
ruled out in the future. The teachers
carried all their pots and pans. We had
started for Ch eek Moon Mountain
about twenty miles distant but ram
which seemed pretty persistent after
we were four miles on the way decided
| that we should take refuge for the night
in one of the several monasteries on
White Cloud Mountain, about four miles
distant white Cloud Mountain is mora
than IL 800 feet above the surround
| ing plain and the ascent was very IN
teresting for the first time. 1t did MOI
rain hard enough to dampen any one
spirits. There was much grass ON the
mountain which might have furnished
pasture for many cattle or sheep bnt
| the fact that it was too far removed
from the protection of o village made
such an industry impossible. We prob
ably climbed a mile over wide steps
The mountain was everywhere Scared
with countless graves. The work ON some
Of then. would cost hundreds of dollars
i Their chief feature consists of large
| horseshoe indenture in the mountaln
side floo1ed and faced with stone OF
concrete. We found one new tomb which
lhad in front of it horses, dogs, goats
and servants carved in granite. We also
passed one large assemblage of carved
animals that had stood the weather FOL
centuries. The first monastery that we
reached was in the possession OF the
Canton troops as are so many or the
temples in the city and province. They
make convenient barracks but propab
ily nobody is benefited by the desc
Grafton. Near the top of the mountain
we found large Buddhist monastery
that was almost deserted and parity
in ruins. 1t consisted of numerous stone
and brick buildings around stone wen
and directly above these was another
set of stone and brick buildings, all
with tile roofs. Some were open on
the south side and the boys took pos
session in any part that suited the ran
CIV. The floors were of cement or brick
and soon nearly dozen fire places
were improvised for cooking rice, flsh
chestnuts, vegetables and tea. TWO
caretakers were present but we mad oui
own way and were happy to flnd nc
soldiers in possession. At the top OF the
mountain is fortification and not more
than a quarter of mile distant. Some
soldiers came down and desired us not
TO stay but we told them we were from
Ling Mann and they went away say
ing they would phone the military gov,
ernor at Canton and see if we would
be allowed to stay so near the fort AS
they did not pay their respects agaln
thew probably decided we were mol
northern spies or soldiers. Our boys
would make much better soldiers than
are found in the ranks. In the evening
we had convocation and Prof. Howard
who has lust come to us from the
University OF Minnesota entertained the
bovs with stories of his adventures dur
Lin9 eight years of travel in biological
work in Africa. 80,
We teachers chose a sort Of loft with
dry board floor and the side open
to the valley for our bunklng ground
We enjoyed the protection OF some touf,
teen idols before which smouldereu
sticks of sandal-wook punk that some
call insense. Below the boys slept
around five idols, each about nine feet
high. As the boys were rolling IN 1t
was quite suggestive to see their clothes
decorating the outstretehed arms Of the
idols.
We scaled the heights in the morning
and got a fine view of Canton and per
haps a hundred villages. / stood upon
Ia crave stone and took a picture OF
the bunch. Graves are so sommon IL
/ China that we cannot have the respect
for them that we have in America. Ii
has been said that everywhere in China
there is a live Chinaman or dead one
and it might better have been SAID q
thousand dead ones.
The boys were anxious to 60 to the
Ch eek Moon and after getting down
the mountain as rapidly as possible We
started on a forced march across
beautiful plain to the north. Peas were
/ blooming in the fields and sweet po-
tatoes and other garden crops were also
green. We crossed many patches OF
sandstone formation covered with nice
nine trees. About one thirty we reached
4 a large village and soon had it cleaned
out Of oranges and bananas. Peanuts
! ooI,as and eonfecfious found their way