Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-03-18


Canton Christian college. at Canton,
China.
BY David Il. Cook.
About a hundred miles south of Can
ton is a little district about the size Of
Marion county, known as Sun Ming. It
is famous for having produced nearly
all of the Chinese laundrymen, chop
suie artists. ct cetera. Because OF It's
historical interest three men of the
foreign staff of the Canton Christian
college resolved to pay it visit dur
ing the mid-year vacation preceding
the last Chinese New Year. And as our
students were scattering for a patriotic
campaign We had no little curiosity To
see how they would carry 1t on.
Late in the evening We piled into a
passage junk with about thirty middle
school and college students TO be tow
ed by a tug some fifty miles down the
delta to Paak kaL
The Accommodations for saloon pas
sengers left few things to be desired
but nothing can daunt bunch of Chi
nese students who have decided to en-
JOY themselves. The spirit of youth as
shown in these students is not essen
tally different from that in American
students as could be seen in their sing
Ing college songs and making merry
tiit one O'Clock in the morning. Ihvs
use only few songs in Chinese, Eng
lish being better suited to young spirits
embued with western learning ana
ideals
AT about four a. M. WHILE those who
were lucky were enjoying a nap In re-
clning canvas chairs patent medi-
cine vendor began to tell stories that
were said to be funny. Some Chinese
never seem to need any sleep at all
and such nuisances together with
blind singers and professional story
tellers thrive .unmolested on trains and
river boats.
AT Paak Kai we found the upper
terminal Of the sun Ming railway. This
road is about hundred miles in
length. Ii was promoted and built Is
years ago by Mr.. Chin Gee Hee, q well
known Seattle contractor and protege
of James j. Hill.
on arriving at Paak Kai a Chinese
merchant from Seattle travelling with
us telephoned to Mr.. Chin, the presi-
dent of the road, at Sun Ming City, and
a pass was Immediately issued for the
party.
Our first stop was at Kung Yik in
the edge of the Sun Ming district and
about half way between the terminals
We passed first through the rich Sun
Ooi district, seeing large plantations .,
bananas, mulberry bushes, fan leaf
palms and citrous fruits
iiung Ylk is new city en-
trely built at the beginning -
by Chinese returned from abroad
When inspecting our hotel one of the
party made some deprecatory remarks
supposedly under cover Of English
whereupon the landlord replied in per
feotly good United States, that VIC
couldn't expect TO find such good ho'
tells as in Hong Kong, Later we fount
that the man came from Victoria, Il
c.. and is a Methodist, having beel
Converted" at the mission in Port
land.
The hotel was modelled very mucl
like jail. The windows being strongl!
barred and the rooms on a cornoci
were also furnished with barred open
ings, and secured by padlocks.
The little city has paved streets
electric lights, u movie or two and a
least two churches.
After taking IN the sights on tn
market street we found the plac
where the students were holding
meeting on a vacant lot. A large mai
Of China was fastened against build
ing. A Japanese pictured on the char
had painted in red the Japanese Is
lands, Formosa and Corea, and wa
starting on China at Shantung. II wa
eonsoling to see one of our student
who fails regularly in English course
holding the attention Of several hume
red men and boys while he harrangue
them for perhaps an hour in his ow
sun Ming dialect on the menace of tn
Japanese. Other speeches were give
with charts and cartoons on pubn
health, forest conservation and ant
gambling, In the evening two meeting
were held In the Presbyterian church
the first one for students and the sec
ond for business men. The college boy
discussed the advantages of a highe
education with the house crowded q
both meetings. The sun Ming dialeC
is considerably different from pur
Cantonese and only students from this
region Were sent there for the can
paign,
The next day we journeyed to Su
Ming City where we were entertatne
by MIR. Chin Gee Hee. That the oil
benefactor to his section of the pr'
vince no one can doubt. He took greS
delight in telling Us how he raised III
three million dollars for the work, di
the Swearing" tsuweylpgl. drew III
plans. bought the materials and engn
eered every part and parcel OF the io
without any foreign aid. rs
The road bed Is we'll laid and tI
trains are the fastest IN China. n
patronage is good but the road is
serious danger of going to a receive
The government has put an unfai
burden upon II In the matter OF carr.
ing troops and paying for protecttoi
but the chief difficulty is in a 'ppi
management that foreign railroa
man could soon clear up.
President Chin has ceased to be
practical man OF affairs but as a quail
philosopher he Is worth going a lor
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