Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1922-09-01

the bare feet Of coolies like thu
their countless predecessors whose
loused Soles have worn deep channl
In the hagstones. Along the riveN
banks are still anchored acres and
acres of small, brown, fiimsy boats in
each of which family lives as their
ancestors did in the time of Marco
Polo.
After Canton was made the seat OF
government for the Southern Repub-
lie Of China" changes in its appearance
were rapid. In place Of the old sys-
tenn Of government in which the rul-
ing of the city was merely incidental
to the government of the province, 81
carefully worked out municipal govern
ment was constructed with all the mod
ern trimmings. 1t might be described
as a sort of combination of the Amer
lean commission plan with "Capital-l
istic Soviet" system. A young Chinese
graduate Of two American colleges,
who had specialized in the study Of
| municipal government, was made may
or. With commission of six depart
ment heads he formed the executive
body. Canton's "board Of aldermen"
who took charge Of legislation under
| the new regime, was called the Munich
pal Advisory council. OF its 80 MEM
bers, ten were appointed by the gov
ernor Of the province, ten chosen in
general election, and ten were elected
| by certain groups including the chamr
Der of commerce, the educational as
ISOLATION, doctors, lawyers, engineers
and labor guilds.
Modernizing the City.
In the few years this government
lasted it left it's mark on ancient Cam
ton. Where only narrow alleys exist
ed before, thousands Of houses were
RACED and broad streets put through;
canals were filed in to make other
| thoroughfares and finally the old city
! wall, crumbling with the age of GEN.
| turtles, was torn down, and an encirc-
| ling boulevard constructed on it's site.
| The old wall had it's usefulness in
| death, for its stones were broken up
and the material used to surface the
city's new streets. The city govern
ment Of Canton even provided public
parks-a hitherto unheard of thing for
| Chinese city to do.
But though in externals Canton has
seen many changes in the past few
| years, it's customs cling tenaciously.
The food of a large part Of the Can
| g.. Aho% 81 >y.fn
In the markets one may buy not only
| the flesh of cattle and horses, but al
| so that Of dogs and snakes. And an
| order for "cat meat" in Canton mar
ket doesn't mean that the house pet
| is to be fed; it means just what 1t
says. The gourmet shopping in Can
| ton may have the choice of rats ION
| the hoof" in cages, or may purchase
the more convenient article with its
long curled tail. And If this variety
| In meats is not enough, he will find
| for sale the flesh Of lizards and the
substitutes, ancient eggs and dried oy-
sters.
The view which one gets Of Canton
from the few high vantage points dis
closes a city of innumerable low, fiat
| topped houses, with here and there n
| tower breaking the monotony. Two
| of these belong to a Christian cathe
dral, one to a Mohammedan mosque,
and most of the remainder, strangely
enough, to the shops of Chinese pawn
| brokers. The construction of these
shops in the form of towers Is said to
be in order that the valuabfes which
they contain may be more easily guard
ed. In late years, too, a few office
buildings and department stores have
been constructed on the American
plan; and these, at least relatively to
the sea of low dwellings, are SKY
scrapers."
Canton has been quick to take adj
vantage of the opportunities that its
recent boon of wide streets has given.
Where few years ago chairs borne
on the shoulders of coolies constituted
the only form of human transportation
through the narrow alleys, now auto
mobiles and omnibuses whisk about
on the broadways. OF course through
out much Of the city the streets still
are wide enough only for chairs.
The white residents of Canton for
the most part live on an island of
made land in the river, separated from
the Chinese settlements by wide
canal. Two wars were fought by Great
Britain, however, largely for the ad.
mission of foreigners to the city OF
Canton proper, and some few whites
take advantage Of this hard-earnet
privilege.