Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1922-09-06

prepared BY the National Geographic
society. Washington. d. CO
Canton. seat OF government Of sun
Yat Sen. president Of the south China
Republic" which recently fell 20 sup
porters 81 the rival Picking govern
uent. Is tie seed-bed Ia which the
FIRST Western ideas sprouted In China
ideas which some optimistic obsery-
ers believe viii continue 70 grow until
the country is as fully Westernlzed as
Japan. There are now many centers
Tor the spread Of Western culture In
China: but Canton viii always retain
The interest that attaches 10 The point
II entry. and probably for a long time
Z viii continue 10 be the scene OF
.re.test progress.
Il was In 1917 that Canton began
lts relations with the West. In that
year. Just twenty-five years after
Columbus discovered America, the
Portuguese obtained permission 10
trade with the Cantonese. Later the
Dutch. the English. the French, and
finally. the Yankees sent their ships
and traders 20 the city. For a time
4 was the only city which the author
flies of China permitted 10 have inter
course with "the Western barbarians."
But the Canton door was not kept
open without a heavy foot being thrust
IN Il from time 10 time. Chinese and
European commercial and government
nj practices and general customs were
50 different that they inevitably
clashed when they first met. Such
heavy trading taxes were levied and
50 many restrictions imposed at this
first treaty port that European traders
were almost ruined. on their part the
westerners introduced opium against
the wishes OF the Chinese officials. and
the general Observation-Disclosures led 20
wars with England and France. As
n result II the wars Canton was estah-
lIshed more and more firmly as China's
open door.
Cant0u's priority was not alone I'm
trade. The first Roman Catholic mis-
slonnrIes Co China settled In 1871 at
Macao. a few miles down the river
from Canton. and ten years later be-
gan work IN Canton itself. The city,
too. had one 81 the first Mohammedan
mosques 20 be established among the
Chimes: and there In 1907 the first
Protestant missionary 70 China settled.
IL has since become one Of the most
important missionary centers In the
country.
Contact with the oeeident
slight racial differences seem 10 have
made the Cantonese. 20 begin with.
more alert than the Chinese Of other
REGIONS: but they undoubtedly have
teen quickened and made more pro-
ereSslve by the constant stimulus or
contact with westerners during the
past 100 years. A spirie OF eompeu-
ton and emulation was awakened |
among the merchants and men In pub
&c life which by degrees reflected II
self In numerous ways In the life or
Canton- But above all things, the
Western visitors aroused the curiosi- |
q Of the Cantonese. with the result
that they became the smigrants. par
excellence OF China Thousands OF
them have sojourned In the United
States and Canada. South America.
South Africa. Australia and Europe.
More important still. in recent years I
young Chinese have been returning
from the United States and Europe
after a Western college training; and
a considerable proportion OF them have
found their way 20 Canton. As fixed
as are the ways of China, these CHI
Iexe who have lived under Western
Institutions or who have carefully stud
Ied Western ways. have not failed.
when they have returned 20 their ma
tive city. 10 ufodify conditions In some
wise. IL Is not strange, then, that
from Canton has come on numerous
occasions pressure against conserva-
tive Picking Tor reform. and NJ times
revolution. some sort OF breach be-
tween north and south China was In
evitahle IN recent years: and Il was
equally inevitable that Canton. great
est city ~ the South. should lead Il.
Although throughout most 81 the
200 years since the first contact with
Europeans. the leaven Of Western
ideas has been working II Cantrn.
even as recently as three years ago
4 had done little 90 lit the teemilrg
old city ~ more than a million souls
from IT, thoroughly Chinese appear
nrre end customs. It's narrow alley
V<p streets. none too clean. hemmed
m IS sow houses and set OF by great
hiack and gold and black and red signs.
were the streets ~ any typical CHI
esse town. Through them battered