The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-02-14
NOW MOVING DEAD TO
MAKE ROOM FOR LIVING
CANTON FINDS IT NECESSARY
TO THUS PROVIDE PARKS,
STREETS AND HOMES.

makes no effort to hide its pretensions
to being the 'livest" city in China.
Yet if numbers are to count for any
thing it is city OF the dead. Canton's
living population is close to million
and a half. Its old streets are mere
aisles between crowding houses, each
of which shelters from half dozen
TO thirty or more people. The over
flow has moved out on to the water
and the great river, as well as every
smaller stream and every canal, IS SO
filled with boats that traffic IS almost
blocked. 1t seems as II not loot OF
space could be spared anywhere =,
And yet along comes a new ana
progressive" and enlightened gov
eernment and makes plans to open
miles and miles OF broad avenues
through all this congestion, to make
room for parks where the CantoneSe;
children can catch an occasional
glimpse of the sun. Not only does this
government make plans tor these rev.
dictionary changes, but It IS proceed
ing to carry them out. There are al
ready six miles or so OF paved avenues
running through the old city and one
large park, beautihed in the occidental
manner, has been opened.
Where to Live the Problem.
1t is quite apparent that this process
of street widening and OF park-open-
ing means the elimination OF many
houses. And this in turn means many
people must either crowd into the re-
manning houses, move away or that
new houses must be built. The deslr-
ability OF the latter course is obvious.
And yet it is no easy matter, Inc
underground" population is opposed
to such move.
The Cantonese have for centuries
been burning their dead in the lands
surrounding the built-up part OF that
city. The result is that Canton's graves
vastly outnumber its living inhabi-
tants. A recent estimate of the city
authorities places the number OF
graves within the present city limits
as 100000. Canton is city of the
dead!
And these dead exert a tremendous
influence. From his earliest childhood
every Chinese is brought up to have
the greatest respect for his elders and
to worship those of his ancestors who
have passed on into the next world;
The bodies of the dead are buried
with the greatest care. Experts on the
location of graves are consulted and,
always for heavy fee, they point out
Just the proper spot for the last rest
ing place of each departed. The IN
terment takes place with a great deal
of ceremony, and once buried 1t IS
the height of sacrilege to disturb the
dead in any way.
Here. then, are Canton's million and
a half of people crowded Tar beyond
the saturation point and surrounded
by 100000 of their ancestors who
object to being moved, so that their
descendants may have more room:
And so they would have remained Il
there had not been revolution IN Chit
ma; if a new government had not been
formed; and if that new government
had not called to its service young
men who had received the advantages
of education in foreign lands-lands
where people have learned to show re-
spect to their ancestors without crowd
ing themselves to the point OF degra-
dalton.
Dead Are Being Removed.
The new government has decided
that the necessities of the living are OF
greater importance than the claims OF
the dead. They have decreed that Can
ton must be remade into modern
city; that it must have wide streets
and parks, and that its people must
have more room for their habitatlons
If this disturbs the dead, then the
dead must novel
They have begun upon a large tract
of land on the outskirts of the con-
eested district. This they have order
ed to be cleared for residence purpos-
-es. Last month they began exhuming
the collins. Within thirty days they
had dug up 10000 of them, and this
in but a small corner of the tract.
The city itself does the digging, re-
moves each coffin with all identitca-
ton by relatives or friends. When a
coffin is identihed-~the city delivers 1t
70 the claimant and pays him from
SIS to $40, according to the size and
the distance it must be transported, to
cover the cost of reburial. The ex-
pense on this account alone has al
ready run to more than S00,00O, al
though nearly half the collins are still
unclaimed.
In dealing with this problem in this
way the youthful city fathers of Can
ton have attacked the problem OF the
regeneration of China at its very root.
Not until the Chinese can be persuad-
ed or coerced into giving up the an
cient habit of robbing the living to
pay the dead can China get very tar
on the road to modern progress. Chi.
ma staggers along under the burden OF
dead past beside which Sfnbad's
Old Man of the Sea was as nothing.
This She must throw off before her
sons can enjoy the heritage which is
theirs by right of endless toll and
frugal living.