The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-01-11
Macao: The Naples of Cathay.

Macao: The Naples Oh Catnay.
Washington. Jan. 4.-Cida da
Nome de Deos. Mao ha Outra mais
leal October 23-
Telegraph editors are reaSonab-
ly Shock-preef, yet a date line like
the above might arouse curiosity. If
not CONSERVATION when the bill for
cable tolls rolled around. Yet it
would be accurate enough. accord
ing to bulletin from the Wash
ington, D. c.. headquarters of the
National Geographic Society. For
that is the corporate name of the
Monte Carlo Of the Orient where
dispatches. more modernly dated
Macao" tell how the Southern
Chinese government is trying to
break mp opium smuggling and
church lotteries in this Portuguese
city Macaos longer name means
City OF the Name of God. most
loyal OF the colonies.
From all the controversies rag
ing around the bakers dozen for
eign holdings on China'S coast
modest Macao has remained iEl-
mune until the Canton regime re-
Gently endeavored to cleanup
this first European conquest in
China, perhaps with the added po-
litcial motive Of thereby insuring
Portuguese recognition Of the Sun
Yat-sen@ regime" the balletin con-
tinues.
Where Portuguese Chaucer Wrote.
t::Not only is Macao the site Of
the first European claim staked out
on Cathay's coast. but it has cultur-
al ties with Europe closer knit
than the political relationships Of
controverted areas 20 the north. 1t
contains the Oldest ruin in China
! that is associated with Europe,
and the tamarind and banyan
shade the gardens where the Por-
tus suese Chaucer, Camoens, COM
posed half Of The Eusiads; one of
the half dozen Of the worlds great
epics.
Inevitably. too, one associates
the location of Macao, on a scant
three mile peninsula jutting from
an island in the delta Of the Can
tan River below Hongkong, with
..iat colony of Portuguese Ameri
cans on the Very tip Of Cape Cod.
made famous by Joseph Lincoln.
IN Macao. as in Provincetown and
at Goa, on the west coast Of In
dia, it seems as if the Portuguese
had left the very edge of Europe
and all but missed landing on the
headlands of other continents. But
if history did not record the lasting
debt that Europe owes TO Portugal
fo- reaching out to every quarter
Of the globe. Camoens. here at
Macao, would have left in his i'm
mortal epic a noble monument TO
Vasco da Cana and other heroes
Of Lusitanian caravels.
Once in Macao the traveller
may remain to contemplate an out
of the way shrine Of European
history. But that is not why most
{ folk board the daily boat from
Hongkong to go there. Itis sum-
mer resort for the Cantonese be-
cause of its exposure to the cool
ing monsoonS in midsummer.
+; Opium smugglers and gamblers, in
recent years have loomed large
among its transients. Formerly
the Chinese coolie traffic also had a
headquarters here. Within a CEN
turv it's waters may have war
ranted the characterization Of one
traveller who called them the
most dangerous waters Of tho
world, from a police standpoint.
and added "a river trip is spiced
with the risk Of piratical attack
Fan-Tan and Opium.
present day Macao is not mar
red for the casual traveller by
! either its flair for fan-tan or its
opulcnt opium industry. The lat
ter is shipped away TO wreak its
! havoc: the former brings the BIZ
Zaare and the adventurous. From
an airplane the mile-wide tongue
=! Of land between the two rocky hills
! thai mark its boundaries is
splotched with brilliant colorS, ra-
dating from the tile roofs Of its
blue. green. red. and yellow houses.
HE who lands on steamer is
! captivated by its blend Of Portu-
gucse and Chinese people, by pa
CODA and western church, and when
the summons OF hunger leads him
to Il hotel that has been called the
! cleancSt and most beautifully sit
uated> in the Orient, the contrast
persists. He may order the ia
nous Portuguese Colares with his
; yellow water chestnut pasties, and
choose either ultra-occidental game
dinners or pudding OF coasu8ted
J, ducks blood and usar-preserved
baml.oo shoots. There are but A.
I 900 Portuguese resident there but
they represent d four century I'M
press their nationality has made
upon the total population OF about
1000.
After dinner the visitor may
+ stroll along the Prava Grande. both
the broadway and the Riverside
! Drive of Macao. Having Shopped
and Summed. he finally will be
led 10 catch the deeper romance OF
F.! the city in the srotto where other
/ poets have carved lines OF praise to
the onc-eyed soldier poet who wrote
the glory Of farthest west Europe