Evening star., 1925-11-29

wayside. And at Dzeeichuan. a city
of excavated homes in seven levels,
we had to put up al a cave inn. The
sleepingkanEs We're built under the
window, Just beside the door at the
| front. We found the cave warm and
| dry. Our horses were stabbed in open
| front, excavated stalls.
Passing out of Dung -Gwan in the
midst of a caravan OF hundreds OF
| carts, litters, camels and foot travel
| ers. we skirted the sheer cliffs over
looking the confluence OF the Wei and
Yellow Rivers, and emerged onto the
valley floor of the Wei. in the shadow
| of the Hwa Mountains. The people
| of this region claim that China took
| its native literary name "Hwa Gwo'
- sometimes translated "Flowery
Kingdom from the sacred mountain
which towers awesomely above them.
| In Chinese cosmogony Hwa Shan is
| the pivotal center of the earth, most
! holy OF the Five Sacred Mountains"
At sun-down we drove into the little
City of Lintung. Here Mr.. Chang met
us. He was dressed in a silk top hat
| and morning coat, above baggy satin
| trousers bound in at the ankle. He
had discovered too late, he explained
| in good college American" that
| moths had banqueted upon the seat
of his dress trousers. He was a gradu-
ate of Nanking Christian University.
and was now, he announced, commits
stoner OF foreign affairs in the pro-
vincial government.
Whether the civil or the military
governor or Shensi was the head OF
that. he admitted, was at times un-
certain to himself. But on this oc-
casion, under order Of the civil digni.
q ha y,
additional guard of honor to escort
| US into the capital.
The next morning. in lacQuered and
gilded carts. we advanced amid our
escort toward Sian, ancient metropolis
| of Northwest China. AT the Ba Bridge.
| a marvel of solid masonry a quarter
| mile in length. Mr.. Chang halted our
| carts TO await the official committee
| of welcome.
After an hour, the committee arriv-
! ed. A prefeCt bore the civil governor s
| card, and said his excellency would
| meet us at the citys gate. Chen Shu.
fan. the military governor or tuchun
| merely sent a card by a junior Off.
| Ger. and a message that he would be
| glad TO entertain US any time we wish
| ed to call at headquarters. We i'm.
mediately conceived a liking for him
| THE few miles across the plain tc
the huttressed city wall were
| quickly passed With the possible ex
Ception Of Babylon. no Oriental city
| has been so protected by massive ram
| part and gaping moat The triple
! gates are so arra nged that one must
| wind a figure IS" from one to the
next between the high walls.
At the last Civil Governor Lu
| Djenhwa was waiting-a man of mid
| die age. gentle, informal manner ant
| Cherubic face. We discovered him I,
| be a graduate of the PekinE Schoo
| OF Justice and holder of post t-gradu
ate honors by virtue of a lieutenancy
under White Wolf celebrated brig
and and terrorist of the days OF
| Manchu decadence.
Our route was down broad avenue
! leading through the Manchu district
ruined during the revolution. The re
cent destruction blended into the al
most bare stretch of the walled
grounds of the Tang Palace. The
| brick facing Of the eighth century
imperial walls of nodded loess had
been almost entirely stolen, but theil
body still stood. The grounds hat
become a public playground and pas
turage.
The walls OF Sian once inclosed one
and half million persons, and they
now protect about a third as many
Her Main street was coated with mud
Traffic was making detour to avoid
an enthusiastic dog fight.
In the center of the city we pa ssed
under the Bell Tower, massive enough
| for Its arches to take in the intersec
| ton OF the principal north-and south
street with the avenue. On a framed
! signboard high up under the pointed
caves was the legend Wen wo shene
| di'-"Civilly and militarily we sur
mount the earth" In the western
part of the city it's counterpart, the
Drum Tower. bears the words "Shene
! ming gao tien"-"Our fame is high as
| heaven" The city of the Hans and
Tangs does not suffer from excessive
| modesty.
Little by little we penetrated the
politics of the situation, cleverly in
volved with native and mission cha r
| tiles of honest intent. Any Chinese
| neighborhood will have its examples
of real distress. Added TO that, hordes
Of refugees were coming in from the
| east. The missionaries easily were
| misled TO believe that just outside the
| limited area known to each person
| ally the conditions were approaching
the state of true famine-hence Their
|