Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-13

S~SAHSoS~A@
saw several that were about IA inches
long. The waters Of Pearl fountain
must be conducive to speedy growth.
And so to Tsingtau. We left Tsinan
to the cheers of the multitude. We
were loaded with gifts, the great port
folio of shocking photographs, mono
graphs on Tsinan and its hideous his
tory, and a heavy bolt of Shantung silk
for suits, enough for several Summers
needs, gift of the mayor.
Gifts Are Embarrassing.
These gifts are somewhat embarrass-
ing, when they take the form of valu-
ableS, such as silk. We cannot reject
them. Yet some of our members feel
that acceptance of them is compromis-
ing. The course of courtesy seems to
be to take them with thanks, and with
full reservation of all rights of judg-
ment on the questions pending and put
before us for consideration. After all,
we are not the judges of either side
in this matter.
And so, as have written already, to
Tsingtau. We travelled over a German
made railroad, an excellently built line
with the rails laid on steel ties, bedded
in stone ballast. We travelled in two
first-class sleepers, with dining COM
partment in one and a baggage COM
partment In the other. We had plenty
Of room to spread about in, to lay out
our truck" and to readjust our baggage.
But there was tragedy In the air. One
OF our members, invited into the bag
gage compartment to check UP on his
goods, discovered that his most priced
piece Of luggage was missing, Chinese
box he had bought to carry his Picking
purchases, the whole being worth a
goodly sum. There were fireworks of
speech, and there were streams of ex-
planatory suggestions. 1t was not until
several hours later that it was discov-
cred that In the transfer at Tsinan, this
Chinese box had been Shunted OF to one
side and an American looking trunk
substituted for 1t, to make UP the neceS-
sary number. It was an innocent mis-
take, corrected In season.
Country More Prosperous.
All down the line from Tsinan to
TSingtau we noted an increasingly bet
ter country than that which we had
seen around Peiping and Tientsin. The
farms were more thrifty titled, the
fields were larger, the crops were in
better shape. The buildings were more
substantial. Where were the signs of
the utter poverty from which, we had
been told, the peasants of Shantung
have lately been fleeing to Manchuria?
We were told that the bad conditions,
causing the great exodus, chiefly are on
the northern side of the peninsula and
in the backlands of the province. The
southern side is more prosperous, be-
cause of better climate and better gov
eminent. Banditry fiourishes on the
northern side, and Is one of the chief
causes OF Shantung losing half mil.
lion or more people o year. But even
the north side can afford to lose them,
for there are 100000 people in the
province. And was told also that the
Manchurian migrants are sending
money back to their relatives in Shan
tung at the rate of a million dollars
Mexican-a year, very welcome addi-
ton to the family purse Of the prov
bandits.
We reached Tsingtau after dark. On
the station platform was a swarm of
badged young men, running up and
down trying to locate the head of our
line. Finally some order was estab-
lished, a banner naming the various or
CARNATIONS sending us their greetings
was Strengthened out above us stretched
between two poles, and a band struck
up an air that none of us had ever
heard before. Flashlight Photographs
were taken. We were ushered into mo-
tor cars and whtrled to hotel on the
harbor front, where We were shooed
into an annex to the dining room, for
a smack" of tea and sandwiches, when
what we most urgently desired was
wash basin apiece. Later, order was
restored out of the chaos of enthusiastic
youthful welcomers and in the course Of
time we dined and slept.
Brisk Chinese Soldiers.
The sun Is risen now to q height that
displays Tsingtau In all it's Teutonic
neatnesS and order. Red roofs predomi-
nate. Broad streets are the rule. There
is nothing here Of the squalor of the
usual city in China. A solid stone wall
holds the sea in check. Everything
bespeaks the thoroughness of the Ger
man city planner and builder.
AS am about to close this letter,
which I am writing on the balcony, I
hear the sound of singing. Down the
street come marching is or 20 Chinese
soldiers, chanting something that may
be comic song or patriotic tune.
They are brisk young fellows who march
we'll. They wear their uniforms neatly
and carry their guns expertly. A far
cry, indeed, from them to the troops Of
80 years ago, who fought with old-fash-
toned weapons and had to have the
right "fengshui" conditions forecast for
them before they moved.