Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-11
rcont.nued From First Page

CONTINUED From First Pagel
and for . multitude Of causes" he con.
cluded As the changing warning bell
After dinner I dropped into the
compartment OF q Russian gentleman
Who for 80 years had made his home
n China. His business had carried
him many times to every part OF the
globe. He had watched two empires
thunder into eternity. He was in
Picking when the Manchus toppled
from their lacauered thrones and he
saw the anarchy and suffering that
followed In Siberia he stood by when
the banner OF tns Romanoffs was sup
planted By the seythe and sickle Of Red
Russia. He knew the old East and the
new
"Harbtn," he said, "is the worlds
eaddest city It Is crowded with the
dead dreams Of a dispossessed people
ard alive with the enthusiasts Of
fanatics who are running 1t In their
crazy zeal"
It IS difdcult to understand this gay,
sad, tenperamental hrebrand that fee-
lures 50 glaringly in all the present
Russian-Chinese strife, without look
ing into its past. From its beginning
It has not been normal It's origin was
forced, its growth unnatural, and its
lie mas been hectlc.
Established In 1898.
BY ukase Of Nicholas II In 1896
Earbin came to life. Its site on the
yellow Sungari River was chosen at
the point where the Chinese Eastern
Railway divides into Its two branches,
one line going to Vladivostok via Man
churia, and the other and longest fork
running south through Manchuria TO
Dairen-then Dalny-on the Yellow
Sea. Nicholas. by the judicious use Of
rubles at the Peking court Of Dowager
Empress TZu Hsi and by invoking the
aid Of his Cossacks to convince re-
calcitrant Manchurtsns Of the holiness
Of his cause, established the right TO
build Hardin and the Chinese Eastern
Railroad. The railroad that was 70
connect Russia With ports open the
year round was to be operated jointly
with the Chinese, but under the actual
direction of Russians
Harbin sacrificed some Of Its I'M
portance in the early years Of the
roads operation to Dairen. But when
the Russians in the war with Japan
lost to the islanders that part OF their
road which Is south Of Changchun,
Hardin became the real center of Rus
sian holdings remaining in Manchuria
When the Soviet took over the prop
erty the city continued its dominating
influence as a Russian city outside the
boundaries Of Russia. For control OF
the railroad means control OF the city
Gar Wanted Model Town.
As a headquarters on his gigantic
railroad system the Gar wished his
town to be q model. It should be one
he determined, that would point out 70
the world the great advantage Of Rus
sian control over old Oriental ways II
should more than compensate the Man.
churtans for any losses they may nave
sustained through foreign exploitation
OF their land. So Russia outdd herself
on the stupendous project Of setting a
European ctt- down intact on the fara-
way plains of Asia.
Fine cobbled streets were built and
bushy green parks with fountains and
statues were laid out. Rocco public
buildings, painted white, were set up In
.verdant, spacious lawns. Trees In long
rows lined the wide thoroughfares
There were tramways and waterworks
installed. Sanitary engineering. rare In
the Orient, made the city healthful
Hotels, stores, theaters, cafes-in fact
everything that goes to make modern
city was lavishly bestowed upon Hardin
And, above all the rest, towering through
the tree tops. the dubious dones Of the
Russian churches flashed their golden
crosses. They glittered In the sun. The
lob was complete st. Petersburg sky
line above the ttnkling. tiled temples of
China s age-old gods. So Hardin stands
today, trifle shopworn, but still, from
outward appearances, an excellent West
ern town in the land Of the Manchus.
The dreary savage countryside around
Hardin. contrasted TO the modern city.
emphasizes the towns unnatural 1oca-
ton and contributes. too, to its exciting
ViI ~ So h
west are the Mongols. Their primitive
towns, scattered over the treeless prairie,
are far cry from their civilized neigh
Dor. These stern nomad villages are
walled. The walls are made of slender
saplings driven into the ground very
close together and laced with twigs and
branches Inside the Enclosure the huts
are Of mud, laid out in severe, orderly
lanes with no. village having over 100
! equatty homes. Outside the wall are
tied the shaggy ponies Of the tribe,
ready for a foray into neighbor' s
sheep herd or an attempt to rob rail-
way train.
Mcngol Bands Rove Over Plains.
Over the plains rowing bands Of Mon
gols stray. Their long quilted coats
their ponies the upturned pointed toes
I of their boots almost drag on the
ground. Rifles are slung over their
!, backs and they squint at the sun. Their
! conical caps do not shade their cruel
eyes. These wild neighbors Of Hardin
contribute to the nervous disorders of
the town at too regular intervals.
In the immediate vicinity Of Hardin
the land is spotted with small patches
of grain and beans that the harassed
Manchurian produces by his combined
occupations of farmer and beleaguered
warrior. All the appurtenances to the
land suggest the uncertainties of life
and property In the territory contigu-
Gus to the city. The farm homes are Of
mud, with high walls Of mud built firm
~ around them. There are loopholes
in the wall for the farmers rifle. At
night he drives all his live stock within
! this Enclosure. and one member of the
household Is constantly on guard against
/ bandit raids. During harvest time the
! tormented man must also watch his
! fields. Such activities In the provinces
are also reflected in the character Of
the capital
A birds-eye view of the rural area
mould disrloae cha0s and a0arehv hit