Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-09-17
Horrors OF War Are Witnessed
Blu Montana Teachers I'm Orient

witnessing ruins left by the tugger
maui Of war In shell-shatbered Chin
and the pififul plight Of refugees; see
ing the primitive, side by side with tn
ultra-modern, in the new Orient ant
experiencing a score Of ''unfortunat
moments, were among the highlight
OF 20 00O-n1Ile cruise taken this sum
mer by two Butte high school teachers
The teachers. Miss Julia Lynch ang
Miss Rose Deeney, returned few day,
ago from the thrilling three-montk
trip.
Leaving Butte Immediately after the
close of school in June, they visited
briefly in Seattle and then went tx
Victoria from where they sailed on the
Empress of Russia.
One Of the many memorable events
Of the long trip to Oriental ports and
South Sea islands came when theil
ship steamed I'D the WhangpoO river
into war-torn Shanghai, Miss Lynch
related on her return.
1T was the first sight we had of
the effects of war" she said. "A dead
silence Of horror fell over people on
the boat as they saw the shambles
air and barrages from battleships.
Japanese transport ships, used to con-
vey supplies and troops, rode at anchor,
bristling with guns. People went to get
glasses to permit a better view Of the
silent, ruined portion of the city. You
could sense the resentment Of Ameri-
cans aboard the ship toward the Japan
eSe who had caused the destruction.
"A Chinese boy who had left before
the war to attend school at Massa-
chusetts Institute OF Technology, cried
when he had his first view from the
boat of the bombarded section Of his
city"
The two teachers, whose passports
clearly stated that they were entering
China at their own risk, went ashore
and were driven for miles through the
Chapel district where bombs had con-
verified once peaceful native quarter
into iumbled ruins.
The Chinese Attitude
In the city they had the opportunity
TO learn something Of the Chinese at
titude-an old school Of Chinese who
regard the japanese as upstairs bent
upon stealing the culture and tradi- |
lions of China and the new school Of
politicians who have sold out" to the
Japanese for puppet positions.
Oddly enough, on their visit In Japan
before going to China, Miss Lynch and /
Miss Deeney found little internal evil
dence Of the nation being engaged In
long and costly war.
'"rhe common people didn't seem to |
realize that their country was involved
in war" Miss Lynch related. @Oc-
casionally, though, we saw touching
ceremonies at railroad stations where
boys going to the battlefields were
being given q farewell. Banners we're
placed about the stations and the air
was filled with the strains Of sad
songs.
I'm the temples Of Kamakura we saw
AL
japanese people who were apparently
entirely unmindfuI Of us and other
visitors as they prayed devoutly for
the return Of their soldiers"
During the interval between their
first visit TO Japan and the second on
the return trip, an economy move,
prompted by the war. was inaugurated
and the two Butte teachers came back
TO find the city Of Tokyo virtually IN
an impressive night spectacle with huge
signs OF japanese characters lighted
with neon.
With the exception Of the war ruins
In China, they encountered overt evil
dence Of the terribleness of war at only
one other point, the British port OF
Hongkong, but the feeling Of tension
was found in many places, particularly
the Philippine islands where natives
have come to deeply fear the japanese
and the ominous shadow Of military .
aggression they are casting across the
Far East. '
Saw 10000 Refugees 3
While we were in Hongkong, 10000 l
were brought in from the
stricken areas" Miss Lynch said. They /
followed visitors through the streets @
begging for k1mshai -money-and they 1
slept In the streets, many of them (
mothers with babies strapped to their \
backs.
''Hongkong is the most beautiful q
port In the Orient The city Is perched Y
nigh on a hill and when viewed at a
night with Its sparkling lights, 1t re- Il
minds one of Butte" r
Leaving Hongkong they sailed across S
,he China sea to Manila, "the Oriental T
Venice" and there had the thrill of v
seeing the American flag f1uttering
atop the worlds longest covered pier.
They had arrived in time to join the o
Fourth Of July celebration which was D
by a magnificent fireworks n
display and in the background the long II
shafts of light which cut across black r
skies from American battleShip search a
lights in Manila bay 81
Paul V. McNutt, United States high L
commissioner in the Philippines, whom a
The teachers reported is regarded al q
most with reverence in the islands, was n
,he principal Fourth of July speaker. v
Fear In Philippines Z
In all Philippine cities they found Il
, steadily growing fear Of what Is APP D