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Show • r 56.AS8 rr&iXE-T DEt»A Union's Correspondent On Great Chinese Wall Age-Ofd Defense Works, Which Cost Years of Toil and 100,000 Lives, Visited by Americans % In Flowery Kingdom. By Ben F. Sargent. (Written for The Onion) ! | OINTSING (Chantung, China), i July 1, 1916.-Tientsin is the first I place one enters on reaching North China. It is a city of two or three hundred thousand but being the port where it dips down from the moun-rat the conventions of which two were held during the summer. Great Wall in Sight, In the distance we could see in the sunlight, a section of the Great Wall of all North China has a large relative importance. While the old city looks much like other Chinese cities the "concessions," granted to the different nations in settlement of the Boxer uprising, is quite modern and quite fine. Here the streets are broad and lined with shade trees and there are cement, sidewalks. The houses I are modern and neAV. From a business point of vieAV this port city has great advantages, as it supplies all of the northern, part of China Avith v/hatever is imported from either America or Europe. Six imiles from the center is the Ba-yang University, a school of high rank and orte Avhere all the instruction is done in English. It is supported by the government and is making its influence felt as authority on western learning and science. The various mission compounds have been moved from the center to various parts of the city or suburbs and all seem to be doing good work. Y. M. C..A. There. In this city Dr. Peck is located as a physician and surgeon. Here also is Dr. Gee Gam, the eldest son of Rev. Gee Gam so long a Congregational minister in California. Here I met Roy Baker of Berkeley, assistant secretary in the Y. M. C. A., AVIIO are rejoicing in their neAV $40,000 building. Taking the train at Tientsin we started for a few weeks' residence at Peitaiho, 150 miles to the northeast. onto the soil.. No Aveeds are alloAved to groAV being pulled up and dried for fuel. The country to the north was rolling prairie vefcy pleasing to the eye as ,at times it rose to mountain crests. But even thes, as well as the river banks are cultivated. As small a ranch as two acres often makes a living for quite a family. Some High Rents. Peitaiho Avhich Ave reached in lesa than six hours, is the watering place for all the missionaries of North China. Though started but twenty years ago it noAV has a summer population of at least 2000. It is located on the Gulf of Chile and is just op-tains into the ocean. We were told that the other side of that wall was ! the beginning of Manchuria and that ,' we ought not to miss a trip to Shan- I haikuan, the city by the great wall, ! so we arranged for a party of four, j and on the 27th of June made our start. First there came the donkey [ ride to the railroad, six miles away. Then an hour's ride on the train. As a novelty Ave rode third class. This you can do if you have your bedding along to sit on. Otherwise you might have to stand up. Donkey Ride. At Shanhaikuan a friend met us and fitted us out Avith donkeys and Ave first rode to the ocean and saw the ruins of the great wall which had been Avashed for ages by the waves ever since the time of Christ's advent. This was at a point three miles from Shanhaikuan and over a well kept road, the best I have seen in China, outside of the large cities. We returned to the Methodist mission in time for afternoon tea and at five o'clock Ave were again on our donkeys and headed for the monas-taries in the mountains where Ave AVere to spend two days. As we started we sam them clinging to the mountain's side, like bird's nests and realized that a hard climb was ahead of us. But it was an hour's ride before Ave came, to the road or trail leading up to them, but it Avas a pleasant hour, and indeed the entire ride Avas a revelation to us: Tor as we as- The iourney Avas my first railroad , .., , , . J J J cended to a considerable height Ave ride by daylight in China, and it A^as one of the surprises of my life to see the well kept fields in which the millet and beans were already (though it was then early in June), almost covering the ground, Know Art of Fertilizing, The Chinese certainly have learned the art of fertilising to perfection. Chinese boys from the age of five are kept on the roads to gather "fertili zer." All sewage from town and saAV a wonderful panorama, of beauty unroll before and under us. On the way up Ave passed an encampment of Japanese soldiery, out for practice and as we watched them from an advantageous point, a mile further up, we could see through the glass, loaned us by a friend, a sudden movement among them. They formed into line and ran across a field and falling each on one knee, country'always finds its Avay back fired a t w h ^ s e e m e d t o b e a ] i n e ?*• men, but we knew were targets. Every target Avent down. "In Europe," remarked one of our party, "the targets are living; inen.'O, It Avas almost "dusk wrhen Ave" reached the highest monastary Avhich had been rented us for the night, by the attending Burhist priest as our stopping place. Being old campers We soon had supper ready and eaten, our tolankets spread on the floor and Avere asleep for the night. But I have seen softer beds. Stand on Great Wall. The next day was spent in climbing sections of the great wrall still intact and Ave Avere filled Avith awe posite Port Arthur. It has great nat- j that Ave Were at last standing on the ural beauty and is noAV being pat- handiwork; of a race who toiled more ronized by many besides missionar- than 1900 years ago and it is said ies. Indeed, so many have found it a j cost 100,000 lives and almost impov-desirable place that rents have risen enormously, a modern house erished a nation. We climbed still higher and were Avell repaid. "Though, rooms renting this summer for 500 i not so high as our own Yosemite they taels-over four hundred dollars | a r e beautifully green and make a gold. Others for $300 and none less j'close second to our far-famed moun-than $200. These high prices were I tains. paid by the Germans, AVIIO since they) Our return trip was very comfort-were driven out of Ching Tao by the j able in the early hours of the next Japanese, have no other desirable j; day and. the half day we spent at place to go for the summer months, j Shanhaikuan one of profit and pleas- But the missionary spirit still dom- j ure. mates the place. It Was an inspiring j We reached home at six that night sight-to see tvs-o o,r three hundred of j and Avhen Ave sank to rest in our sof them gathered for AvorsMfkdn Assem- | beds we said "blessings on the ma taly Hall, or to hear their testimony j w i10 first invented mattresses." |