i
Sheng: Kung Pao, Organizer and Financier of Great
1 ... twKL . -yd
it :' is- IMS JL-j ,J$i9M-y-:- : " : . T'"'"' ! -' ' , 1 1 t" "J ' Rank of flh,n at ffhj n5hai.
h . - s szsi w a u ir sm. "x. k. ." w j m nw i . f i bb i - - - m m
I a?: -; t i y the Tierpont Morgan of Chtna li ' x.vd
immwiiii in,tiiiwwwaM.wtiiW iU"TTr,i - ili)i.,wna'iiiii'-a?'8Lii r i "ffiV'BTVWffiMftJ ' .' Bli '' ;-i I
Idould not kpgp mLgXff, his hand
(Copyright. by Frank O. Ciirpertr.
l-iANOHAI, l'()t'.-(ripeclul Corrp-
Sl gpondcnce of The Hee. ) I have
I Jut i!turned froin an Interview
I nlth nna nf thp rlrhpnt Anrl
ablest men of all Asia. I rs-
for to Shont Kunit Po, tlie
I'ierpunt Morgan of China, and I might
ay the Rockefeller as well. Shenff la
worth his tens of millions. Like Pler
pont Morgan, he started life rich, and,
like him, he has multiplied His Inherited
fortune manyfohl. All his life he has been
the organizer of gnat enterprlxes and to
day his financial fingers are mixed up in
very profitable undertaking on this side
the globe, (lo owns railroads, factories,
mines and steamships. He has a Kteel
plant 600 miles up the Yang!' Kiang,
which Is capitalized at J1d.000.000. and has
mountains of Iron and great beds of cjhI
not far away. It was Sheng who had much
to do with organizing the telegraph (or
China. It was he who built the railroad
from Hankow to Peking and he got the
concession for tha Americans to construct
a road from Canton to Hankow.
Shrng Kung Pao I one of the leading
officials of this empire. He succeeded LI
Hung Chang nf the government minister
of commerce arid he Is now the vice min
ister of the Imperial Board of Communica
tions. lTe Is also a chief owner of the
f'hlni Mrchnnts Fteamsh'p company nnd
t largely Interested In the Chinese Im
perial bank. He Is by all odds the best
financial authority among the celestials
and his Ideas as to the present conditions
are of great value.
Mhruar Knng Pao al Home.
1 It was at Sheng Kung Pno's home that
I met him. This li In a section of Shang
hai where the land Is so valuable that one
has to almost plate It with silver to buy
It. Sheng's establishment consists of a
half dozen great buildings, any. one rf
Which would be a mansion In Washington
or Chicago. Its grounds cover more than
ten acres and are surrounded by walls vo
high that you cannot see over them. Wide
drives load through the lawns and the
whole Is kept like a park. One of :ho
buildings, devoted to Sheng's business of
fices. Is as larae as that of a government
department. Among the others are resi
dences, occupied by Sheng and his wife
and his relatives and servants. All are
beautifully furnished and some have a
great framework In front of them, over
Exciting: Adventures
ANAMA, Pec. 10. If Italboa had
received the same treatment
from the Pacific ocean that
fell to my lot on the last day
of October I fear the king .of
oceans would weur a less
flattering title. It that stout pathfinder
had been obliged to crawl on hands
and knees for a quarter ot a mile
with alliiratit'a nHttarlnir alitnir In flic miwl
close behind him perhaps school children
would now have another Idea ot the great
water he brought to the notice of the
modern' world. No doubt he had troubles
enough of his own. But I bolleve 1 would
rather have had to blase the way through
the Indians and the mosquitoes across the
Isthmus than to go through what I did.
mis is wnai eciuany loon pisce wnnin
the sound ot the blasting on Culebra hill.
where Uncle fam Is fast bringing to
reality the dream of centuries,
Tho Cmleto river Is one of those little
Pj
strams which run down from the contl- For It was In this mud at the mouth of
nental divide Into the sea all along the Cumlolo that there hefell me a more dU
shcres of the narrow strip which we are agreeable and possibly dangerous experi
bent on cutting In twain. It rises In one ence than ever caught me in Central Asia.
of the last spur of the Vergua moun
tains, where those high peaks Lcisln to
taper down toward the pass where Culchra
lius so long stood sentinel.
Mountains are High.
It la not often realised that these mnnn.
tains are higher than the highest of the
Alleghenlts. Indeed, ono of the Chlrlqul
range near by is 11.000 feut hlsh. It ia
certainly a strange perversion ot fact to
regard Panama as a land of low lying
jungle and morass, as one of the geograph-
leal enoycloppedlaes In my library has It.
U Is really almost as mountainous as
Bwltserland. From any hill along the
shore of either ocean one can see the sharp
outline of mountain after mountain up
against the bright tropical sky, and only
the wide horizon of dasslina watar on
very hand shows one that he ts not iu
Colorado or New Hampshire.
It la these mountains which help to make
Central America such a condenser ot the force of the tide as It is compressed into
ocean vapors as to be among the bosl the channels is tremendous. Immense
watered parts of the globe. The steaming waves are often produced, traveling up
water laden atmosphere Is blowa up from stream with, astonishing velocity and a
Atlantic and Paclfio against ths cool force resistless save to the rocky ram
peaks whch lower the temperature to parts ot the cordtllera which-Jut out Into
the point of preclpltstlon and send down the streams and send long spurs Into the
cvrr the land three times as much water ocean.
as falls on New Jersey or Boutlt Carolina.
Tha annual rainfall at Colon on the At
lantic aids is 117. tl Inches, mean; (hat for
Panama la TtM.
Put for the stiff clay soil and the heavy this fact has made the place a good nat
Uoptcal vegetation this great rainfall might ural harbor and caused ths aggregation of
which matting can be stretched In summer
to shut out the sun. There ts no sign of
the poverty which we associate with the
ordinary celestial. Rheng belongs to the
rich and, Ilka his class, he wears satins
and velvets and entertains In great style,
His butler always has champagne on tap,
and among the dishes served at his feasts
are pigeon-egg stews, shark fins and blrds
nest soup, tho latter costing several dol
lars) a plate.
It was In the finest of his buildings that
his excellenoy received me. It Is a com
bination of Chinese and foreign architec
ture, built of gray brick, three stories high,
and of van extent. Passing through a
wido hall I came into a court, over which,
on a framework of poles, matting was
stretched. This waa surrounded by rooms,
tiot of which are Intended for receptions,
The servants led ua into a, large parlor,
furnished in Chinese style. Heavy chairs
of black wood, Inlaid with mother of pearl
and wonderfully carved, stood against tha
walls. There was a divan at the back, and
in the center of this a low table, upon
which two guests could rest their elbows
as they sat and chatted.' There were
Chinese paintings on the walls and here
nd there shone out a baautlfullv written
text of the Chinese classics. In the center
of the room was a table. This was of
carved teakwood. II had no cover, but,
with a view to my reception, It was set
with refreshments of various kinds. There
were cokes, fruits and candle, and ot'ier
dalntles were brought in during the au
dience. I was ubla to meet Sheng Kung Pao by
an Introduction from Dr. John C, Fergu
son, an American who Is high In the con
fidence of the leading Chinese officials. Ho
was for a long time, and la now, one of
the confidential" foreign advisers of Sheng,
and he hat) bean associated In a similar
capacity with the viceroys of Nanking and
Wuchang. He accompanied me to the
palaco and performed tho ceremony of in
troduction, after which ho left me with
Sheng and the Interpreter.
Trte-a-Tete With a Millionaire.
We had but a short time lo wait. Ilia
excellency came In through a xide door and
as iJr. Ferguson presented me he reached
tut his hand and shook mine In American
fashion. He used the right hand, giving
me a strong grip with his long yellow fin
gers. As he did so he looked me straight
long ago have saved us our iwo.ww.oa) joo
and have cut the Isthmus an to pieces iy
Itself. All the little rivers along the coast
have brought duwn as much soil as the
cloy and the rank growth allowed, and in
consequence their, mouths are full of mud.
Advantage of the Mud.
In most cases this sedimentary deposit
is not sandy, as tho soil ot the country Is
M'Uually deficient In sillclous muterial.
It consists largely of the fine silt produced
by the erosion of red and blue clay, and
it is one of the most treacherous and the
stickiest beach foundations to be found
anvu'liBrn Ftannllv it la twit what a miivlv
,an(Jv ,e(jlment mlght ba,ftimo.t bottom-
less and shifting. It paoks down at the
bottom, and that fact Is what Colonel
Goethals is relvlnir on for some of his
In0Bt important work at the Pacific en-
trance to the canal. But the packing is
at the bottom and not on top, as I found
to my great discomfort.
Although the little river Is not more than
twenty-five miles long It spreads out half
a mile wido where it rushes from the hills
into the Hay of Panama. It has bem
building up a sort of delta on which a few
trees lift their heads above the soft muck
about their roots, while It has also lined
BlJ" 'or a few ml,M wllh lay" of th
fine silt In which the mangrove has taken
hold and completely established itself.
This mangrove, by the way, is a valu
able timber, rioh In pyrollgneous acid and
tannin, and ono variety furnishes good tim
ber. Locally It Is used fur the most highly
Drl.ed flre-ooll. b.,nr Infiammbl- ..
pllWi ,, w for onming pitch for the
canoes and sailboats. It is also largely
used to convert into charcoal, for which
Panama buddIIos a heavv demand.
These mangrove jungles are partly In
undated by the I Id us, which are some
times extraordinary high on this coast.
Owing to the narrow funnel shaped val
leys of these little mountain rivers the
-4-
Nattves of Panama,
Camteto, however, has kept a clear chan
nel through this ooze about Its mouth, and
In the fdi-e, and his bright black eyes
emed to be searching my soul. Indeed
his eyes were so keen that me remainder
of hlH personality was thrown Into the
background, and it was some time before
I took in the details. Then I observed that
the oyes belonged to an old Chinese, of me
dium height and stooping shoulders. They
shone out of a sallow complexion, over
high cheekbones .and from a rather thin
faoe. His excellency waa dressed In a long
black gown of blue silk. He hud a black
silk hat on his head, the rim of which wis
turned up all around and out of the back
of which extended a broad waving feather.
He wore a white turnover collar and his
coat had buttons of gold.
The great financier smiled as he greeted
me. He led me across the room and mo
tioned me to sit down at the table giv
ing me a chair at his left, which is the
scat of honor in China. As we sat there,
our elbows almost touching, rested his left
hand on the table, and, as be became in
terested In the talk, now and then tapped
the board with hi nnlls. As ha did ao I
could not keep my eyes off his hand.
The nails on the last three fingers that
Is, on all of the fingers except the In
dex finger were at least three Inches long,
and the thumb hall stood out like a spoon.
When not tapping his excelloncy's hand,
resting on the nails, had the tips of the
fingers raised above the table Itself to tha
height of an ordinary glass tumbler, and
the wrist was well up off the table. The
finger, nails were as white as ivory, and
it struck me that It must be a trouble
so mo matter to keep them so clean.
China's Steel Industry.
The conversation opened with the dis
cussion of the Hanyang steel works, which
I told his excellency I had Just visited.
I asked him how they were doing.
He replied that they were steadily In
creasing In efficiency and in their ability
to turn out modern rail, structural steel
and other such materials, lie fa id that
the company had already exported pig
Iron to America, and that It could, If
it would, now sell Iron there In competi
tion with the United Htates steel trust at
profit. He said that the day would come
when China, would produce all Its own
steel, and that every province would even
tually nave Its own factories and foundries.
Hheng expects much from Japan as a pur
chaser of Chinese iron and steol, and he
considers our Pacific coast a legitimate
tributary of the industrial China of the
Incident
villages on each side. One of these, on the.
eastern side, Is culled N'arruncho, that on
the western shore being Puerto Chorrcra,
as it is the port for the lniand town ot
Chorrera, five miles up Camieto Valky.
These settlements are so typical ot one
side of Central American Ufa that per
haps a word about them would not be
amiss. As one approaches them from sea
or land, there is no evidence of human hab
itation until the huts are right at hand.
They are completely hidden In tho trees
and surrounding vegetation.
Tliu houses are built on sand dunes
above high tide, and each; one has appro
priated a dune to Itself without consider
ation of order or symmetry. In Nsrrancho
there are about a dozun ot thtse huts on
ten acres of land. You cannot see one hut
from the door ot another though the place
is regarded as a town and has a sort of
lntendant. Of course there are no streets;
trails through ihe grass and brush leud
beach Is the only common highway,
from one dwelling to another, and . the
Tluate huts are distinctly African In thu
type of their architecture, though the in
habitants may be largely Indian In blood.
But one who has traveled much In the In
terior of Africa, can easily sue that the
African type of culture to all sorts lias
prevailed over the Indluu, where, as prac
tically everywhere In Central America,
there has been a mingling of the two races.
The huts are generally square In shape,
like, those ot my old friends, the Ilakuuu
and the Baschllele. The walls are of up
light stlcka, with as many cracks as sticKs.
The roof Is made of palm leaves. Under
the eaves Is a loft In which the residents
sleep, while below is the kitchen and liv
ing room.
There Is a doorway, and rarely a secure
door In It. But no one seems to fear
thieves here It ia the most honest country
I ever saw. I sometimes wonder how long
this happy oondltion will last after 'he
American influence has become entirely
dominant.
!nsleth"r Ilooaes.
In these houses are the usual primitive
belongings of a rude and simple people.
One or more large wooden mortars, in
which Is pounded out the rice or corn; big,
heavy, daiuble-headed pestles, which give
the women arms Ilka a feminine Hercules;
earthen water Jars, tin cans galore, muz-sle-loadlng
shotguns, splendid machetes,
the one thing whose quality Is above re
proach; fishnets and lines, deer and alli
gator hides, heron plumes and feathers, a
few plates, cups and other utensils; some
pictures of ths Madonna flanking he
cigarette girls; a bench or two and a
rough table, wooden saudals, strings over
TIIE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: DECEMBER 26, 1D09.
future.
I asktd bint as to
his Iron mines. He
replied that the
Bu.nply of ore Is al
most Inexhaustible
and Is finer than
that of most parts
of the world. It Is
GQhOveniiiliY&n,ghtn& 115,000,000 ffiM
as pure as the famed Iron of Sweden and Is
muoh more easily won Th. on.l he Is
now using maljes fine coke, and China
ha been 'Iiuirllnr inl tn T.n.n Ttla
cxcellency believes that China has all the
materials to make It a great manufacturing
country and that Its people are naturally
fitted to be the ohlef Industrial nation of
Asia.
China's Railroad Kra.
I here referred to the new railroads
wu.u.i mim nas projecieo ana asaea him
if their construction would be pushed. He
replied; "We intend to build new rail-
roads Just as fast as we can. Wa need
thorn and the imperial government realises
that fact, and will do all It' can to aid
In the construction. The first roads to be
built will be trunk lines, connecting the
chief centers of population. We must have
them on political grounds, as well as for
business development. Railroads are a mil-
Itary necessity to the new civilisation, and
to China's holding the place she should
have In the far east and ths world. We
need a strong central government, and to
that end must be able to send troops from
one part of the empire to another by rail
on telegraphic notice. After wo have onoe
bullt our trunk, lines, branch lines and
feeders will rapidly follow. The traffic
will be large, and the roads will soon be-
coma profitable. As coon as our people
realise that monev can be made from
railroad enterprises there will be no trouble
In raising the capital necessary to carry
them on. Ko far they are a now thing to
us, and as we are a conservative p?ople,
we arc cautious about embarking In them."
Foreign Capital for China.
"Your excellency was among the first
to advise the government that H should
secure foreign capital for building 'Its rail
roads, wera you not?
"Yes. Hut that policy became unpopular.
The cry of China for the Chinese, and for
the Chinese only,' wa raised, and for
awhile our people were Inclined to bu.ld
everything with their own money and to
to a Day's
tho llreplace on wli.cli Jerked meVt Is
smoking, piles of thu shells of clams, oys
ters and crabs, and a box or two for Ihe
br'.ght colored cloths which come out for
the fiestas and funerals such are the fur
nlshinss, with dogs, pigs, chickens and
ducks pottering about In the midst of It all.
Did any one ever see a negro's horno
without ducks? The dogs are mongrel to
the last degree; in a land where deer hunt
ing might be indulged to the heart's con
tent I have, not yet seen a deerhound, and
In a country where cattla H the or.o reliance
1 have yet to find a collie. Nan audio also
boasts a flock of turkeys, but the guinea
Is conspicuous by Its absence.
The population Is what was left hy the
Spanish of the Indian, and what waa
brought ovor of the negro and what was
produced by the mix up of all three. You
can see the Indian In the straight hair,
the negro In the thick Hps and the Spaniard
in the aquiline nose. Sometimes It Is all
neKio, sometimes all Indian, hardly ever
all Spaniard.
Pride of tho Hpnuiarcl.
The last do not live wlui the rent, except
by Indirection. But tlie names are all Cas
tilian enough Santo lJoinlngo is the mayur,
Kc'.uurdo tht main b.iat-bullder, Juan the
heaviest tippler, Federico an expert char
ccal burner, Cutallna a lucky fisherman,
George, an Kngiluh-speaking Jamaican who
drllted it. to the old Canal company's service
and was never able to get away, a ml;ihty
hinter. If they heve any surnames I have
no; yet been able to discover them.
It is sometimes conceived that these poo
plo are degenerate desp radoes, ripe for
revolution, ready for any desperate deed.
As a matter of fact, they are a docile,
simple. Inoffensive class of men, and what
evil they do in times of riot and confusion
con.es from instigation of rum. The revulu
tk i.lsta are the work of designing and un
scrupulous politicians and these lower
classes are often more the victims than tho
pioducers of the revolutions.
It is Interesting to hear these people talk
about tha fact that now since the Ameri
cans are in evidence on the Isthmus there
are to be no more revolutions. Whatever
may be the attitude of some of ths
wealthier men in Colombia, Il Is emphati
cally true that In Panama the bulk of the
people are delighted to have a government
which Is not likely to have to call them
to arms every few months.
Just above Narrancho la a red hill, on
top ot which are piles of stones which
were ths breastworks for the defense of
the harbor In the last revolution. There
were several thousand head of cattla on
the adjoining hacienda and the government
troops ate them all up. As the government
then was Colombia, and the revolution
accept no help from outside. The cost of
rallrouil ImlMlnv however, is so areat.
and our people understand It so little, that
tl.ni. Ulai. In anil art nnu- rnmlnr
to favor foreign loans."
"And, Indeed. I still believe In foreign
loans for railroad building," continued
Sheng Kung Pao. "I think It will pay us
to borrow the money, and let the road
earn the interest. The situation In regard
to such loans has changed during reoent
years. In the past the roads were mort-
BB.A dk seeurltv Mr the bonds; hut tha
government is now guaranteeing thoni. and
the road, to a certain extent, are free
from such Incumbrances. A guarantee by
the Chinese aovernment Is better than that
of nv raiirnari. it ima all i-hina hanii of
It, and the Interest is absolutely seoure."
"But. I understand you want to borrow
some millions of dollars to extend your
steel works at Hanyang, and that you are
asking the Chinees to put up the money,
Why do you not go abroad for a loan of
that kind?"
"We do not think it advisable. Similar
obligations which we have entered Into
during recent years have caused Interna-
tlonaJ trouble. The men who borrow the
money, In case of a dispute as to the settle-
ment, ars likely to call In the government
to which they belong to enable them to
bring things their way, and that without
regard to Jurtlce or rlgbt. The mortgaging
' private enterprises and public works
has. In certain caaes, given the control ot
uch wof-ks over to the foreigners who
maae me loan, ana mat we cannot ptrmil
We
feel that we Chlneso snould control
our own mines, and that Ih the present
condltlons cf affairs It Is not safe for us
to go outside tor capital so secured."
. 7 ' .
China's Kew Rnnki.
"Your excellency Is connected with tlie
Imperial Bank of China? is that a govern
ment bank?"
'No. It Is a commercial institution, with
headquarters at Shanghai and branches at
Hankow and Peking. It has a capital of
5,000,000 taels, over half of which Is paid In.'
Work of
which succeeded came so quickly on tlie
htils of that which failed the owner never
lias obtained anV Indemnity. This condi
tion obtained all over i'anunia. The truth
is that It has been the very docility and
simplicity of these peon people which hss
led to the possibility of these frequent poli
tical disturbances.
'this dlgrtSHion popped in In spite of 'he
bid resoives, Just as the tide rolled over
my boat in spite of twenty years' experi
ence with paddle and oar. Having some
letters of importance lo get off by the first
mall, and reiisl.ing the ride ur.d a lilt of
canoeing, I decided to bo my own mes
senger and to take them down to Puerto
Chorrcra myself from my headquarters near
the ttrminus of the canal.
At Narracncho I found the canoes all In
use except one small one about twelve faet
long. The tide was then out und the river
calm. The distance Is about a mile. There
was nothing to disturb the trip going over,
and the letters were duly put Into the hands
of Senor Flllpo Torre tp be sent to Pan
ama early next morning on the sailboat
which carried the mall between Chorrera
and the capital.
I did not tarry, as the t'de was turning,
and I wished to have Its help against 'lie
current of Camieto as I went back up
stream. There was a gentle breeze blowing
from the sea as I stepped into the cano.
while the tide had set In. When 1 had
gone a few hundred yards the wind In
creased to a light gale. It also threw he
boat into the trough ot the waves. I did
not like this, as the bout was small and
the river was twenty feet deep. I could
swim across the river thsre, but with botn
alligators and sharks In these waters It
was not a pleasant prospect for swimming.
I turned the boat in the direction of thu
mangrove swamp nad pulled away. The
gale Increased, the tide came in as if by
magic, the waves seeumr to threaten to
overwhelm the canoe ever ir.inute. At lest
I drew near the first mangrove tree, not
much more than a bush, on the edge cf
the river.
I tried to dodge It, so as to get into shal
lower water. Then came a big wave and
a strong puff of wind and threw the cock
leshell of a craft against the tree as It It
were a feather. Over it went.
ft
Treed In the Swamp,
With that Instinctive mechanical Intuition
which is almost Insiantaneuus with those
who have roughed It in dangerous places,
I had thrown my gun Into my armpit and
grasped the paddle with the left hand, und
as the boat went over I threw myself Into
the water and Immediately turned over,
throwing the fres arm over ths bottom cf
tha boat. Then, fighting the tossing waves
with every breath, I slid along the boat
Asiatic Enterprises
The only government hank me
have U tho llu Pu bank, which
baa Its liAtdtiuarters In Peklna.
and branches ncaUored here and
there ovor the country."
"Will China ever have a na
, tlonai banking system, such
Japan or the United States?"
Yes, I think so, although u
Will probably be some time be
fore tt can be established. It Ik
one of the crying needs of the
ftniDlre. and would be of enor-
moua good, not only to the gov
ernment, but to al! Industries."
"Will you ever have postal
savings banks?"
"Not soon. But I should
Plant
like to see them established, and
they are bound to come. They are
Invaluable in tho teaching ot mm .
and In making a P" "'
savings of the people. With ' "'bl' f''"
rnmnnt Illl'h Institution Will be Very Pop-
ular. and they would enormously Increase
our national wealth. They ,ou, nmke y
the richest poople of the world, tor o
savings depositors would be m lllons in
number. I should uae w ....
hanks, such as the Japanese ut
tished lit China, and shall probably have
agricultural banks.
New Mlnta n Banknotes.
"How about your new coinage?-'
"There Is a movement on foot to atana-
.nil. it We are sadly In need of a o'-
form coinage, and It la bound to come."
"Will the unit be the silver dollar or the
tael?"
"Most probably the dollar. Many of our
people have come to know that coin fairly
vn, and we like the decimal system upon
wnlch it a based. I thlnlc It la better than
the tael."
"Will China ever be on a gold basis?"
"in time, yes; but not soon. I should
ne to see all our finances managed on the
eo$ standard."
"How about the now bank notes which
are being issued In so many parts of the
emplre? Are they properly secured?"
"I think they are all rignt now, re
plied the Chinese financier. "Such notes
as are already in us are safe enough.
j have no doubt but that they will ho
safe for some time to come. I consmor
them a daiiR-erous medium of exchange,
lowovcr, and I can easily Imagine condl-
tlons which might arise In connection with
them which would create great financial
disturbance and possible los?.
rn Kduratlon.
"Your excellency was among the oilgl-
nators of the new education? You estab-
lished the Nan Yung college at Shanghai,
and the Chinese university at Tientsin,
Has modem education come to stay?"
a Panama Pioneer
to the anchor rope, grasped il and ma le
a plunge for the tree.
It had a fork about a foot below water,
and I wrapied the line around the trunk
and then pulled at the boat to get It into
the fork. Then I twlBted a leg around the
tree, and tried to turn the boat over, hav
ing broken a branch and thrown the gun
strap over It. The paddle 1 had wrapped
with the rope. Hut I might as well have
tried to overturn Oatun dam as to get that
boat over with the waves beating me at
every life. Finally I steadied myself in
the fork of the tree and took a survey of
the situation.
It was far from encouraging. The tido
was now coming In in full force and the
water marks told mo that this little treu
would afford no permanent roost. Already
the water was at my waist and It was
creeping up with fatiful certainty. There
was a taller mangrove some thirty yards
away which seemed my only chance, but
between my perch and that tree whs a
tempest of waves and possibly both sharks
and alligators.
But there was nothing else to be done.
Under ordinary circumstances such a
swim would be child's play when I am in
condition, but I never made a plunge I
disliked more. I threw the gunstrap over
my back and let go boots lcgvlns and all.
One does not get such things easily here
and I did not wish to lose them. Tha
gun had been my faithful companion for
thousands of miles in Afr'ca and I had
almost as soon lose a hand. Still fate
gave me a shove and I got to thu taller
tree and went up It with an. alacrliv such
as only one can know who ever had to act
In such a case. Then I breathed a while
and took another survey.
l.on Wnlt oil the Tile.
It waa certain that nji boatman would
be venturing out In that gale. Tho lido
would not be out s.aln at least for five
hours. It was then 4 o'clock In the after
noon. The moon would not risa until 10
o'clock. I must stuv on ihat perch until
nearly midnight and Hum wade through
the mud If I could wad at all. for sev
eral hundred yards, towing the boat. I did
hot dare to try to strike the bout lust
When the tide hud ebbed enough for ma
to get at it. as then the allgators swarm,
going out of the swamp with the tide.
It is not cold In this latitude and alti
tude at any time, but I was cold with that
drenching and then as aeon as the wind
had dried my clothes It began to rain and
I got pelted for two hours. Fearing that
' I might fall asleep I fastened myself to
the tree with my gunstrap. I became terri
bly drowsy and once did actually doze
Xarg'el owned byheng.
"I'udoubtMlly so. The Chinese classics
are of great valuo In training tha mind and
suul; but as far as business matters are
conoorned, they are) ethical rather thajt
practical. I want the elaanlcs kept' In our
school, but I think the modern sciences
should supplement them."
"How are you training your own chil
dren?" "I have two boys who are learning Kng- f
llsh. They are now going to the college f
hPrf. 'and
Kurope or
I shall send them abroad, to
the United Htates, as soon as
they are prepared to enter thej untvarstue
of those countries."
"Whom do you think Is of the most vain
ti China, the man trained at home along
the old linos or the one educated abroad?"
I think both kinds of training are necea-
S(U.y. They are both needed to make an
Rll.aroun(1 man. the man of business and
tne man en iiioihi, i.i h
man for us."
) plain and Foot Blndlnsj.
At this moment tho champagne
brought In, and with It came the red vlalt
ing cards of some Chinese officials. In
high society here the entrance of the wine
always
means tho closo of an Interview,
and when your host asks you to drink you
know that the time has come for you to
depart. For this reason my last questions
were rapidly put:
"What does your excellency think of
tho new constitution? Are the Chinese
prepared for It?"
Not perhaps, but they-will be by
the Uma It g.oes lnto effect. We are to
have eight years of education, and at the
end we Bhau nave a new China."
will you be able to wipe out the opium
evu7
Ym But ,u aboUon b, gradual,
The confirmed smoker cannot give up tha
habit at tha wink of an eye. Some may
be abe t0 BtoPi but Othors will hold on
t,j thejr death. It Is only from the young
that we can expect much as to ths aboll-
,. of onium. The custom Is already
compered disgraceful, and if wa can keep
it bo, we can get rid of the bvil."
"How about foot binding?"
"That will go, too. The better class
women have, stopped binding the feet of
their children. The custom begins to be
unpopular. I have no bound feet In my
household, and I am glad to say that tho
day lias come for the bound foot to go."
At this point we had already taken thres
sips of champsgna. There was a crowd
of Chinese callers waiting outside, and I
knew it was high time to leave. As I
rose, his excellency again gave me his
hand, saying he rogretted he had not had
a chance to ask soma questions of me, and
that our whole conversation had been
taken up with his answers to queries of
mine. ' FRANK O. CAKPKNTER.
and tumbled off the tree, to be held up
by the belt.
Then I thought I had better not risk sunk
a thing again and I began to sing to keep
myself awake. Training In singing three
babies to sleep stood me in good stead this
time, but what the alligators and the
cranes and herons thought of It is a matter
for imagination. Sometimes a great white
heron would fly along until he espied me
on his perch, then he would give a siiort
cry of astonishment and veer off abruptly
lu another direction.
Then of course us the sun went down
theie arrived a new diversion. The mos
quitoes came, not In single file, but in
hordes and whole divisions. I broke a
branch of tlie tree and quit singing. There
was no danger of sleeping now. Fortu
nately the thick khaki and heavy legnlngs
protected me everywhere but In the face
and on the hands, and I set to work to
keep them ort. For three long hours I
kept up the battle, while tho fishes leaped
in Hie water below and the alligators
eplushcd about and the frogs on shore
croaked dismally and an owl somswhers
hooted his sympathy.
lce to Think Abont.
Looking at It from tho safe and comfort
able hacienda, of a former governor of
Panama in which 1 write this account of
it tiio experience does not Seem so dan
gernus as it did whn going through it,
but It was never a bit pleasant. I had no
way cf lulling how high the tide might
reach. I watched It coming on until dark
und then began to throw down bits of the
liinlit of the mangrove into the water
which was strongly phosphorescent and
which when disturbed glramcd and shone
nt as to Indicate how high It was. In this
way I managed at lust to be sure that it
had began to recede.
Then I got a long limb with which to
sound, and when the water was about a
foot deep I decided to venture' down. Be
fore leaving the tree I tried a shot with,
the gun in the direction of where I had
left ti o boat, so as to frighten away any
piowllng alligators Then I started to
wadeover to the boat, sinking above my
knees at every step.
To my dlsmuy the boat bad sunk face
downward into the soft mud. and whoa
1 tried to lift it I Immediately sank up to
my wult In th'j slime, and waa sinking
deoiier when I made a strong pull on ths
boat and extricated myself. It was evi
dent that thu boat must be abandoned.
This meant that I should have to walk
through the swamp to the edge ot the
liver and then along Its hank up to where
I would be opposite ths huts at Narrae
(Continued on Page Four.)
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