Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 239, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 October 1913 — SCHENS in the ORIENT [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SCHENS in the ORIENT

AMERICANS are solely responsible,” said Edgar K. Frank, the globe trotter, the other day, “for the high cost of living encountered by tourists. Especially did; we find this the case in Japan. When Germans and English composed the travelers everything was cheap, and even yet, where tourist* are from any other country, no attempt is made by landlords, shopkeepers, and the rest, to gouge in the matter of prices. But wherever goods are sold, Americans are asked more than anybody else, and they usually pay it. The hotel man, as soon as he discovers you are an American, will ask you $lO a day for a room that is not worth more than $5, and if you argue the matter to a finish you will get the room for $5. Everything else the same way. _ Baked Beans Surprise Britons. "At Penang we became acquainted with the durian, a fruit It Is remarkable, because the more you eat of It the more you want At a delicatessen here we bought American baked beans, and gave the English officers on the vessel an American treat They had never eaten any before. “You may not know that Penang is known the world over for Its tin deposits. Most of our tin comes from there. Both at Penang and at Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the district, are smelters for tin.

“Our next stop was Singapore, known as the Gateway of the East It is one of the most important and interesting of the eastern cities. It is the distributing and collecting point, not only for the Malay peninsula, but for Indo-China and Dutch Indies. "It was at a hotel here that we learned what ‘bathroom attached’ means In an advertisement. We read the advertisement, went to the hotel, and looked in vain for the bathroom. Upon Inquiry we were shown an Immense yard, or courtway, reached by crossing a bridge from the hotel proper, where bathrooms were lined up in a row, and numbered to correspond with the numbers of the rooms.

"The Chinese practicaly own the town. They are the wealthy part of the place and live like millionaires, own autos and have every other comfort Singapore is but one and one-half degrees (80 miles) north of the equator. Java is only 40 hours’ ride from Singapore, but faulty boat connections prevented us from going there. "Did you ever hear of the traveler’s tree? We saw a lot of them around Singapore. They grow probably ten feet high, the branching palm-like limbs spreading out Jike a fan. By tearing off a branch the thirsty wayfarer gets from a glass to a quart of water.

“Our next landing place was Hongkong. The real name of the port is Victoria, and it Is a free treaty one—no customs regulations to be gone through with. "All through China you will find Hindu policemen. There are Chinese police, too, but everywhere the peculiarly dressed Hindu seems to be on [the force. At the time of the mutiny It was discovered that the Hindu was a man who could take care of himself In a scrimmage, and city management has seemed to recognize his worth as an officer"of the peace. The Chinese are good people also in business, honest, polite, quick calculators—superior to any other orientals we met on our travels. Manila Now Healthful.

"Much has been written about Manila, the Pearl of the Orient, and without participating In the political problem of what the United States gpvernment should now do with our possessions there, I cannot refrain from saying that our people have wrought a wonderful Improvement on the Islands. They have cleaned them up. They ate now comparatively healthful. All who come from eastern countries are vaccinated before they are permitted to land, so that smallpox Is rare and typhoid Is practically unknown. There is sewerage, good schools, a better moral tone —In fact no comparison can be made with the old regime. “Like all other Americans, we went to Clark's, where Americans gather, and here we saw the first soda water sign that had met our eyes in months of travel. We have made good roads there, and there is now plenty of ice, a plant for the making of artificial ice having been put up by our government. We mooned on the Luneta, Manila’s wonderful parkway, and visited thd new Y. M. C. A. building. A Mr. Tener, cousin of Governor Tener of Pennsylvania, Is in charge. The build* Ing cost over |IOO,OOO. . "No one who has not been there can have any conception of the interesting

old city, with Its moss-covered walls, its age-defying and beautiful shrines and innumerable objects of rare historic value that abound on all hands. Manila bay, made famous in America by the brave Dewey, was already the' most important seaport of the Orient, lying midway between the newly opening territories of North China and the thickly populated possessions of England in India. The Bataan mountains loom on the left as you pass up the bay, forming a gigantic barrier between the bay and the sea, and to the left is Cavite, the haval town. Here was given Dewey’s famous order, ‘You may fire when you are ready, Gridley,’ which for all time shattered the hopes of Spain for Oriental power, and with the sinking of her warships a rule of more than 300 years passed away. “Continuing up the bay, Manila is brought into; closer view. The first view from the boat is charming. .It looks a tree-embowered city, the: subdued colors contrasting with the vivid green of a luxuriant tropical foliage. Today it is a city of contrasts. It is a city of the east, yet the younger find more vigorous west has made great changes in the quietness and drowsiness of the old place. The Pasig river divides the city into the north and south sides. On the south bank are the old walled city districts and on the north are the Escolta, the main business artery. The junction of the Escolta and the Bridge of Spain is the actual center of the business section, and at this point cars may be taken for nearly every part of the city and suburbs.

“Manila is a city of churches, the oldest having been built by the Order of St. Augustin in 1571. On the Plaza McKinley is the Ayuntamiento, which contains the offices of our government. To the Lvneta In the early evening all Manila gotes. With two bands playing, people of all ages and countries and garbs stroll under the brilliant electric lights. The most important item commercially is the manufacture of cigars. About 20,000 people actually live on the river. On the road to 1-a Loma is the great Bilibid penitentiary, supposed to shelter a large number of convicts than any other prison in the world. Fort William McKinley, seven miles from Manila on the Pasig river, Is the largest post of the United States army."

GOVERNOR'S PALACE