Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 290, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1918 — NANKING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NANKING

OF all China’s great cities I found Nanking the richest in historical interest, says Dr. , AB. Leavelle in an account of his travels in China, published in the Los Angeles Times. It Is 205 miles inland on the hanks of that wonderful waterway,.the Yangtze fiver. Its history dates back, under different names, _ several centuries before Christ, and it has served under a number of dynasties as the capital city. Nanking is very advantageously situated for defense and has the vantage point striven for by many of the leaders of China’s .numerous rebellions. It was here that Dr. Sun Yat Sen lived and took his oath of office as president of the Republic of China in 1912. During our stay In this city we were entertained * In that great yaxnen, formerly owned by Li Hung Chang, ex-minister to America. - The present walls of Nanking are among the finest in China, being 90 feet high, 40 feet thick and 22 miles long. In their construction no fewer than 4,000,000 workmen were employ- . ed. These walls have now been built more than 1,000 years and, though moss covers most of the brick, are well .preserved. ' The past glories of this city are Indicated by arched bridges of carved stone; by the ruins of the world-fa-mous porcelain pagoda; the examination balls containing cells for 30,000 students, the near-by ancient Confucian temples; the drum tower, and the precious stone tea houses. The celebrated mausoleum of Hung Wu, the humble founder of the Ming dynasty, we saw Just outside the city walls. For miles it ir-surrounded by huge carved granite figures of animals and solid stone images, known as the Ming tombs. This is one of the most picturesque places known to history. Purple Mountain That Was Chained. All is overshadowed by Purple mountain, where the greatest battle of Chinese history was fought. The wif® of one of the emperors declared she could see this moutain move, and to relieve his people of their terror he set forth with 1,000,000 coolies and constructed a huge iron chain about its base. Since that day, it has not moved.

Taking a stern-wheeler we proceeded up the world-famous West river right through China’s present theater of ’war, _■ :. ... Our good captain, having a big consignment of silver aboard, was sure the pirates would take us, and at nightfall placed “Big Dot” (my brother) and me in a private cabin adjoining his on the bridge, all of which was enclosed in iron grating with locked doors. We had 300 Chinese herded .below on the deck which had no beds, as they preferred the floor. J was glad of the chance to see them at their evening meal of rice, bamboo sprouts and chopped duck, served before them as they reclined, a half-dozen or more eating with chopsticks out of the same large bowl. It certainly was a great sight. Then they, passed around the community water pipe, which after a jtew puffs would lay them out'to Sleep. Oh, say, did you ever see a duck boat? Well, all along here you see these peculiar boats with overhanging sides equipped to accommodate something like 4,000 ducks. They land at ju new grazing place each day, throw down a bamboo gangplank and herd them like sheep—a call will bring back any straying drake. In the afternoon When the call ‘is given “all aboard,” you never saw such a scrambling and falling into the water to get up that gangway, for the last half-dozen get a sound thrashing for being late. It looked like a'crush at a theater fire. A Flood at Vuchow. 3 We finally reached Vuchow, the “Big .Doc" and his charming wife, formerly of the blue grass,' showed me the most interesting ten days of my life. I could forget three-fourths of it all and still have enough left to write a. book. I arrived in time to see what their city

Temple Near Nanking.

is most famous for, a flood. It rose 40 feet, inundating a great part of the city, driving the natives to the hills, oh to house tops, and a few who were able tb pay 40 cents a day, to house boats. .. ? '' - Of course, we lost no time in seeing that great missionary hospital of which my brother is chief stirgeon and superintendent He had three Chinese men and ten Chinese women nurses, trained also as Bible students, and can accomrfnodate about 150 patients. They have every heinous disease and affliction conceivable—leprosy, typhus, Asiatic cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, dengue fever, - opium smokers’ poison, and plague. The first sight that struck my eyea was a woman who had just come in with her throat cut wide open and bleeding to death. The bleeding was quickly stopped, and the Bible women going to work at once, found that she had suffered from guilty conscience and cut her throat to letYhe evil spirits out of her body*. 4 ; H