BIRDSEYE VIEWS OF FAR LANDS

_by_

JAMES T. NICHOLS

Author of "Lands of Sacred Story, " "The World Around, " etc. 

Published byJAMES T. NICHOLSUniversity Place StationDES MOINES, IOWA

Copyrighted 1922

[Illustration: JAMES T. NICHOLS]

INTRODUCTION

Birdseye Views of Far Lands is an interesting, wholesome presentation ofsomething that a keen-eyed, alert traveler with the faculty of makingcontrasts with all classes of people in all sorts of places, in such asympathetic way as to win their esteem and confidence, has been able topick up as he has roamed over the face of the earth for a quarter of acentury. 

The book is not a geography, a history, a treatise on sociology orpolitical economy. It is a _Human Interest_ book which appeals to thereader who would like to go as the writer has gone and to see as thewriter has seen the conformations of surface, the phenomena of natureand the human group that make up what we call a "world. "

The reader finds facts indicating travel and study set forth in suchvigorous, vivid style that the attention is held by a story while mostvaluable information is being obtained. The casual reader, the pupil inthe public school and student in the high school, professional men andwomen, will all find the book at once highly interesting andinstructive. In no other book with which I am acquainted can so muchthat is interesting be learned of the world in so short time and in sucha pleasing way. 

Teachers in rural schools will find the book especially helpful. It willinspire the pupils in the upper grades in these schools to do someobservation work themselves and to in this manner seek to learn theirown localities better, while at the same time it will suggest thecollection of materials about other countries, their peoples, products, characteristics and importance from sources other than text books. 

_Every rural school as well as every high school and public library inthe land should have one or more copies of this book. _

W. F. BARR

_Dean College of EducationDrake University_

AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The contents of this book have appeared, in substance, in SuccessfulFarming, a magazine that has a circulation of more than eight hundredand fifty thousand copies per issue, and the book is published largelyat the request of many of the readers of this journal. 

The author began traveling in foreign countries many years ago. Some ofthe countries described in the book have been visited many times andoften with unusual opportunity to see places and people as they reallyare. 

When the writer began traveling it was with no thought of ever writingfor a magazine or publishing a book. It is only natural, however, thatone would read what others say about the countries he expected to visit. Travel books and articles were often read in public libraries and thehabit was formed of making extensive notes, sometimes entire sentencesbeing copied in notebook without the use of quotation marks or anyreference whatever to the author. It is therefore impossible to givecredit where credit is often due. 

No literary merit is claimed for the book. The information was gained inevery possible way and the book is sent forth hoping that it will besuggestive and helpful, especially to those who find it impossible tovisit foreign lands. If the eye of an author of a book or magazinearticle should read the following pages and fall upon a thought orsentence that is familiar it will be evidence that your book or articlewas very helpful to the one who writes these lines. This book is simplyan effort to pass some of the worth while things on to others. 

"Jas. T. Nichols" [handwritten signature. ]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

 I The Land of Opposites--China 5

 II The Pearl of the Orient--Philippines 12

 III The Country America Opened to Civilization--Japan 20

 IV The Transformation of a Nation--Korea 28

 V A Great Unknown Land--Manchuria 35

 VI The Land of Sorrow--Siberia 43

 VII The Home of Bolshevism--Russia 51

 VIII The Nation That Conquers the Sea--Holland 58

 IX The Nation That the World Honors--Belgium 65

 X A Glimpse of America's Friend--France 73

 XI Some Impressions of the Great Peace Conference 81

 XII The Nightmare of Europe--Alsace-Lorraine 88

 XIII The Home of the Passion Play--Oberammergau 95

 XIV The Country Where the War Started--Servia 102

 XV A World-Famous Land--Palestine 110

 XVI A World-Famous City--Jerusalem 116

 XVII A World-Famous River--The Jordan 122

XVIII The Playground of Moses--Egypt 128

 XIX A Country With a Thousand Rivers--Venezuela 136

 XX A Land of Great Industries--Brazil 143

 XXI Uruguay and Paraguay 151

 XXII The Wonderful Argentine Republic 158

XXIII Yankeedom of South America--Chile 165

 XXIV The Switzerland of South America--Bolivia 173

 XXV The Land of Mystery--Peru 179

 XXVI The World's Great Crossroad--Panama Canal 186

XXVII The Seven Wonders of the World 193

CHAPTER I

THE LAND OF OPPOSITES--CHINA

A half century ago the world laughed at Jules Verne for imagining thatit would ever be possible to go around the world in eighty days. It wasnot until years later that Nellie Bly, a reporter, actually encircledthe globe in that space of time. Now we are dreaming of making such ajourney in ten days and our aeroplanes are flying at a rate of speedthat would take one around the world in eight days. At this hourthousands of young men can handle these flyers as easily and with almostas little danger as they can handle an automobile. With aerial mailroutes already established in many countries it will not be long untilmail service by aeroplane will be established around the world. 

This book is a series of Birdseye Views of Far Lands something the sameas one would see on a flying visit to various countries. In this way itwill be possible to get glimpses of countries on every continent in onesmall volume and thus give interesting and valuable information aboutcountries and peoples in all parts of the world. Young people especiallyare in the mind of the writer. As most of the information was secured byrambling through these countries and rubbing elbows with the commonpeople it will be difficult to keep from using the personal pronounquite often. 

It is fitting that our first view be of China which is one of the oldestcivilizations on the earth. This great agricultural people have tilledthe same soil for forty centuries and in most cases it yet produces moreper acre than the soil of perhaps any other country. The Chinese are agreat people. Although they are just awakening from a sleep that haslasted twenty centuries or more, yet the world can learn many valuablelessons from them. They used to embody the genius of the world and evenyet have skill along certain lines that is simply amazing. Many of thegreat inventions that have blessed the world and which we are usingtoday were wrought out by these people and it will not be out of placehere to recount some of their achievements. 

The Chinese invented printing five hundred years before Caxton was bornand the Peking Gazette is said to be the oldest newspaper in the world. They invented paper nearly eighteen centuries ago and had books hundredsof years before the days of Gutenburg. They invented the compass twentycenturies before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. They invented gunpowderages ago and were the first people to use firearms. They used banknotesand bills of exchange long before other nations, and the modern addingmachine is founded upon a principle which has been used by them athousand years. They discovered the process of rearing the silkworm andthey dressed in silk when our forefathers wore clothing made of theskins of animals. The writer has crossed the Atlantic more than a dozentimes on ships with watertight compartments, a so-called modern safetydevice, but the Chinese had watertight compartments in their junkshundreds of years before modern steamships were ever dreamed about. 

To the Chinese we must credit the making of asbestos, the manufacture oflacquer, the carving of ivory and many other important industries. Eventoday they make the finest dishes and the best pottery. At one timethey built a tower two hundred and fifty-six feet high entirely ofporcelain. Ages ago they dug the longest and in some respects thegreatest canal ever dug on earth, the Grand Canal of China, which was athousand miles long and some of which is in use to this day. They builtthe Great Wall of China which was fifteen hundred miles in length andwhich was a greater undertaking than the building of the Pyramids ofEgypt. 

The Chinese were the first people to coin money in a mint; the first tohave a standard of weights and measures; the first to have a system ofmarking time. They had a celestial globe, an observatory, and noted themovements of heavenly bodies more than four thousand years ago. AChinaman was the first to distill and use intoxicating liquor and forthis he was dismissed from the public service by the ruler who said, "This will cost someone a kingdom some day. " They are industrious, resourceful and skillful and should they become warriors and introducemodern methods and instruments of warfare the world would be up againstthe most frightful peril of all ages. Napoleon Bonaparte said of China, "Yonder sleeps a mighty giant and when it awakens it will make the wholeworld tremble. "

The Chinese are one of the strongest races of people in existence. Theyhave only been conquered twice but in both cases they absorbed theirconquerors and made Chinese of them. Although old, out of date and slow, they have principles in their civilization that will last as long astime, and China will be a great nation long after some of the so-calledgreat nations now in existence are forgotten. 

With the exception of Russia as it was before the world war, theChinese Empire is perhaps the largest the world has ever known. Itspopulation comprises one-fourth of the human race. If the single stateof Texas were as densely populated as at least one of the provinces ofChina, there would be living in this one state more than two hundredmillion people or nearly twice as many people as are now living in thewhole United States. The resources of this great country are almostboundless. There is said to be coal enough in China to furnish the wholeworld fuel for a thousand years. While in China I was told of onemountain that has five veins of coal that can be seen without throwing ashovelful of dirt. Some years ago the German government investigated theiron resources of China and published the fact that they are the finestin the world. This no doubt explains one reason why Germany was tryingto get a foothold in China. 

But in agriculture the Chinese shine. As noted above they have tilledthe same soil for four thousand years. Some of this soil too is verythin and poor but it produces as well today as it did a thousand yearsago. While most of their methods are the oldest and crudest that can befound, yet in some other ways the whole world can learn lessons fromthem. They use fertilizer in the form of liquid and put it on thegrowing plant rather than on the soil as we do. The farmer will feed hisplants with the same regularity and care that our farmers feed and carefor their horses and cattle. Every drop of urine and every particle ofnight soil is preserved for fertilizer. This is saved in earthen jarsand gathered, mostly by women, each morning. A Chinese contractor paidthe city of Shanghai $31, 000 in gold in a single year for the privilegeof collecting the human waste and selling it to the farmers around nearthe city. Where a beast of burden is at work a boy or girl is near witha long handled dipper ready to catch the urine and droppings as theyfall. 

In China the farmers have always been held in high esteem. While thescholar is highest, the farmer is second on the list in the socialscale. It is interesting to know that the soldier is fifth or last onthe list because his work is to destroy rather than to build up. The hoeis an emblem of honor in China. For hundreds of years the Emperor withhis nobles went every spring to the Temple of Agriculture to offersacrifice. After this ceremony they all went to a field near the templeand paid honor to the tillers of the soil. At a yellow painted plow, towhich was hitched a cow or buffalo, with a yellow robed peasant leading, the Emperor dressed as a farmer put his hand to the plow and turned ninefurrows across the field while bands of musicians chanted the praises ofagriculture. Even the Empress set the example of honest agriculturaltoil by picking the leaves from the mulberry trees, early each spring, to be fed to silk worms. 

All China is a network of canals and the Chinese are a race ofirrigators. Both men and women stand from daylight until dark walking ona sort of a windlass turning an endless chain with buckets on it, oneend of which is in the canal and the other end up on the bank, pumpingthe water up to flood the rice fields or irrigate the growing crops. Nopeople toil harder or more earnestly than do these simple people. Whilethey grow an abundance of vegetables, yet rice and tea are the greatestproducts of China. 

The great rivers of the empire are so liable to disastrous floods thatin many of the lower lands the people content themselves with fishingand raising geese and ducks. A duck farm is most interesting. A largeshed by the river, or a raft, will serve as a shelter for the night. Thefarmer of course sleeps in this shed. Early in the morning he opens thedoor and out come the ducks. At night they return from every directionscrambling over each other to get in. The Chinaman sits near the doorwith a long bamboo pole herding them in. He even trains drakes to assisthim and they care for the flock something like a good shepherd dog willcare for sheep. 

The Chinese do nearly everything backward or opposite from the way we doit. The reading in their books begins at the end. Instead of across thepage the lines are up and down with footnotes at the top. The Chinamanlaughs at a funeral and cries at a wedding. He beckons you to come whenhe wants you to go away. Instead of shaking his friend's hand ingreeting him he shakes his own hands. When he gets puzzled instead ofscratching his head as we do he kicks off his shoe and scratches thebottom of his foot. When he gets mad at another he kills himselfimagining that his dead spirit will haunt the enemy and make lifemiserable for him. Men often do crochet work while women dig ditches anddrive piling. Men wear petticoats and women wear trousers. 

The Chinese launch ships sideways. Their compass points to the south. Inbuilding a house they make the roof first and the foundation is the lastthing they put in. The key in the door turns backward to lock it. Thekitchen is in the front while the best room is in the back of the house. When a Chinaman sprinkles clothes for ironing purposes he uses his mouthas the sprinkler. I never had a collar washed in China that was notironed wrong side out. He pays the doctor when he is well and stops thepay the moment he gets sick. You can almost bank on a Chinaman doinganything the opposite from the way you do it and he laughs at your wayas much as you do at his. 

CHAPTER II

THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT--PHILIPPINES

Of all the islands in the eastern seas, none are more interesting thanour own Philippines. Like the genuine pearl which is the result of abruise and the outcome of suffering, these pearls of the far east aresaid by geologists to be the result of great volcanic forces that torethem away from the continent and set them out six hundred miles as "gemsin the ocean. " More than three thousand there are of these islands alltogether, and their combined area is nearly equal to that of Japan orCalifornia. I visited the Philippines a short time before the world warbroke out and at that time there were seven million acres of arable landunoccupied and some of it could be entered and purchased for ten centsper acre. 

This is a land where the storms of winter never blow but where frommonth to month and age to age there is good old summer time. Childrenare born, grow to manhood, old age, and die without ever seeing fire tokeep them warm for they never need it. A range of twenty degrees isabout all that the spirits in the thermometer ever show, for the minimumis seventy-two and the maximum ninety-two degrees. While the nights arecool and the days warm, yet a case of sunstroke was never known and butonce in a generation has a hundred in the shade been recorded. 

About the most unpleasant feature is the little tiny ants. They findtheir way into everything. Table legs must be placed in jars of waterand yet they find their way to the top of the tables. Then there isdampness everywhere. Books soon become mildewed or unglued and thefinest library will soon have the appearance of a secondhand bookshop. 

Almost all kinds of tropical fruits can be raised in the Philippines. Idrove out from Manila to the home of Mr. Lyon, who is a regular Burbank. He located on some of the worst soil to be found and undertook todemonstrate that anything that will grow on any spot on the earth willgrow there and he practically succeeded. He has sent to India, California, Egypt and nearly everywhere for the rarest orchids and mostdelicate plants. To eat of the fruits of every kind of tree and hear himtell the story of plants and shrubs and trees in his Garden of Eden isan experience one cannot forget. 

The story of how these islands came into our possession is still freshand vivid in the memory of thousands. Spanish cruelty had reached theclimax and Admiral Dewey was commanded to "find the Spanish fleet andsink it to the bottom of the sea. " As the great ship upon which I wentinto and out of this harbor plowed the waves I lived over again thatmarvelous May day in 1898. It was one of the great days in our history. As the fleet entered the harbor word came to the flagship that they wereentering a territory covered with submarine mines, yet Admiral Deweysignaled, "Steam ahead. " A little later word came that they were indirect range of the guns at the fort and once more the Admiral signaled"Steam ahead. " Still later word came that they were entering the mostdangerous mine-infested district of all and were liable any instant tobe blown to atoms, and once more the fearless Admiral signaled "Steamahead. " The result was that the long dark night of Spanish rule wasended and a new era was ushered in. 

The transformation brought about since that memorable day is almostunbelievable. The whole country has been revolutionized. Railroads andmacadamized roads have been built with steel and concrete bridges andwhere it used to be almost impassable it is now a pleasure to travel. Schools and colleges have been established. A bureau of labor hasaverted many strikes. A constabulary force of nearly five thousand menhas done wonders in suppressing brigandage, bringing the savage tribesinto subjection and preserving the peace in general. This force issomewhat similar to the mounted police system of Saskatchewan in Canadaand is a terror to evil doers. 

A bureau of health has transformed the city of Manila from afever-infested hotbed of contagious diseases to one of the mosthealthful cities on the globe. Six thousand lepers have been collectedand established in a colony on an island. The number of cases ofsmall-pox has been reduced from forty thousand to a few hundred peryear. Cholera, which used to sweep away tens of thousands is almostunknown. With a dozen or more great hospitals and more than threehundred boards of health, great things have been accomplished. 

I was much interested in the report of Francis Burton Harrison who was arecent governor general of the Philippines who said, "During the warthis race of people was intensely and devotedly loyal to the cause ofthe United States. It raised a division of Filipino volunteers forfederal service and presented destroyers and a submarine to the UnitedStates Navy; it oversubscribed its quota in Liberty bonds and gavegenerously to Red Cross and other war work. America was criticised andeven ridiculed for her altruism in dealing with this problem. The ideaof training tropical people for independence was thought to beidealistic and impracticable. The result was quite to the contrary. Oncemore idealism has been shown to be the moving force in working out thedestinies of nations. That is what America has done to the Philippines. "

"If the city of Manila could, by some genius of modern times, be laiddown in Europe and ticketed, labeled, bill-posted and guide-booked, itwould be famous, " says one authority. The city contains an area of morethan fifteen square miles and is more densely populated per mile ofstreet than New York. When civil government was established in 1901 theconditions were deplorable. The streets were narrow and filthy and therewas no sewer system to speak of. The river and dirty canals divided andsubdivided the city. There was practically no water system and diseaseand death lurked in almost every shadow. 

Now the city is fast becoming one of the world's great cities and one ofthe most healthful cities on the globe. The streets have been widened, many of them, and are kept clean. A water system brings pure water toalmost every household and a great sewer system takes away the filth. The Manila Hotel is worth a million and a park or square on the waterfront covers hundreds of acres of ground. 

The great Y. M. C. A. Buildings were thronged as in no other city thewriter ever visited. The fire department is up-to-date, the policesystem well organized, and even in the great Bilibid prison the reformsintroduced are second to none in any prison. This prison coversseventeen acres of ground, making it one of the largest in the world. Many of its fifty buildings are built around a circle and in the towerat the center, watchmen, who can see the entire prison, stand night andday. 

Through the kindness of the officials the writer was allowed to go intothis tower one afternoon as the five thousand prisoners came from theshops, formed into companies and went through a thirty-minute drill. Theband played throughout and as the men were formed into companies we fromthe tower could see each individual company although they were hiddenfrom each other. The great body of men moved like the wheels of a greatclock. They stood, knelt, touched hands, lay down, arose, walked andexercised, keeping time with the music in a way that was wonderful tobehold. Cells for prisoners have long since been done away. They minglein companies in large sunny, clean, dormitories, where they visit, readand sing. 

In the heart of Manila there remains "all that is mortal" of one of themost interesting spots in the eastern world. It is the old, old capitalcity and its story is the story of the Philippines. The old walls ofthis inner city were built some four hundred years ago and could theyspeak, the whole world would listen with amazement and horror. Therewere seven gates in this old wall and they were closed and opened bymeans of gigantic windlasses. 

Then, too, the story of the old Fort Santiago almost rivals that of theTower of London. Here were found, when we took it, mysteriousunderground passages, store rooms and magazines, dark and hiddenchambers some of which were nearly half filled with skeletons. Thestories that center around this old fort make one shudder to hear them. Possibly they are exaggerated, but there are many today who believethem. As an example, we are told that a woman had been walled up in acell, with only a small opening through which food was shoved in, theday her baby was born and when the Americans came they found her and hersixteen-year-old child in this dark room. The child had never had even aglimpse of the sunlight. 

When I climbed upon this old fort and saw the stars and stripes wavingin the breeze, where for more than three hundred years the Spanishemblem had terrorized the people, I thought of the mighty changes thatthe American flag had brought. That memorable day in 1898 when our ownGeneral Merritt met the Spanish governor-general and arranged for thesurrender of the city, was one of the greatest days in the history ofthe orient. 

People in Manila slept but little that eventful night for somehow theyhad gotten the idea that the coming morning would be their day of doom. When the sun arose they hardly breathed. For a whole week they wereafraid to venture from their homes. But there was no pillage, no plunderand no bloodshed. When the amazed people found courage to venture out, their astonishment knew no bounds. It was almost too good to be truethat American occupation meant the dawning of a new, and for them, aglorious day, and it is not surprising that such a report could be givenas Governor General Harrison submitted in 1919. 

Soon after he came from the Philippines I heard Rev. Homer C. Stuntzrecount many of his experiences there and will give a single one ofthese as memory recalls it. As Bishop of the Methodist church he hadbeen there about six months when one day a fine looking young Filipinocame to his home and asked for a private interview. He insisted onhaving doors and windows closed and blinds all down. Mr. Stuntz said hehad no idea what the man wanted. When they were alone with door lockedand with evidence of great agitation the young man said: "I have comemany miles to see you and ask you a question that means more to usFilipinos than any other question that I could ask. " Mr. Stuntz saidthat as yet he had no idea what was troubling the man until hecontinued: "I want to know, sir, if it is now safe--the soldiers say itis, but I cannot believe it--to have a copy of the Protestant Bible inmy house and read it to my family?"

Mr. Stuntz said the whole thing seemed so strange to him that he wassilent for a moment, when the man continued: "Sir, this is a veryimportant question to us Filipinos. You know the law under which we havelived here is this, " and quoting from section 219 of the Penal Code ofSpain in the Philippines, said: "If any person or persons shall preachor teach or otherwise maintain any doctrine or doctrines not establishedby the state, he shall be deemed guilty of a crime and shall be punishedat the discretion of the judge. " Then, to the amazement of Mr. Stuntz, the man continued: "Under the operation of that law my own father wasdragged from our house and we never saw him alive again. That was when Iwas eleven years old. I have supported my mother as best I could, andnow I have a wife and two children. I want to know if it is safe. "

It was with a heart thrilling with pride that this great American tookthe young man to the window and as he opened the blind and the windowitself and saw the stars and stripes proudly waving in the breeze andwith tears running down his face said to him: "My dear man, as long asyonder flag waves over the city you may take the Bible and climb up onthe ridgeboard of your house at high noon each day, three hundred andsixty-five days in the year and read it as loud as you can and no manshall harm you. " Three months later Mr. Stuntz went to that man's homecity, spoke from half past seven until midnight, announced that he wouldspeak in the same building at six o'clock the next morning, and an hourbefore the appointed time five hundred people were in line waiting toget in. 

CHAPTER III

THE COUNTRY AMERICA OPENED TO CIVILIZATION--JAPAN

Three hundred and fifty years ago there were perhaps a millionChristians in Japan. The great Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, introduced the religion of the Nazarene into Japan in 1849, and itspread like a prairie fire. But in the course of time the Japaneseleaders turned against the priests and leaders of the new religion andundertook to obliterate everything Christian from their civilization. 

They placed a price upon the head of every Christian. They made whatthey called footplates, a plate about the size of a shoe sole with apicture of Christ upon it. When a person was brought whom theysuspicioned as being a Christian they put this footplate down andcommanded the accused one to stamp it. If this was done freely theperson was allowed freedom, for they said no Christian would step on theface of Christ. If the accused one refused to do this the horrors of historture were so great that death was a release. The writer of theselines has seen some of those old footplates that have been preserved tothis day. 

Stone signboards were placed along the highways of Japan upon which werewritten: "So long as the sun shall continue to warm the earth, let noChristian be so bold as to enter Japan; and let all know that the Kingof Spain himself, or the Christian's God, or the great God of all, if hedare violate this command, shall pay for it with his head. " I saw one ofthese old signboards on exhibition in a museum in Tokyo. Japan closedher ports, established a deadline around her domain and allowed noships to land, shut out the world and became a hermit nation. 

It was the eighth of July, 1853, that a fleet of vessels boldly crossedthe forbidden line and dropped anchor in what is now known as Yokohamaharbor. It was Commodore Perry and the stars and stripes were wavingfrom the ship masts. At once there was great excitement on shore andsoon boats with men wearing swords were along the ships' sides trying toexplain that they were on forbidden territory. 

The men in the small boats were told emphatically that only the highestofficial could come on board. One of the men represented that he wassecond in rank and when he was allowed to come on board Commodore Perryrefused to see him. After a parley this Japanese officer was made tounderstand that the expedition bore a letter from the President of theUnited States to the Emperor of Japan and that it could be deliveredonly to the officer of the highest rank. When the Japanese officerproduced the notifications warning all ships against entering the port, the lieutenant refused to receive them. 

Returning to the shore the officer came back to the ship in an hour ortwo saying that his superior would not receive the letter addressed tothe Emperor; that he doubted that the Emperor would receive the letterat all. He was instantly informed that if the superior officer did notcome for the letter at once the ships would proceed up the Bay of Yeddoand deliver the letter without him. Of course this ultimatum createdgreat excitement and the officer finally asked a stay in the proceedingsuntil the next day. 

During the night signal fires blazed from the mountain tops and bellssounded the hours. In the next few days the famous letter, which wasincased in a golden box of a thousand dollars value, was delivered. Nothing very definite was accomplished, however, and the fleet camehome. The next year Commodore Perry returned with a larger fleet, another letter, and with presents of various kinds. These consisted ofcloth, agricultural implements, firearms and a small locomotive withcars and a mile of circular track for the miniature train, together witha telegraph line to go around it. 

The interest and curiosity caused by this miniature railway waswonderful. People walked hundreds of miles to see it. When some of thedignitaries were told that in the United States of America there weremany large trains in which hundreds of passengers were carried theycould hardly believe it. One of these officials said that if big trainscould carry passengers little ones ought to be able to do so. It wasthen arranged for him to take a ride. With his flowing robe he wasassisted to mount one of these little cars like as if it were a donkey. The whistle was blown, the steam turned on and away he went around thecircle and it created as much excitement as a balloon once did at acircus in this country. 

Finally, it was suggested that a treaty be made between the UnitedStates and Japan. On board the flagship of Commodore Perry was aminister of the gospel who was consulted and after much discussion aclause was inserted giving America the right to erect or establishplaces of worship in Japan and a promise that Japan would abolish thepractice of trampling on the face of Christ and the cross. 

At first our missionaries were restricted to certain localities andthey had a time of it. Less than twenty-five years ago this treaty wasrevised and until this was done no Christian missionary could leavethese restricted areas without permission from the Japanese government. This treaty also gave Japan the right to send their missionaries to theUnited States and thus we have a half hundred Buddhist temples on thePacific coast at the present time. 

On landing at Yokohama, one of the first places I went to visit was thegreat bronze idol of Kamakura, which is but eighteen miles fromYokohama. It is about fifty feet high, and it is called the "GreatBuddha" or "Diabutsa. " It is a thousand years old and a horrible lookingaffair. I went up into the hollow image which is ninety-seven feet indiameter. I wanted to scratch the eyes out, for they are said to be madeof solid gold. Years ago there was a temple over this image, so it issaid, but a great tidal wave swept the building away. Now they arecollecting money from tourists to erect another temple, so they say. They tackle every American for a subscription and strangely enough theyget a lot of money out of them. 

Speaking of heathen temples brings to mind a large one that I visited inTokyo. It is dedicated to a fox. The people used to believe, some ofthem do yet, that when one dies his spirit enters the form of someanimal. A man is afraid to throw a rock at a dog for fear he will hithis old grandfather--he doesn't know but that his grandfather's spiritentered that particular dog. So they dedicate their temples to theselower animals and often take better care of animals than poor people. 

In this Tokyo temple mentioned there is a great image in one end of thebuilding and below it a money chest nearly as large as a trunk the lidof which is like a hopper. Of course it takes money to keep up thetemple and the followers of Buddha come here to worship. They always paybefore they pray. A lot of us pray and then don't pay. Fortune tellersare nearly always in heathen temples. The gambling instinct abounds. Thepeople too often undertake to deceive their gods by making promises thatthey will do so and so if successful when they never intend to fulfillthe promises. It makes one's heart ache to see people bow down beforethese lifeless idols. Most of these temples are hotbeds of immorality asmany of the treacherous priests have neither principle nor conscience. 

One night I went to a real Japanese hotel. Of course, in a great citylike Tokyo, there are plenty of English or European hotels, but in thiscase I went for the experience. Before entering we had to take off ourshoes. No person enters a real Japanese house with shoes on. However, they wear clogs that can be kicked off at the door. Entering a smallvestibule of the hotel a servant bowed, seated us, took off our shoes, put them up like checking one's grip, brought slippers and assisted inputting them on, then invited us in. The proprietor bowed and began toapologize. The Japanese always apologize. A friend was with me and thelandlord said that he was very sorry that he had no rooms good enoughfor such dignified guests to sleep in, but he would give us his best. 

Bidding us follow him he led the way upstairs. I simply could not keepthe slippers on my feet so took them off and carried them, one in eachhand. At the top of the stairway a door slid open and a Japanese ladybegan laughing. I expect she is telling yet about a foreigner who oncecame to the hotel who thought slippers were to wear on his hands. Onreaching the rooms, amidst profuse apologies, he named the price whichwas double the amount named on the printed card. When my friend calledhis attention to his published prices he said: "Yes, but I will make youfine gentlemen a discount, " and proceeded to discount the price to thatnamed on his card. 

The city of Tokyo is a little world in itself. It contains nearly threemillion people. It covers more than twenty-eight square miles ofterritory. Its streets are generally narrow and in much of the citythere is practically no sewer system. The refuse and night soil is allsaved and sold for fertilizer. If a fire should get well started itlooks like a great portion of the city would go up in smoke for most ofthe houses are of flimsy material and would burn like haystacks. 

They have no system of numbering houses and to hunt for some certain oneis like hunting for a needle in a haymow. Like in all cities the peopleare pleasure loving and the parks and shows are well attended. In thevery heart of the city is a square mile of territory given entirely upto the lowest form of evil. It is undoubtedly one of the most wickedspots on the globe. 

One must not judge the Japanese people or even the people of Tokyo bythis standard, however, for no people ever made such tremendous stridesas have the Japanese nation since the days of Commodore Perry. The greatImperial University of Tokyo makes one think of Yale or Harvard. Thebuildings are modern and the campus beautiful and well kept. Passingthrough these grounds a friend pointed out the most noted buildings. Entering them I found the most modern and up-to-date equipment. Onelarge building is devoted exclusively to the study of earthquakes. TheJapanese know more about earthquakes than any other people. 

The students are taught how to erect buildings earthquakeproof. The mostpowerful seismographs in the world are in this university. I saw arecord of the San Francisco earthquake that was made by theseinstruments--just when it started, when it was at the worst, length oftime it lasted and all about it. Here in this building is a picture of aplace where, during an earthquake, the ground was opened and a lot ofpeople had fallen perhaps a hundred feet down. The photograph wasevidently taken just as the ground was closing and the people below werewaving good-bye to those above as they were going to their death. 

Japan has been called the land of flowers and cherry blossoms or TheFlowery Kingdom. It is one of the most interesting countries on theglobe to visit. While shut away to themselves these people developed acivilization of their own which is far superior, in most respects, tothat of other oriental peoples. Their experience with Christianity, corrupt though it was, no doubt gave them the start. The entire area ofJapan is but little larger than California and most of it is verymountainous and yet so wonderful are they in the development ofagriculture that nearly sixty million people live upon the products oftheir soil. 

The Japanese people think a lot of America for they recognize the factthat to America they owe more than to any other nation. Their friendshipfor us is real too, if one can judge anything by mingling with thepeople. All this talk about Japan attacking America is too ridiculousto think seriously about, even though we have not treated them as weshould in all cases. If you were in Tokyo today you would see the starsand stripes just below their own flag, and you would see more Americanflags than of all other nations combined, barring of course, their own. 

CHAPTER IV

THE TRANSFORMATION OF A NATION--KOREA

The Palestine of eastern Asia is Korea. While called the "Land of theMorning Calm, " it has been the battleground of the eastern world forcenturies. Japan on the east has looked upon Korea as a "sword pointedat her heart. " China on the south has always felt that Korea practicallybelonged to her, while the Great Bear on the north has looked longinglyfor ages toward this coveted land. The same can be said of Manchuria aswell. 

Until recent years the world knew but little of this country. It wasreally a "Hermit Nation. " The people lived in walled cities and allowedno outside people to come in. Less than a half century ago signboardscould be seen along the highways upon which was written: "If you meet aforeigner, kill him; he who has friendly relations with him is a traitorto his country. " It is said that they actually kept the country alongthe sea shore barren and unattractive while in the interior the peoplelived on the fat of the land. The mountain peaks were great beacontowers lighted up every night to signal to the capital that no dangerthreatened and all was well along the borders. 

In area, Korea is about as large as Minnesota. The population is morethan fifteen millions. Except in the northern part, which is as cold asMinnesota, the climate is delightful. Nearly everything that will growin Japan will grow in Korea. The surface is largely mountains andplains. In the mines are gold, copper, iron and coal, as well as otherminerals. The silk industry is becoming one of great value and althoughevery mountain forest has been cleared, some paper is made. 

Perhaps in no other country in the world has such an effort been made tokeep men and women apart as in this strange land. In Seoul, the capitalcity, they used to toll a bell at eight in the evening which meant thatmen must go indoors and let women on the streets. Blind men, officials, and certain others were exempt. Any man with a doctor's prescription wasallowed on the streets, but so many of these were forged that muchtrouble resulted. At midnight the bell tolled again and after that hourmen could circulate on the streets freely without danger of arrest. 

The people in Korea nearly all dress in white no matter what their workmay be. Men and women dress much alike. A curious custom among marriedwomen is the wearing of waists that expose the entire naked breasts. This is all but beautiful and as some one says, gives the appearance ofa shocking show window. The theory is, so they say, that to cover thebreasts is to poison the milk. No man really amounts to much in Koreauntil after he is married, but that is largely true in our country. There, however, silence is the wife's first duty. Marriage customs aremuch like those in Japan where parents make the matches. It is said thatoften the husband never hears the voice of his wife until after marriageand even then she keeps silent for as long as a month. 

The Korean people have some happy times together in spite of some ofthese strange customs. One of their national festival days is called"Swing day. " Swings are prepared nearly everywhere and people drop theirwork and swing. The Koreans are different from any other people in thefar east and when they play they play with all their might. Men andboys love to hunt the swimming holes along the streams and they seem toenjoy this sport as do our own men and boys in America. 

While Korea has been a battleground for ages yet it was opened up tomodern civilization by Japan something like America, through CommodorePerry, opened up Japan. Later on Korea paid tribute to China. The greatcrisis came in 1894 when the battle royal was waged between Japan andChina for this land. On September 15th of that year a great battleoccurred on land and two days later, in the mouth of the Yala Riveroccurred what is said to be the first great naval battle of history inwhich modern warships were used. In this battle the Chinese fleet wentto the bottom of the sea and soon Port Arthur was besieged and taken andthe Japanese army started across the country with the cry, "On toPeking. " This opened the eyes of the Chinese and Korea was surrenderedand was practically annexed by Japan and its name changed to Chosen. Since that time Korean civilization has gone forward by leaps and boundsand is fast becoming a country that has to be reckoned with. The storyof Japan's dealings with Korea during these years contains some mightydark spots. These things have aroused the indignation of the wholecivilized world and the end is not yet. 

To plant the seed of Christianity on Korean soil has required a greateffort and the story of the transformation of this nation that hasoccurred within the past forty years is as thrilling as can be found inthe history of modern missions. It was the pleasure of the writer totravel to the far east with one who has been on the field in Korea fortwenty-five years. Thirteen of these years were spent in the city ofPyeng Yang which became the scene of one of the greatest revivals in allthe history of the Christian church. 

At the time that Mr. And Mrs. Swallen, who were sent as missionaries bythe Presbyterian church (Mrs. Swallen was my traveling companion), toPyeng Yang, it was said to be the most wicked city in Korea. Sofrightful were the conditions that boys in their play would often dragthe corpse of a person who had died during the night through the streetsthe next day, unmolested. It is almost impossible to believe the storyof things that occurred almost daily in this city. 

The first building of the mission was but eight feet square, not muchlarger than a storebox. As at that time men and women were alwaysseparate in public gatherings, the men met at one hour and the women atanother. Soon the building was doubled in size. When the Swallen's tookcharge the mission was called the Central church. Then came the greatrevival wave and the church grew to a great congregation. A new buildingseating between five and six hundred was erected and before it wasfinished it was too small. About one hundred members then withdrew toform another congregation in another part of the city. A little lateranother hundred started still another congregation. 

As the Central church building was even yet far too small they erected agreat building that will seat two thousand. The interest was so greatthat other congregations had to be formed and at the time Mrs. Swallentold me this wonderful story, out from this little store-box missionseven great congregations had been formed in different parts of thecity. Besides this the movement spread to the country and nearly thirtycongregations had grown from this central mission. 

Then came the great revival of 1910 which attracted so much attention. These people started the cry, "A million converts in one year. " The workwas systematized. Bible classes were formed and every Christian became areal missionary. Volunteers were called for, who could give one or moredays to the work. Nearly everyone volunteered and during the first threemonths it was estimated that seventy-five thousand days of personal workwas promised. Great earnestness and enthusiasm were manifest everywhere. 

The pastor of this Central church and one of his elders formed the habitof going to the church every morning at dawn for prayer. This soonbecame known and others wished to join them. One Sunday morning thepastor announced that all who wished to do so might join them thefollowing morning and the bell would be rung at four thirty. At one a. M. The people began gathering and at two o'clock more than one hundredwere present. For four mornings these meetings were kept up and betweensix and seven hundred were present each morning. On the fourth morningthe pastor asked how many would give one or more days of service andevery hand went up, more than three thousand days work being promised. 

The secret of this mighty revival seems to have been caused by the studyof the Bible and prayer. Everyone carried a New Testament. Bibletraining classes were formed and sometimes two thousand men actuallygathered to study the Bible. In the churches in Korea, even yet men andwomen sit apart from each other. A petition divides the building butboth men and women can see the minister. Men keep their hats on inchurch, but all, both men and women, take off their shoes beforeentering. To see these shoes, or clogs, is quite a sight. They areplaced in racks made for that purpose, each having their own particularplace in the rack. 

As might be expected trouble over shoes is not unheard of. Some of thewomen who are not over scrupulous sometimes take the best pair of shoes. In fact this custom became so universal that the women were taught tomake and carry with them to church a small muslin bag. On reaching thechurch the women now take off their shoes, place them in the bag, andtake them into the building with them. All, both men and women, sit onthe floor. In some of the churches now small mats are piled high at thedoor and each takes one of these to sit on. One remarkable feature ofthese Korean churches is that each church is self-supporting from thebeginning. Instead of leaning upon others they are taught to depend uponthemselves. 

The World's Sunday School Convention was recently held in Tokyo. Asignificant thing about the invitation cabled to this country for thisconvention was the fact that it was signed by Japan's leading captain ofindustry and the Mayor of Tokyo as well. A Business Man's Sunday SchoolParty had toured both Japan and Korea before this, however. In almostevery one of the forty cities visited this party was met by governors, mayors, chambers of commerce, boards of education, railroad officials, as well as Christian workers and the friendly attitude of Japan towardAmerica was manifest in every possible way, at the very time too whenthe California legislature was stirring up so much trouble between thetwo nations. 

But the greatest demonstration of all on this entire trip was that madein Seoul, Korea. The day was perfect. The great throng marched to theparade grounds, a Sunday school banner leading the way. Only members ofSunday schools and officials were admitted and fourteen thousand sevenhundred Sunday school workers, by actual count, went into the grounds. It is said that the Japanese officials who for the first time witnessedan array of the Sunday school forces of Seoul looked troubled. It was inthe month of May and the bushes of the old palace yard were abloom inwhite and red. As the great multitude sang the Christian hymns in theKorean language the very buildings almost trembled. 

CHAPTER V

A GREAT UNKNOWN LAND--MANCHURIA

Of all the lands in eastern Asia perhaps the least is known aboutManchuria of any of them. And yet one of the finest sleeping cars I evertraveled in was on the South Manchurian railway. I had a large roomycompartment to myself. In it was a comfortable bed, or berth, a foldingwashstand and writing desk, electric fan, and various otherconveniences. While this was an eastern model sleeper, an Americanpullman was also attached to the train for those who preferred it. 

For two hundred and seventy years the Manchurians furnished the rulersfor the whole Chinese Empire. The Empress Dowager was a Manchu. Born ina humble home, at the age of sixteen she became a concubine of theEmperor. She was so diligent in study and self-improvement that she waselevated to the position of first concubine and later became the motherof the Emperor's son and was raised to the position of wife. When herson was but three years of age the Emperor died and she swept aside allaspirants to the throne, placed her son upon it with herself as regentuntil he was of age. For forty-seven years, in a country where women hadscarcely any power, this marvelous woman ruled one-fourth of the humanrace. 

Manchuria is a little larger than the combined area of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. It is located at the northeast of Chinaand until recently formed a part of the Chinese Empire. While nearly allkinds of grain and vegetables are grown, the one great staple crop ofManchuria is the soybean. Think of growing two million tons of thesebeans per year! Before the war Manchurian beans were shipped all overthe world. In a Manchurian city I asked a business man to tell me thechief sights of the city and he said: "We have nothing here but beanmills. It is beans, beans, beans. " In the hills and mountains nearly allkinds of wild beasts are found. The Manchurian tiger is perhaps mostdreaded of all. 

Perhaps the best known place in Manchuria is Port Arthur. Years ago theChinese had what they believed to be an impregnable fortress in PortArthur, but the wily Japanese battered it down in twenty-four hours. Later on the Russians got it and worked seven years on thefortifications and gun emplacements and really felt that they had itsecure. Although the forts were built on the Belgian plan and PortArthur was as secure as Antwerp, yet the unconquerable Japanese took itwith a loss of only a thousand or fifteen hundred men. Nature has beenkind to Port Arthur by throwing up the mountains of "The Chair, " "TheTable, " and the "Lion's Mane, " but the best defense that nature provideshas to give way before the genius of the human brain. 

Only a little more than four miles from Port Arthur is the city ofDalney, also called Dairen. It is a beautiful little city of fifty orsixty thousand people with a good street car system and many modernbuildings. On landing I went to the Yamato hotel and found comfortablequarters at a reasonable price. The South Manchurian railway operates astring of these Yamato hotels. This is a Japanese railway and operateswith a steamship line crossing the Yellow Sea and the greatTrans-Siberian railroad, or rather did so before the world war. In DalnyI found a good Y. M. C. A. Building with an American secretary. Thisassociation has good buildings in nearly every large oriental cityespecially if it is near the coast. One can hardly realize the debt ofgratitude civilization owes to this organization. These buildings areoases on the great oriental desert where the American traveler can findrest and a quiet home. 

At the close of the war between Russia and Japan by the treaty ofPortsmouth, Russia agreed to transfer to Japan without compensation andwith the consent of the Chinese Government, the South Manchurian Railwaybetween Port Arthur and Changchun, a distance of four hundred andthirty-six miles, "together with all rights, privileges, and propertiesappertaining thereto in that region, as well as all coal mines in saidregion belonging to or worked for the benefit of the railway. " TheChinese Government also agreed not to construct any parallel lines thatwould injure the interests of this railway, so the Japanese have an ironhold upon the whole proposition. 

To travel the full extent of this railway in the late fall is aninteresting experience. The soil is of a reddish color and the fallplowing was already done. The methods of farming used in China largelyprevail here. I saw many of them taking their beans, grain, and otherproduce to market. Along the dusty highway the oxen slowly trudged, drawing great wooden wheeled carts. On one occasion the engine hadfrightened the oxen and they had their heads up and tails flying as theloaded cart bumped along over the field with the driver doing all hecould to get them back into the highway. Women and children were oftensitting on the ground in the villages, seemingly without any workwhatever to do. 

The Manchurian people are larger physically than the Chinese and arebetter looking. But some one has said of the Manchu, "he knows not, neither does he learn. " They say that he only bathes once a year anddoes not care who owns the ground as long as he can till it, and that itdoes not bother him in the least to see his wife and daughter sit on thestone fence for hours picking the lice from each other's head. The womenfolks are largely slaves of fashion and still persist in trying to stuntthe growth of their feet. Even while they do this they often work in theharvest field, wash their clothing along the streams, clean out thedonkey stable, and do all kinds of outdoor work. While baking bread, spanking their children and doing other household duties, they are notslow in looking after and waiting upon their lordly husbands. 

Some years ago a plague of the most deadly description swept overnorthern Manchuria. It was so terrible and fatal that when one wasstricken there was but little hope for recovery. It was so contagiousthat when one member of a family took it, generally the entire familyperished, as simply a whiff of the breath of one stricken was sufficientto give it to another. The government made every effort to cope with thesituation but the difficulties were tremendous and the scourge spreadlike a prairie fire. More than forty-two thousand took it and it is saidthat not a single one recovered. 

The ground was frozen so hard that it was impossible to dig graves forthe dead and preparation was made for cremating bodies. This createdconsternation among the Manchus. Every possible subterfuge was resortedto to conceal cases of the plague and bodies were often hidden in thesnow all winter long. Dr. Jackson, a brilliant young physician of theIrish Presbyterian Mission in Manchuria, was stricken and died, as didDr. Mesny, a splendid French physician. Early the next spring the plagueceased as suddenly as it broke out and has never appeared again in anycountry. However, many believe the "influenza" is a modification of thisplague. 

Mukden, the Manchurian capital city, has been called "The AsiaticArmageddon!" It is a walled city and contains a couple of hundredthousand people. During the Russian-Japanese war a portion of it is saidto have been eight different times in the hands of the Russians andJapanese. The streets are unpaved; dirt and filth abounds. There aremany big dirty restaurants. The Manchus are great feeders. They eatbetween meals, soup and vegetables and most everything else. Thetemperature of Mukden is about the same as Saint Paul, Minnesota. 

The Imperial Tombs are not far from Mukden. The road to these tombs ispaved with stones. This is called the "Road of the Spirit. " On each sideare six great life-sized stone animals. It is thought that these signifythe Emperor's rule over certain countries. Visiting the great Ming Tombsnear Nanking, China, one sees many of these large stone animals. 

Not far from Mukden one can get a look at the great Wall of China, thebuilding of which is said to be the greatest undertaking of all history. It was fifteen hundred miles long, fifty feet thick at the bottom andfrom twenty-five to forty feet high. It was built over mountains, acrossvalleys and rivers and down into the sea. There were towers about everythree hundred yards and although built more than two thousand years ago, much of it is in good repair to this day. It took a million men tenyears to do the job of building it. The Chinese and Manchus were greatwall builders. Their cities were always walled. 

Mukden stands on a plain but its walls are forty feet high and thirtyfeet thick at the top. At each corner, and over each of the eightgateways there used to be a tower, and then the great Drum Tower andBell Tower were in the midst of the city. Nearly every city had its bigDrum Tower upon which drums were beaten if the city was in danger or anenemy near. Here in Mukden nearly all these towers have been taken down, but large portions of the old city walls remain. There are said to bevery many more men than women in the city today. Until 1905, it is said, the city never had a policeman. The gates were closed at dark and thecity became silent as the streets were not lighted. There is not enoughlight in the streets yet at night to hardly be noticed. The oldpatriarchal family system often prevails. Sometimes a family will becomposed of a hundred people--several generations. The following fromDugald Christie will give a glimpse of some of the strange customs ofthese people. 

He says: "There was in Mukden a wealthy family who had land in thecountry adjoining that of some poor people. A dispute arose overboundaries and they went to law. Having money to back him the rich manwon the case. The next day a son of the poor man committed suicide atthe rich man's door and he had to compensate the parents heavily. Whenthat was settled another son did the same, calling on all to witnessthat he did this because of the injustice his parents had suffered atthe hands of this man. This time a much heavier indemnity was demandedand after months of haggling it was paid. Then a third son killedhimself in like manner and the payment of the still further increasedblood money reduced the once wealthy man to a state poorer than hisrival. Again the law suit was heard and this time the country family wonthe case. "

Another Manchurian city of note is Harbin. This is located in the greatagricultural district of the country. Twenty-five or thirty years agothis was open prairie, but one night two Russians pitched their tent onthe spot that is now the center of the city. Like Jonah's gourd, thecity almost grew up in a night. For years it was about the worst city tobe found, there being at least one murder committed almost every day. After changing trains at midnight and rambling around a few hours Iwould say that it is not filled with saints yet. During theRussian-Japanese war it was one of the great gateways, more than amillion soldiers passing through it. 

From Harbin west one passes through the Kuigan mountains. This is saidto be the coldest place of like latitude on the globe. Here grows inabundance the Edelweiss, which is so rare and so prized in Switzerland. Mr. Taft, in "Strange Siberia, " calls attention to the fact that one ofthe Manchurian towns here is named for Genghis Khan, who was one of thegreat military geniuses of the old days. He united the vast hordes ofwarring tribes of Siberia into one vast army and swept over this wholecountry like a mighty conqueror. Our American soldiers who were sent tothis section of the Far East sure got a glimpse of Manchuria that theywill never forget. 

Before the world war many of the Chinese and Manchus crossed the lineand worked in the Russian gold mines and grew rich, but they had a timegetting their gold out of Russia without being discovered. But theircuteness is proverbial. Even Chinamen die, and they as well as theManchus must sleep their long sleep in their native land. In a certainRussian city it is said that these Chinese were paying great attentionto the dead bodies of their kindred in preparing them for the journeyback home. The Russians became suspicious and peeping through a keyholeat the embalming processes these policemen discovered that gold dust wasblown from a tube into the dead man's skull. This let the cat out of thebag, for these Chinese were making the bodies of the dead the carriersof gold, for as soon as the bodies reached home the gold was extracted. 

CHAPTER VI

THE LAND OF SORROW--SIBERIA

Away yonder in eastern Siberia, on the banks of the Amur River, high onthe projecting cliff stands a huge iron cross which can be seen manymiles away. Upon this Christian emblem is inscribed one of the greatestsentences in all the literature of the world. Here it is: "Power liesnot in force but in love. " Strange it is indeed that such an emblem andsuch an inscription should be found in the wilds of this country. Butmany are the strange sights one beholds on a journey across this greatlonely, strange, and sad land. Having crossed this country it is mypurpose to recount some of the observations and experiences of thejourney. 

But few people today realize the immensity of Siberia. You could take amap of the whole United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, and add toit a map of Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria (before the war), Holland, Denmark, theTurkish Empire, Greece, Roumania, and Bulgaria, and lay all thesetogether down on Siberia alone and have territory left. Nearly fivethousand miles of the main line of the great Trans-Siberian railway arein this one country. 

The building of this railroad was a gigantic undertaking and itsconstruction cost the Russian Government four hundred million dollars. With all our boasted American hustle it took twenty years to build theCanadian Pacific railway from coast to coast. The Trans-Siberian is morethan twice as long and was completed in half that length of time. Before the war there was hardly ever an accident on this railway. Everyverst (about two-thirds of a mile) there is a little guardhouse andthere was always a man or woman, generally a woman, standing with a flagas the train passed. I crossed on the International Sleeping Car train. It took ten days and ten nights and the average speed was more thantwenty miles per hour. 

The berths on this train were very comfortable. They were crosswise ofthe car while ours are lengthwise. The train consisted of twofirst-class, two second-class sleepers, a diner and a baggage car. Theseinternational trains ran once a week each way before the war andsometimes one had to purchase a ticket weeks in advance to go at a giventime. When all berths were sold those who had none simply had to wait aweek for the next train. I was the lone American on the train all theway across. There were a number of Englishmen and many Frenchmen onboard. 

My roommate was an old sea captain from Scotland. He had been on the seaforty-six years. Unfortunately his baggage was left at Harbin. He askedthe chief of the train to wire back that it be forwarded on the nexttrain, giving or rather offering a tip of a few shillings, but the chiefwould not give him any satisfaction. The next day the captain triedagain, offering a tip of an English pound. This had the desired effect. In a few days we discovered that the English Consul from Yokohama was onboard and laid the matter before him. Not long after this the trainchief came and apologized and gave back the tip. I have wondered manytimes whether or not the captain ever received his baggage. 

The dining car was a regular saloon on wheels. The first thirty minuteswere spent by the waiters in soliciting orders for drinks. If you didnot order anything to drink you were always served last. I had heardthat it was almost impossible to get anything to eat on this trainunless you were liberal in giving tips. So I started out to break therecord--to cross Siberia without giving a tip on the diner. All wentwell for a couple of days. I was served all right. In fact, as long as Ihad the exact change everything was lovely. But when I gave thecollector a bill he never came back with any change and I had to give itup. Such a feat as crossing Siberia without giving a tip in the dinercould not be performed. The prices were not exorbitant, however, for onecould get a fairly good meal for a dollar at that time. 

Some of the great rivers of the world are in Siberia. It is said that ifall the steel bridges on this main line were placed end to end theywould make a great steel structure more than thirty miles long. Thesewere all built too by Russian engineers. Lake Baikal is a long, narrowbody of water in the heart of Siberia. It is said to be the mostelevated lake on the globe and has the distinction of being the onlybody of fresh water in which seals will live. In some places no bottomhas been found. When the railroad was first built trains were takenacross this lake on gigantic ferries. 

As the winters are long and cold, great ice-breakers were built to takethe trains across during the winter time. It is actually said that theseice-breakers would slowly plow their way through thirty-six inches ofice. During the Russian-Japanese war these were too slow so they laiddown heavy steel rails on the ice and all winter long trains werespeeded across on this ice railway. Some time ago I made this statementin a lecture and as soon as the last word was spoken a Russian cameforward saying: "I was a soldier in the Russian army and walked acrossthis lake on the ice and saw them laying the rails at the time. It wasthen nearly sixty below zero. "

Siberia is the greatest wheat country on earth. All our great northwest, with Canada thrown in, is but a mere garden spot as compared withSiberia. There are multiplied millions of acres of the finest wheatfields in the world in this great country that are as yet untouched. TheSiberian women make the best bread of any cooks the world around. It isas white as the driven snow and so good and nourishing that no one whoeats it can ever forget the taste. 

Siberia is also one of the greatest dairy countries in the world. Whenthe war broke out Siberia was actually supplying a large portion ofEurope with dairy products. In two Siberian cities there werethirty-four large butter and dairy establishments. The RussianGovernment sent a professor of agriculture around the world to study thescience and art of buttermaking. The results of his investigation werepublished in pamphlet form and sent to buttermakers and agriculturists. It is said that sometimes a thousand tons of Siberian butter have beendelivered in London in a single week. It is also said that Great Britainwas purchasing five million dollars worth of eggs per year from Siberiawhen the war broke out. 

I learned something of the superstition of the Siberian peasant whencream separators were first introduced. It is said that when these hardworking people were told of machines that would separate the cream frommilk instantly they declared that only a machine with a devil in itcould do such a thing. But an enterprising foreigner went ahead andbuilt a factory and about the time he had some of the separators readyfor delivery a mob gathered, wrecked the factory and smashed theseparators into smithereens, declaring that they would not have machineswith devils in them in their country. That was years ago, however, andthey have long since learned to use and appreciate these machines. 

But the saddest sights I saw in Siberia were the trains loaded withexiles. These cars were not much better than stock cars and had ironbars across the windows. The sad faces within made one's heart ache tosee them. As I rode in a comfortable car with a good bed to sleep in itwas hard to keep from thinking of these unfortunate people who wereherded like cattle in cold, dirty cars day after day and night afternight for a month. Food was thrown to them almost as though they werepigs and at best this food was of the coarsest and most unsavory kind. 

But their journey, packed in these unwarmed and unsanitary cars was somuch better than what exiles had endured before the railroad was built, that one can hardly make a comparison. Then the exiles had to make thelong four thousand mile journey on foot. It took about two years. Mostof the convicts wore chains on their ankles that weighed five pounds andchains on their wrists that weighed two pounds. Sometimes these chainswore the flesh from the bones and the pain, as they trudged along theirway, was simply terrible. Men and women were herded in droves likecattle. They had to make so many miles each day through storm orsunshine. Often it was midnight before they reached the sheds in whichwere the sleeping benches. Here they had to lie down on bare plankswithout any covering. There was no ventilation in these sheds except abare window or two in the gable. In summer they sweltered and in winterthey nearly froze to death. 

As these unfortunate people slowly trudged along, the heartless guardson horseback whipped them and often prodded them with bayonets. Sometimes both men and women fell fainting and dying along the wayside. As two were nearly always chained together, the living was unlocked fromthe dead, the body kicked out of the way and even left unburied. In theheat of summer the dust nearly suffocated them and in the late autumnand early spring (they stopped in winter quarters in the coldestmonths), they often floundered along through mud nearly knee deep. Oftenthe mud was frozen in the morning and their feet would break through. Perhaps their shoes were completely worn out, but no mercy was shownthem and they had to make their way barefooted. 

There was one thing the guards could not do, however, and that was tokeep them still. As they went on their way they kept up a kind of a wailthat was said to be the saddest chant that human ears ever heard. Formiles and miles this mournful wail could be heard by the few people wholived in villages along the way. Sometimes, however, these villages werefifty or a hundred miles apart. But this wail was kept up continually. Every plan imaginable was used to stop it, but this could not be doneand the guards and officers grew accustomed to it and let it go. Nowonder that even yet in Siberia the call of the milkmaid is somethinglike the wail of the exiles. 

One of the most thrilling events during the war was the opening of theSiberian prison doors in the spring of 1917, when more than one hundredthousand exiles walked out as free men and women. In the great Irkutskprison a company of men were watching some of their fellow prisonersbeing flogged when a man appeared at the door saying: "Russia is arepublic and you are all free. " Instantly all was excitement. Theofficers fled for their lives. Even the prison blacksmiths fled, forthey had welded the shackles on thousands of prisoners and they fearedvengeance. Other smiths were pressed into service and were compelled towork all night long cutting these iron chains. Many were chained towheelbarrows and of course could not get away until their irons werebroken. A committee of public safety was formed at once and precautionstaken. A banquet was prepared in the dismissed governor's palace andsixty men whose chains had not been cut loose sat down at the table withtheir chains rattling. 

In one place the priest, while performing his duties in the church, heard the news and announced it. Fifty men rushed out to kill the localpolice captain who had been a regular tyrant. As they came to his homethey were met by the captain's ten-year-old daughter, who stood in frontof her father and calmly said: "You will have to kill me first, " andthus she saved his life. 

In five days after the revolution, six thousand exiles had reachedIrkutsk from other prisons. By the way, Irkutsk is the capital ofeastern Siberia and here the greatest prisons were located. It is saidthat as many as one hundred thousand prisoners have been in the greatprisons in and around this city at one time. There were no trains forthese freed exiles and they camped along the railroad track. Every daythe company became larger. At one time it was said that fifty thousandsledges were rushing toward the railroad as fast as horses, dogs andreindeer could drag them. The snow was already melting and they weredetermined to get to the railroad before it was too late. 

Those who think the great Russian Empire is nothing but cold, bleak, barren waste, will have to think again. In 1913 there were elevenmillion acres planted in potatoes, five and one-half million acres offlax and hemp and nearly two million acres in cotton. They even had onehundred and fifty thousand acres in tobacco. In all there were incultivation nearly four hundred million acres of land. In 1914 Russiaand Siberia possessed thirty-five million head of horses, fifty-twomillion head of cattle, seventy-two million sheep, and fifteen millionhead of hogs. 

CHAPTER VII

THE HOME OF BOLSHEVISM--RUSSIA

Of All the countries in Europe, conditions in Russia are perhaps mostdeplorable. With the granary of the world her people have the leastfood. A few years ago her laws were the most rigid of all countries, nowshe is nearest without law of any of them. With all her boundlessresources, she is as helpless as a child. Like poor old blind Samson, she has lost her strength and is a pitiful sight to behold. 

But the purpose of this article is not to recount the horrors the warbrought to Russia. I would much rather tell something about the peopleas I saw them just before the war, and their country and cities in timesof peace. Some day these people will have a stable government. They havesuffered for a long time, but out of it all will come a purified peopleand a government in which the people will have some rights andprivileges worth while. The writer of these lines does not pose as aprophet, but will say that in twenty-five years Russia will have thebest government in Europe. 

The Russian people are a race of farmers. When the war broke outeighty-five per cent of the people lived in the country. Although anation having one-sixth of the earth's surface, yet she has only a fewlarge cities. It is actually said that years ago people had to bechained in the cities to keep them from moving to the country. 

The people, as a rule, are honest-hearted, hard-working people, who havenever had a chance. They are ignorant and often superstitious. They havebeen used to hardship and cruelty. In the old days a man was beatenthree hours a day for debt and after a month sold as a slave if no onecame to his rescue. Thieves and other criminals were hanged, beheaded, broken on a wheel, drowned under the ice or whipped to death. "Sorcererswere roasted alive in cages; traitors were tortured by iron hooks whichtore their sides into a thousand pieces; false coiners had to swallowmolten metal, " says one writer. 

Woman was considered the property of man and her glory was to obey herhusband as a slave obeys his master. No eyes could look upon her faceand she was shut up like a prisoner. They used to think that if ahusband beat his wife it was the sign he loved her. The Russian proverbsays: "I love thee like my soul, but I beat thee like my jacket. "

Never will I forget the time spent in Moscow. The great center of thecity is the Kremlin Palace and at the time of my visit it containedriches untold. Of course, the Bolshevists have looted it long beforethis. In it at that time was the largest gun ever made before the war, but it had never been fired. Also the largest bell ever cast was there, but this had never been rung. In front of this palace is the famous RedSquare, and this has no doubt been red with blood many times duringthese terrible years of Bolshevist rule. If the very stones upon whichpeople walk could speak, a wave of horror would sweep around the world. 

Perhaps the most curious church in the world is that of Saint Basil theBlessed, which is in the city of Moscow. It has nearly a dozen spiresmost curiously built and no one seeing it can ever forget it. It is saidthat the eyes of the Italian architect who built it were put out so hecould never build another like it. The Russian people are very religiousand Moscow is their sacred city. At the sight of the glittering crossesthe peasants coming into the city for the first time would often fallupon their faces and weep. 

This sacred city has passed through some horrible times. Famine hasraged and the ravages of hunger caused parents to eat the flesh of theirown children. Pestilence at one time stalked through the city like amighty conqueror and a hundred and twenty thousand people perishedbefore it could be checked. Nearly the entire city has gone up in smokeon more than one occasion and yet it still lives. When I was there itsstreets were ablaze with electric lights at night and thronged withshopping multitudes by day, but all this is changed at this time. 

If we can believe the historian, orgies have taken place in this citythat would make it, for the time being, a rival of Hades itself. Whenthe Russians turn against a man their hatred knows no bounds. In onecase they caught a pretender for the throne and almost continuously forthree days they tortured him in every imaginable way, shape and form. After he was finally killed they were so afraid that he might come tolife that they took his body, burned it to ashes, loaded them in acannon and fired it, scattering them to the four winds. 

One of the empresses of Russia became enraged at one of the princeswhose wife had died and she compelled him to marry an old ugly womanwhose nickname was "Pickled Pork. " One historian says: "The marriagefestival was celebrated with great pomp: representatives of every tribeand nation in the Empire took part, with native costumes and musicalinstruments: some rode on camels, some on deer, others were drawn byoxen, dogs and swine. The bridal couple were borne in a cage on anelephant's back. A palace was built entirely of ice for theirreception. It was ornamented with ice pillars and statues, and lightedby panes of thin ice. The door and window posts were painted torepresent green marble: droll pictures on linen were placed in iceframes. All the furniture, the chairs, the mirrors, even the bridalcouch, were ice. By an ingenious use of naphtha the ice chandeliers werelighted and the ice logs on the ice grates were made to burn! At thegates two dolphins of ice poured forth fountains of flame: vesselsfilled with frosty flowers, trees with foliage and birds, and alife-sized elephant with a frozen Persian on its back adorned the yard. Ice cannon and mortars guarded the doors and fired a salute. The brideand groom had to spend the night in their glacial palace. "

For centuries the common people of Russia were afraid to open theirmouths. Detectives were everywhere and half of the people exiled toSiberia had no idea what they had committed. One of the secret servicemen might visit a peasant home disguised as a tramp or agent. Allowedinto the humble home he would examine the books on the table if any werethere, and should he find a sentence tabooed by the government, thefarmer who gave the stranger a place to eat and sleep would likely beexiled, although he had never read a line in the book. 

I have seen these detectives on trains, at depots, in hotels, alwayswatching everybody. No proprietor of a hotel would keep a stranger overnight without the guest's passport in his possession. One of thesesecret service men might come in at midnight and if he found a strangeror even a name on the register without an accompanying passport, thelandlord might have to go to prison and of course they took no chances. As soon as I registered at a hotel in Moscow the landlord had to have mypassport in his possession. 

All things considered it is not at all surprising that when therestraint was removed the people went to the greatest possible extreme. It is not surprising that they all wanted to talk and speechify. Everyman had some grievance or something to talk about. While the peasantswere honest and trusted each other, yet there have developed so manytraitors that now they do not know who they can trust. The great mass ofpeople are like a lot of sheep without a shepherd and can be led ordriven in any direction. Of all people, they are perhaps most to bepitied. 

A Russian gentleman recently expressed his conviction to the writer thatthe only hope for the country is in the church people. They are veryreligious and the Orthodox church was rich in priceless treasure andlands. But the Bolshevists looted and robbed the churches, which ofcourse enraged the people. They were held in check by alluring promises, but these promises were not fulfilled and their eyes are now opened andthey will rise up, so this man hopes, and overthrow Bolshevism. Onething is certain and that is that the Bolshevist leaders have recentlymade all kinds of concessions to the people. 

As the darkest days in the history of the Chosen Race in Bible times waswhen "every man did what was right in his own eyes, " so these Russianfolks have been passing through just such a time. There has not been anylaw to speak of and every man has been doing as he pleases witheverything he could get his hands on. But as Russia has produced some ofthe master minds of the ages some of us believe that some of thesetimes a leader will appear who will bring order out of chaos. As a rule, in the days agone, when the people of a great nation were really readyfor a mighty step forward the good Lord raised up a man to lead them. 

Passing the great estate of Tolstoi I could not help thinking of one ofhis marvelous word pictures and as it concerns everyone of us it willnot be out of place to call attention to it here. As the story goes ayouth had fallen heir to his father's estate and this taste of wealthmade him crazy for the lands adjoining the little homestead. One finemorning this young man was greeted in the highway by a fine lookingnobleman who said he had taken a liking to him and had decided to givehim all the land he could cover during one day. As they stood at thecorner of the little homestead at the grave of his father the strangersaid to the young man: "You may start now and walk all day, but atsundown you must be back here at your father's grave. "

Without even stopping to tell his wife the good news, or bid her andtheir little child good-bye, the young man started. At first thought hedecided to cover a tract six miles square which would mean a walk oftwenty-four miles, but he had only gotten well started when the plan wasenlarged to a square of nine miles. The morning was so cool and fine andhe felt so strong that he increased it to twelve miles and still laterhe made it a square of fifteen miles, which would mean a walk of sixtymiles before sundown. By noon he had made the thirty miles but so greatwas his fear of failure he decided not to stop for lunch. An hour laterhe saw an old man at a wayside spring, but felt that he must not stopeven for a drink of water and rushed on his way. 

By the middle of the afternoon he had discarded his coat and a littlelater threw away his shirt. An hour before sunset it was a race forlife. His heart had almost stopped beating and his eyes began to bulgefrom their sockets. As the sun touched the horizon he was still manyrods from the starting point. With all the strength of both body andsoul he lunged forward and just as the sun went out of sight hestaggered across the line and fell into the arms of the stranger who wasthere to meet him, but when he fell he was _dead_. 

"I promised him, " said the stranger, "all the ground he could cover. Strictly speaking, it is about two feet wide and six feet long. And Idrew the line here at his father's grave because I thought he wouldrather have the land he could cover close to his father than to have itanywhere else. " "Then the stranger--_death_--slipped away, " says Dr. Hillis, who tells the story, saying: "I always keep my pledge. " So theyburied the man with the land-hunger. 

The Russian people have just gotten a taste of liberty and are as crazyas was the man with the land-hunger. All hope and trust that they willsee their condition before the nation comes to a death struggle, butthey have passed the meridian and entered the dangerous part of the dayand if the leader does not soon come who can stop their onward sweep, they will be in the last great struggle and the death rattle will beheard. But terrible as the situation is at this writing, however, thereare some signs of a better day, and as long as there is life there ishope. Some of us still believe that the day will come when Russia willbe a mighty and powerful nation. 

CHAPTER VIII

THE NATION THAT CONQUERS THE SEA--HOLLAND

We read in ancient history that Xerxes whipped the sea, but this chapterwill give a glimpse of a nation that conquers the sea. A million acresof the best land in Holland have actually been rescued from the water, and at this hour a large lake is being drained which means that hundredsof thousands of acres will soon be rescued from the sea and be made toblossom as the rose. 

The country of Holland is about the size of the state of Maryland. One-fourth of its entire area is below the sea level, and its greatdykes were they placed end to end, would make an immense dam more thanfifteen hundred miles long and in some places from thirty to sixty feethigh. Almost the entire country is a network of canals. A single one ofthese canals cost more than fifteen million dollars and it is less thanfifty miles in length. 

The faith of these Holland people in times of adversity is one of thewonders of history. For a hundred years they struggled against powerfulSpain, but their faith saved them. It is said that at the siege ofLeyden they were reduced to such desperate straits that all they had toeat was dogs and cats. In derision they were called "dog and cateaters. " They replied to their enemies: "As long as you hear the bark ofa dog or the mew of a cat the city holds. When these are gone we willdevour out left arms, retaining the right to defend our homes and ourfreedom. When all are gone we will set fire to the city and with ourwives and children perish rather than see our families destroyed and ourreligion desecrated. "

Think of it! A country one-half of which is below the level of thewater, some of it sixteen feet lower than the ocean, which is only a fewmiles away! What watchfulness and anxiety bordering upon fear mustoccupy every moment, both day and night! In a single century there werethirty-five great inundations which literally swallowed up severalhundred thousand people. Instead of being disheartened, like ants, theywent to work at once to rebuild the dykes, and with the aid of hundredsof gigantic windmills pumped the water back into the sea. 

These windmills are not only used to pump water, but they saw wood, grind corn, crush seeds, make paper, and do about everything else. Whilethey are imperilled all the time by water, they make the water servethem in numerous ways. Their fences are ditches filled with water. Howtheir cattle and horses have been trained to stay in, a small lotsurrounded by narrow ditches filled with water which they could easilyjump over, is a mystery, but every visitor to Holland has seen it withhis own eyes. 

These Dutch people are great farmers and stock raisers. As their countryhas no minerals, the people depend upon agriculture more perhaps than inany other part of the world. Supporting a population of four hundred andseventy people to the square mile, every foot of the land of course istilled carefully. The main agricultural product is potatoes, of whichthey raise about one hundred million bushels per annum. Then come oats, twenty million bushels, rye, fifteen million and about a third as muchwheat. 

The Hollanders build ships, refine sugar, dredge oysters, distill liquorand brew beer. They manufacture carpets, leather and paper goods, makechocolate, cut diamonds as well as produce gold and silver articles andpottery. The farmer uses his cow like one of the family. He keeps her inthe house when the weather is cold, washes and combs her hair more oftenthan his own, and keeps her room as clean as the parlor. She chews hercud contentedly and the only thing about her which is tied up is hertail, which is generally fastened to a beam above to keep it fromgetting soiled. Of course, milk, butter and cheese are not a small partof the living of these people. Often in a Holland home the sitting room, dining room and sleeping room are one and the same. People often sleepin bunks one above the other like berths on a ship or sleeping car. 

The great bird in Holland is the stork, which is kept and given a homebecause of the service rendered in keeping down toads and frogs. Thepeople who live in the lowest ground make nests for the storks uponposts erected for the purpose, and almost every Dutch city has a petcolony of these birds. The Dutch folk-lore tells of the tragedy of thestork colony away back in the fifteenth century which occurred duringthe breeding season. The town of Delft caught fire and when the olderstorks made ready for flight their offspring were too young to fly andtoo heavy to be carried, and rather than leave their young, the oldbirds went back to their nests and perished. 

The two great recreation amusements that everybody engages in arecycling and skating. Roads are good so that the former can be practicedthe year around, while the latter, of course, can only be indulged induring the winter time. These people become so skilled on the ice thatthey can beat an express train, and to skate a hundred miles in anafternoon is an ordinary excursion. Some years ago a record of fourmiles in five minutes was established which is "going some" on skates. 

In the beginning of winter when the skating season opens, the young menand maidens have a great time going to the city of Gouda. The young mengo to buy long pipes and bring them home safely in their mouths orpockets. The fair maidens try to waylay them and break these pipes. Likewise the maidens purchase brittle cakes and attempt to carry themhome in bags without breaking them up, and the young men endeavor toknock the bags from their hands and thus, "break the cake. " They allhave a gay time. 

Skating is ruled by a sort of a national society. The fee is so smallthat everyone can join it. This society decides when skating is safe, marks the routes and employs sweepers to keep these highways clear fromsnow, etc. Everyone must obey the rules laid down by this society, consequently accidents are rare. One week each year they have a greatfestival called the "Kermis, " which is not unlike the old-fashionedcarnival in this country. All kinds of amusements are engaged in and allhave a jolly time. St. Nicholas Day, which occurs on December fifth, isalso a great day in Holland, especially for the children. 

The largest city in Holland is Amsterdam, which contains more thanone-half million people. This is a walled city, but the walls are waterin the shape of canals. There are four of them, the outermost beingcalled the Single or "Girdle. " Across these canals are smaller canalsrunning diagonally and the city itself is as though built on a thousandislands. 

These larger canals are almost filled with ships of various sizes andboats and barges fill the smaller ones. The city has the appearance ofbeing built on the water, canals serving the purposes of streets. Theground used to be a great marsh and the entire city is practically builton piles which are driven down sometimes eighty feet. 

One great palace in the city stands upon fourteen thousand piles. Onewould think the buildings would collapse in the course of time, and someof them are all out of shape, but the people are so used to seeing thebuildings lean, almost like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, that they thinknothing about it. Once in awhile the road will give way under a heavilyloaded truck, but they pry the load out, repair the roadway, and goahead as though the highway were built upon solid rock. 

That the people of Amsterdam are religious is shown by the fact thatthere are many large churches in the city. The front of the great palacecalled the Dam has a hundred windows and only one little insignificantentrance. It has been called "the palace without a door. " Just acrossthe square is the Exchange with a great portico supported by seventeencolumns. Some have called this "A door without a house. "

Like New York, Amsterdam has its Ghetto, in which more than sixtythousand Jews are packed almost like sardines in a box, and most ofthese live in the direst poverty and misery imaginable. However, justbeside this Ghetto live wealthy Jewish families, and one of the greatsynagogues is so magnificent that they claim it represents the Temple ofSolomon. 

As noted above the gigantic task of draining the Zuyder Zee has alreadybeen started. This great lake is a hundred miles long and half as wide, and used to be a great forest. Between seven and eight hundred yearsago, this forest and some better lands consisting of farm lands andcities, were destroyed by the River Chim. A writer in the ScientificAmerican, quoted in the Literary Digest, says:

"Then Neptune looked down with longing eyes for his own. About themiddle of the thirteenth century, the North Sea broke through the uppersand dunes and swept over the land. Hundreds of villages with theirinhabitants were engulfed and destroyed. Geographical continuity wasobliterated, and Holland found herself cut in two by an oceaneighty-five miles long from north to south, and from ten to forty-fivebroad. It proved, moreover, quite as treacherously dangerous a sea asthat which divided her from Britain. "

The capital city of Holland contains more than a quarter of a millionpeople. Perhaps the most outstanding building in The Hague is the Palaceof Peace. It was dedicated August 28, 1913. Something like twentycountries contributed materials for this great building. The granite inthe base of the walls came from Norway and Sweden, the marble in thegreat corridor is Italian; Holland supplied the steps in the greatstairway, and the group of statuary at the foot of this stairway camefrom Argentina. 

The stained glass in the windows of the Court of Law came from GreatBritain, and the rosewood in the paneling of the Council Chamber isBrazil's contribution. Turkey and Roumania each supplied carpets, Switzerland furnished the clock, and Belgium the iron work on the doorat the main entrance. Our own contribution was a group of statuary inmarble and bronze at the first landing of the great stairway. Russia andChina furnished vases, Japan sent silken curtains, and France furnisheda magnificent painting. Thus the nations builded together and we allhope the dream for which this Palace of Peace stands will soon become areality. We are glad that the building is now open again. 

For more than four years Holland occupied perhaps the most difficultposition in which any country was ever placed. Every day of that timeshe was between the "devil and the deep sea. " Compelled to be ready forinvasion every moment, yet trying to remain strictly neutral, she hadthe job of feeding hundreds of thousands of refugees. These were anxiousmonths and years, but the Dutch did most remarkably well and kept theirheads above water all the time. No people were more happy to see peacecome although they were compelled to harbor the greatest enemycivilization ever had. 

CHAPTER IX

THE NATION THAT THE WORLD HONORS--BELGIUM

During the world war the eyes of the world were upon Belgium and it isquite fitting that an article be devoted to this little country whom theworld honors. Although one of the smallest of all the independentnations yet before the invasion this little country stood eighth inwealth and sixth in export and import trade among the nations. Texas ismore then twenty times as large as Belgium. Although not nearly all herland is under cultivation yet she supported seven and a half millionpeople and before the war it is said she had no paupers. 

This little country has been called the "balance wheel of the world'strade. " The city of Antwerp is said to have forty miles of quays--aheadof New York City. When the war broke out Belgium had just completed aten million dollar canal and had spent eighty million dollars on herwaterways. Her commercial and industrial interests were amazing. She hadone hundred and eighty factories for the manufacture of arms alone. Asingle engine factory in Liege turned out two thousand large enginescomplete, annually. The zinc foundries and cycle works of this one cityare world famous. 

Belgium had the cheapest railroad fare of any country on earth. Twenty-four of her thirty-two lines were government owned. One couldpurchase a third-class ticket, good for five days going anywhere overthese lines for $2. 35. One could ride to his work on the railway traintwenty miles and back each day for a whole week for the insignificantsum of thirty-seven and one-half cents. This made it possible for eventhe poorest people to travel and many of them did. The city of Brusselshad two hundred passenger trains entering and leaving the two greatdepots every twenty-four hours. 

Belgium gave the world the greatest example of thrift ever known. Surely, if ever a nation needed such an example, we did and do. Belgiumcould live well from the crumbs that fall from our tables. Were theAmerican people as thrifty as the Belgians, we could save all the warcost us, including the soldiers' bonus, in a generation. There, everybody works, even father. While the people are poor, yet, as notedabove, it was a country without paupers and will soon be so again. 

The government paid interest on savings and encouraged even the poorestto have a savings account. Such an account could be started with onefranc and could be opened at any post office. Our thrift stamp idea camefrom Belgium. The farmer or working man could buy a small plot ofground, build a little home for his family, be insured against sicknessor accident, even though he hardly had a dollar to start with. Thegovernment would back him and he could borrow money from the nationalsavings bank system. 

The Belgians are said to have the best courts in existence. With asingle judge in the Supreme Court, cases are reviewed quickly whileeverything is fresh in mind and witnesses and all other evidence iseasily obtained, and the decisions of the lower courts either reversedor sustained at once without any lost motion whatever. The lower courtsare open for the settlement of all disputes. The judge cross-questionsboth sides without any lawyers to interfere and the poorest wage earnercan have his wrongs righted without a cent's expense. The assistance ofan attorney is hardly ever needed and not one decision in a hundred isappealed. 

The contribution of Belgium to farming and stock raising has beenimmense. Most of the soil is thin and has been used for centuries, andyet she raises more than twice as much wheat per acre as the Dakotas andharvests as much as $250 worth of flax per acre. A few centuries ago thedistrict between Antwerp and Ghent was a barren moor called Weasland. Today every inch of this land is cultivated and is dotted by some of thefinest farms in Belgium. This entire sandy district was covered, "cartload by cartload, spadeful by spadeful with good soil brought fromelsewhere. " It is now like a great flower garden and in fact much of itis flower beds. The city of Ghent is known as the flower city of Europe, there being a hundred nursery gardens and half as many horticulturalestablishments in the suburbs of this one city. 

A marvelous thing about Belgian agriculture is that they rotate the soilrather than the crops. Their methods of intensive farming are sowonderful that if North and South Dakota could be farmed as is Belgiansoil, nearly all the people in the United States could move to these twostates and be fed. Belgium is a land of very small farms and it is saidthat the poorest agricultural laborer has a better chance to become aland owner than in most any other country. Until auto trucks made theirappearance the great drays of London and New York were drawn by Belgianhorses. Belgian stallions often take the blue ribbons at our greatstate fairs and our farmers have found that the Belgian breeds of stockare second to none. Even Belgian hares are most prolific and mostprofitable of any breed of rabbits in this country today. 

The contribution in architecture of this little country to the world hasbeen so great and her churches and public buildings so stately thatBelgium has been called, "The Jewel box of Europe. " Of course, many ofher great cathedrals and public buildings were damaged or destroyed, butthey will, in a large measure, at least, be restored. 

The art of Belgian painters is world famous and graces the finestgalleries in both Europe and America. Many of the paintings of Rubensand other master artists are almost priceless. As lace makers the womenof Belgium are famous the world around. From early morning until late atnight these toilers sit in their low chairs and the skill with whichthey shoot the little thread-bobbins back and forth across the cushionsis indescribable. Neither men nor women in Belgium are overly much givento amusements. They work with all their might, but when the nationalholidays come they abandon themselves to the amusements for the momentand have a most enjoyable time. 

While many are illiterate, the Belgians are giving much attention toschools these times. Even while they were guests of France, with theirgovernment located at Havre, they established twenty-four schools forthe children and a single woman had more than five thousand pupils underher care and direction. They also established large schools at thatplace for disabled soldiers and many of them became not only skilledworkers, but inventors. One of these disabled men invented a process tomake artificial limbs out of waste paper and it is said that these limbsare the best made. Many of these legless soldiers with artificial limbscan walk so well that one would never imagine that they had beenwounded. 

Providence seems to have made Belgium the great battlefield of Europe. Nearly every great general of European history has fought on Belgiansoil. When the Spaniards looted Belgian cities and set up theinquisition it seemed as though the very imps of the lower regions wereturned loose. I have looked upon many of the instruments of torture thatcan still be seen in European museums and they were even more terriblethan anything used in the late war. Again and again has Belgian soilbeen drenched with blood. Only a little more than one hundred years agothe hosts of Napoleon and Wellington decided the destiny of nations atthe battle of Waterloo. 

Here was this great hive of industry, with the wheels of her factorieshumming and her people happy, industrious and contented up to thatfateful day in August, 1914. No people were more loyal to their ideals, more trustful of others or more anxious to serve humanity than thesehonest-hearted, hard-working people. They felt secure, for the treatywhich protected them had been signed by all the nations around them. This treaty had been held sacred for more than eighty years and was tolast as long as time. It had held them secure during the great crisis of1870-1871 and when the war cloud gathered in Austria and Servia theyfelt secure. 

Soon, however, it became plain that Germany had been planning for yearsto crush this little country like an egg shell. Four double-track linesof railway had been built up to the Belgian border. Miles of concreteplatforms had been built, but no suspicions had been aroused. When theenemy started across Belgium he had better maps of the country than anyBelgian had ever seen. At once many Germans in Belgium left their homessilently and the surprise of Belgian neighbors can be better imaginedthan described when they saw their old friends coming back with theenemy's army. They had been spies all these years. 

When the great siege guns were brought from their hiding places in theKrupp factories into Belgium, the foundations for them were alreadythere. These guns were so heavy that the London Times stated that ittook thirteen traction engines to pull a single one of them. They threwshells that weighed almost a ton twenty miles and a single one of themwould destroy a building as large as our own national capital buildingin Washington. So accurately had these foundations been placed thatscarcely a single shell was wasted. 

It is said that years ago some so-called German university men asked theBelgian Government for permission to study the geology of their country. This permission was granted freely. But these were mostly military menand spent months investigating and surveying and marking certain places. Once more these men came to the Belgian Government stating that theywished to study the formation of rocks and soil which would necessitatedigging into the earth and as they did not wish to be bothered by thepublic, asked permission to build barricades around the places wherethey worked. Their request was granted instantly and by this means theybuilt the foundations for these great siege guns. 

Finally the fateful day came. Germany told Belgium that she intendedgoing across her territory anyway and if she would allow this to be donepeaceably she would pay her double price for everything destroyed; thatit would be to her best interests to allow this and that she might havetwelve hours to think it over. In the darkest hours of the war, when itseemed that the Germans would be victorious, I heard the Belgianminister in Washington say in an address: "Yes, they gave us twelvehours to decide, but they gave us eleven hours and fifty-nine minutestoo much time. " As long as time, it will be remembered to the glory ofBelgium that she told Germany instantly to stay upon her own territory;that the world would never say that Belgium went back upon her word;that if war came she would remain neutral as in the treaty she hadagreed to do. The minister referred to above also said in this darkesthour: "They now have all but three hundred square miles of ourterritory, but what will it profit a man though he gain the whole worldand lose his own soul. ' We have lost our property, but we have saved oursoul, and if it were to do over again we would do exactly the samething. "

Brave little Belgium! For four and one half years she stood bleeding andwith her head bowed in sorrow! Her homes were destroyed, her old men andwomen shot down like dogs, her women outraged, her youths and maidensenslaved, her little children misused, but Belgium still lives, andalways will live in the hearts of men and women wherever civilization isknown! Her King and Queen were brave and heroic through all thosehorrible times; her church leaders could not be bought or sold, and hercommon people were true as steel. As a nation she blundered in daysagone, but what nation has not made mistakes? Belgium saved democracyfor a thousand years and is today the nation that the whole worldhonors. 

CHAPTER X

A GLIMPSE OF AMERICA'S FRIEND--FRANCE

Although great in history, France is but a small country. It isinteresting to note that all France could be placed in the state ofTexas and there would be room enough left for Belgium, Holland, Denmarkand Switzerland, one in each corner. Even then, Delaware and theDistrict of Columbia could be put in for good measure and the Lone StarState would still have more than eight hundred square miles to spare. 

About half of the people of France depend wholly upon agriculture fortheir living. Instead of living on farms as we do they live in smallvillages. Their farms are very small, generally running from two tofifteen acres. As a rule, the soil is thin and unproductive, but withtheir patient toil, careful methods of farming and a very liberal use offertilizer they raise abundant crops. Just about half of the soil ofFrance is tilled and about one-eighth is used for grazing while all thefamous vineyards of this country cover but about four per cent of theground. The balance is in forests and streams, highways, canals, andrailways. 

When the war broke out there were about four million French families whoowned their homes and a thriftier and more industrious people couldhardly be found. In 1871, when the heartless Bismarck insisted on havinga one billion dollar indemnity, besides the provinces of Alsace andLorraine, he thought he had the people of France throttled for ageneration, but to his very great amazement every dollar of this hugesum was paid in less than three years. This fact is but an indicationthat the French are a race of savers. 

A silent revolution in the habits of the peasant people has been theoutcome of the war. Ages ago an uprising took the land away from wealthyowners and gave it to the peasants. A few years later Napoleon hadenacted or rather established a Code by which a man's property wasequally divided between his children. Thus, if a man died leaving fourchildren and an eight-acre farm, it was divided into four strips of twoacres each. Then, in the course of time, one of these children diedleaving four children, his two-acre farm was divided into four strips ofa half acre each. 

Thus a great portion of the land is cut up into little strips andgardens. Through the intermarriage of children a family might ownseveral of these strips of land, often miles from each other. This oftenbrought complications and made it impossible to introduce modern farmimplements and do away with much of the drudgery of peasant life. 

This is one advantage that grew out of the war in many places. In thedevastated areas all landmarks were often obliterated and in many casesthe government brought in tractors and plowed great fields which beforethe war were hundreds of little farms and gardens. Then, too, many ofthese peasants became greedy, selfish individualists. Each man worked byhimself and for himself and the idea of co-operation was almost unknown. No ordinary farmer ever became able to have modern farm implementshimself and they never dreamed that several of them could go togetherand purchase a binder, a thresher or tractor. Their one standby was thehoe and not only the man but his wife and children often had to workfrom daylight until dark to keep the wolf from the door. 

Since the war a new day has dawned for the French peasantry. It was veryhard for some of them to give up their old notions and customs, but itmeant a new order for all who were in the pathway of the war. While thecity of Paris has been always known as the Gay City, yet the people inthe country did not enjoy life in any such way. They had no amusements, no daily papers, and in some places no songs. The famous Man with theHoe is a picture of the French farmer. In many of the rebuilt villagesnow they have amusements and movies and in many cases public librarieshave been started. 

It is said that in many of the farmhouses of the French peasantry may beseen hanging little colored prints representing the main professions. Atthe top of a stairway stands a king with the motto: "I rule you all, " ona step below is a priest who says: "I pray for you all;" still fartherdown stands the soldier who says: "I defend you all;" but at the bottomof the stairway is the peasant whose motto is: "I feed you all. " TheFrench peasant seemed to take this for granted and never imagined thatwhile doing it he might have advantages and pleasures that would help tomake life worth living. 

Of course, there are great industries and industrial centers in France. The city of Lille was, before the war, the Pittsburg of France. Thiscity was not only the center of the textile industry, but had scores andhundreds of factories and machine shops of all kinds. While the cityitself was not totally destroyed, the factories were almost completelyruined. In some cases railroad tracks were laid into the buildings andwhole trainloads of costly machinery were shipped out of the country. Isaw the inside of many of these buildings where high explosives wereused and all that was left was the shell of the building, the insidebeing one mass of twisted iron girders and broken concrete. 

Of course, the idea of the enemy was to make it impossible for Frenchfactories to ever again compete with their own so they attempted todestroy all they left. They especially looked after all patterns andplans and thought they were making a clean sweep. In one case a greatfactory that covered sixty acres of ground was destroyed. But the ownershad a branch factory in southern France and immediately beganmanufacturing duplicate machinery so that when the war closed all thatwas needed was the transportation facilities to get the machinery toLille. 

In the great coal fields about Lens the works and machinery were socompletely destroyed that one could hardly tell there were coal mines inthe district at all. The writer went over these ruins after the warclosed and it is simply beyond the imagination to picture the actualconditions at that time. The course of small rivers and streams werechanged so that the water could be run into these mines. 

One quite remarkable distinction is noticeable to a stranger goingthrough France and that is that an occasional factory seems to belocated in the midst of an agricultural district. The land may be farmedon all sides up to the factory buildings. The men often work in thesefactories while the women and children and old men do the work on thefarms. 

Portions of southern France are noted for the beautiful vineyards. Bordeaux and other brands of wine are famous the world around. Some ofour boys are laughing yet about the French methods of making wine. Thegrapes are gathered and piled into a great vat. When this receptacle isfilled, men, women and children take off their shoes and most all oftheir clothes and climb in. Here they walk and jump and tramp until thewhole thing is a mass of pulp. In the meantime, the wine is continuallydraining out and being cared for by others. 

After they have tramped out all the juice possible by this method theremains are put into a great press something like a cider press. Afterall the wine has been extracted by these various methods, they use thepulp in the manufacture of a powerful intoxicant, but this is notgenerally used as a beverage. Of course, all understand that in manyplaces they have modern machinery and make wine along scientific lines, but in many cases they use these old methods to this day. 

The courage of the French people is sublime. Even in the darkest daystheir faith never wavered and they firmly believed they would bevictorious. As a monument of this faith there is in Paris today the mostwonderful painting perhaps that was ever put upon canvas. It is calledthe "Pantheon de Guerre" and is a marvelous cycloramic painting of thewar. It was opened up to the public soon after the armistice was signedand the writer saw it while attending the Peace Conference. 

Many remember the wonderful representation of the Battle of Gettysburgwhich used to be in Chicago. This Paris cyclorama is along the sameline, but ten times more wonderful. It is three hundred andseventy-four feet in circumference and forty-five high. The actualpreparation of this began in October, 1914, and while the army of theinvaders was within thirty miles of Paris and the big guns were shakingthe city, more than twenty artists were working on the marvelousproduction. 

The central figure is a woman, mounted upon a high pedestal, whichstands in front of a huge temple, and she is holding aloft the laurelwreath of victory. Upon the first step of a giant stairway which leadsto the temple is a group of French heroes which includes Joffre, Foch, Petain and many others, while in front of them are guns and flagsbearing marks of conflict. The only allusion to Germany in the wholepainting is in the battle-scarred flags and guns which were used in thefirst battle of the Marne. Upon this gigantic stairway are life-sizefigures of more than five thousand people nearly everyone of which is alife sketch of some French hero of the war. Among them are many womenwhose heroic work and influence will live forever. 

Just across on the opposite side of the painting from this scene isdepicted a gigantic tomb on the top of which is a group of soldiersholding aloft a great coffin in which is a dead companion. At the baseand on the steps is a woman dressed in mourning, kneeling in theattitude of prayer, while nearby is a wreath inscribed to the unknowndead. Back of the tomb in the distance you can see the rays of thesetting sun and in some indescribable way they are lighting up the facesof those on the temple stairway like a beautiful rainbow of promise, while the tomb itself is left in the shadows of the declining day. 

In the group representing Belgium it is only natural that Edith Cavilshould have a prominent place. To be sure King Albert and his queen andothers are there. As in Belgium the first casualties occurred it isfitting that here alone is seen a wounded man and the Red Cross workersare caring for him as he lies upon a stretcher. Here too, are seen thebroken pieces of a cathedral tower with a chalice and altar and CardinalMercier in his priestly robes, while lying on the steps between him andthe king is the torn "scrap of paper. "

But it would take pages of this book to give an adequate description ofthe entire panorama. Of course, all the allies are represented. In agroup representing the United States, President Wilson is one of thechief figures. I am told that the picture of General Pershing is alife-sized painting, which he was kind enough to sit for, to be used inthis production. Here is also seen an American Indian, a cowboy, amerchant and an artisan. An American flag is borne aloft while four WestPoint cadets suggest training and leadership. Women relief workers ofall kinds are seen. Then extending entirely around the room above andback of all these groups is a profile map of France from the Channel tothe Swiss border. Here can be seen the principal towns and citiesinvolved during the war. Here, too, can be seen all the modernimplements of war and everything is actual or life size. 

As I stood gazing upon this wonderful production of artistic genius, myown brain almost reeled and staggered at the immensity and vividness ofit. One moment the perspiration would break out and the next moment itwas hard to keep the tears back. Pride, beauty, indignation, mourning, genius, art, science, invention, generalship, statesmanship, honor, love, tenderness, devotion, heroism and glory are all intermingled in amost marvelous way. The opportunity to behold and study this greatpanorama of the war is almost worth a trip to Paris. Then to think ofthe faith and courage it must have taken to work on and on while theshells from the big guns were bursting at regular intervals during theday and the bombs dropping from the aeroplanes above at night; all thisfills and thrills one's heart with admiration for the French people. 

CHAPTER XI

SOME IMPRESSIONS OF THE GREAT PEACE CONFERENCE

For a month the writer listened to the heartbeat of nations as theirrepresentatives were gathered in the city of Paris. No other city everhad within its borders so many of the statesmen of nations. There wereworked out the beginnings of the great problems that will mean the lifeof civilization. 

Should the nations of the earth plan and make preparation for anotherwar the race is imperilled. It is either universal peace or universaldoom. Either some plan to stop war or preparation for the finaljudgment. Quit fighting or quit living. Peace or death. 

The late war revealed the possibilities of human genius. Man's power todestroy has been discovered and across the sky can be seen in letters ofblood the warning, "Abolish war or perish. " Some say the war ended sixmonths too soon, but had it continued that much longer, the probableresults are too awful to contemplate. The Angel of Destruction had thesword lifted over Germany, but it was as though divine providence stayedhis hand. 

American genius was just coming into play. For instance, we are toldthat a gas had been discovered that is so deadly that a few bombs filledwith it and dropped upon a city would all but wipe it out of existence. When the armistice was signed hundreds of tons of that gas were readyfor use and on the way to the battle front. Other inventions anddiscoveries have since been brought out that are too deadly to even talkabout. 

No one can describe the Peace Conference without giving great credit toour president, for without him it seemed that the leaders were unable toget anywhere. When he said that the time had come when the civilizednations of the earth should form an organization to abolish war theenthusiasm of the common people knew no bounds. A committee was at onceappointed to work out a constitution for such an organization andPresident Wilson was made the chairman. 

Some problems touch only the rich and others have to do with the pooralone; some interest only the capitalist and others interest only thosewho toil with their hands; some absorb the thought of only the whiterace while others have to do with the black and yellow races; some haveto do only with the educated while others reach none but the ignorant;but here is a problem that has to do with every family on the earth, rich or poor, capitalist or laboring man, white, black and all othercolors and races--in fact, it touches every home and will do so as longas people live upon the earth. 

To abolish war would rejoice the heart of every mother who has gone intothe jaws of death to give birth to a son. It would bring gratitude fromthe heart of every wife and sweetheart whose face has been bathed withtears as the last good-bys were on their lips. It would be a blessing toevery child now living, as well as to the generations yet unborn. Itwould thrill the heart of every lover of justice and mercy and wouldanswer the heart longings of millions who have prayed without ceasingfor the reign of peace on earth among men of good will. 

When President Wilson enunciated the fourteen points some wiseacreslaughed and criticised, but these very points formed the basis of thearmistice and the Good Lord only knows how many American lives weresaved to say nothing of English, French, Italian and all the rest. Noone knows how many are alive and well today who would have been sleepingin unknown and unmarked graves had the armistice been detained a singleweek. 

The American headquarters in Paris during the Peace Conference were inthe Hotel Grillion, which is on the Place de la Concorde in the heart ofthe city. The room number 351 belonged to the suite occupied by ColonelHouse and it was really the birth chamber of the League of Nations. Thenineteen men who made up the committee belonged to fourteen nations. President Wilson, as chairman, called them together in this room. Thefirst meeting of this committee was held February third and was verybrief. In all, ten meetings were held and all were held in this room. President Wilson presided at all but one of them. Each man brought hissuggestions in writing so there would be no chance for misunderstanding. Full discussion of all points was always encouraged. When the entireconstitution was worked out it was agreed to unanimously and it was thenready to be presented to the Peace Conference. 

Until the Peace Treaty was ready to sign all meetings of the greatconference were held in the Foreign Ministry building in Paris. This isacross the river Seine from the Concorde. Many supposed all meetingswere held at Versailles but this is a mistake. Versailles is a city ofsome sixty thousand people and about ten miles from Paris. The oldPalace is there but the great Hall of Mirrors where the treaty wasfinally signed could not be comfortably heated in the winter time. Sofor that as well as other reasons the meetings were held in Paris. 

Through Mr. Ray Stannard Baker I received a pass to the PeaceConference. These passes were only given to newspaper men and Irepresented People's Popular Monthly. The great day was Februaryfourteenth, 1919. On this date eighty-four statesmen representingtwenty-seven nations, the combined population of which is more thantwelve hundred million people, were seated around one table. Clemenceauwas the chairman of the conference and sat at the head of the table. Byhis side sat our own president, who at that time, towered head andshoulders above the statesmen of the world. Let politicians rave andsenators criticize, yet the fact remains that Woodrow Wilson will have aplace in history by the side of the immortal Lincoln and Washington. 

When he was introduced our president read the constitution, or covenantas it was called, and then made some remarks concerning it. While Istood listening to him as he thrilled the hearts and held almostbreathless this company of statesmen and noted their faces as he said:"We are now seeing eye to eye and learning that after all, all men onthis earth are brothers, " my eyes are swimming in tears and I don't knowyet whether it was the man speaking, what he said, or the way hethrilled those men, that caused it. I do know, however, that it was oneof the greatest moments I ever lived. 

Near the end of the table sat the black man from Liberia. How his faceshone and his eyes sparkled when he heard these words! When he reachedhis homeland he no doubt told his people how the great Americanpresident championed a plan to abolish war and told the statesmen of thePeace Conference that the world is learning that all men on this earthare brothers, and the very hills of that black land echoed with praisesfor America. 

Since that day the Chinese, who have never been warriors and loveAmerica anyway, have talked in their tea rooms and joss houses about theAmerican President's plan to abolish war. In the villages of far awayIndia, in the homes of the Sea Islanders and in fact wherever humanbeings have congregated they have talked of a world peace. But it wasthe peoples of the downtrodden, war-stricken nations especially wholooked to our president as the great champion of liberty and freedom. They believed that he was the "Big Brother" and that the country that herepresented would see that they were treated fairly. 

Representing the great western giant whose genius, power and marvelousaccomplishments of a few short months filled all Europe with amazementand far out-distanced anything they had done in the three years before, standing at the head of the only unexhausted nation and which coulddictate the policies of the world--for this man to go to the PeaceConference with a plan to forever abolish war, it simply won for himselfand our country the admiration and confidence of the statesmen of theworld. Nothing like it had ever been seen before and the gratitude ofall knew no bounds. 

Then the modest, dignified, unselfish bearing of our president amongthem turned gratitude into love and devotion. The words of far-sightedwisdom spoken everywhere brought from the greatest statesmen therecognition of leadership. Without a single effort on his part to puthimself forward, he became the natural leader of all. 

A single instance of his thoughtfulness will be given. I was determinedto see the tomb where General Pershing stood when he uttered the famouswords: "Lafayette we have come, " and which made the whole French nationdoff its hat and cheer. After hours of searching and miles of walkingand inquiries galore, the place was found, but the door to the enclosurehad to be unlocked with a silver key. When entrance was gained and thespot finally reached, there on the tomb was a wreath of flowers nearlyas large as a wagon wheel and which, when they were fresh, must havebeen beautiful beyond words to described. Upon it was a card on whichhad been written in English the words: "The President of the UnitedStates of America. In memory of the great Lafayette from a fellowservant of liberty. "

Then came the months of haggling, the work of selfish politicians bothat home and abroad, and finally the rejection by our own people of thegreatest piece of work since the beginning of the Christian era, all ofwhich makes one who knows the real situation hang his head in shame. Whyany living mortal in America could oppose a plan that has for its objectthe abolition of war is simply amazing to the people of Europe. Justbefore I left Paris in 1919 a French business man said to me: "Iunderstand that the cables are saying that you have some men in yourcountry who are opposing your president and this effort to abolish war. What kind of men have you got over there, anyway? Go back and tell themthat it is not only the greatest thing for America that he came overhere but it is one of the greatest things for the whole world that everhappened. "

In the fall of 1921 I made another trip to Europe and the change wasbeyond any power to describe. People who looked upon America as the onegreat nation of the earth almost sneered when they mentioned ourattitude toward the League of Nations. They have almost lost confidencein us and it will be hard to regain it. France is especially bitter. Perhaps the result of the Disarmament Conference, which is practicallythe same thing under another name, will help them to forget some things, but the French will be slow to take up with it. We are all proud of thepart our leaders had in this great meeting in Washington, but had ourgovernment stood enthusiastically for the League of Nations it wouldhave saved hundreds of millions of dollars that we now have to dig up intaxes, and at the same time saved famine, fighting and hatred that itwill take a long time to overcome. 

CHAPTER XII

THE NIGHTMARE OF EUROPE--ALSACE-LORRAINE

"I congratulate you on the annexation of an open sore to your Empire, "said Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria to the German Kaiser whenAlsace-Lorraine was ceded to Germany by the Treaty of Frankfort at theclose of the Franco-Prussian War, in 1871. As we entered the world warto fight for the downtrodden people of the world, determined that peoplemust have their rights and that the peril of military autocracy must becrushed forever, the problem of Alsace-Lorraine became a great problemto America. Every citizen of the United States should know something ofthis little country that has been called "The Nightmare of Europe. "

Germany made every possible effort to blind the eyes of the world inregard to the facts about these provinces. She constantly declared therewas no Alsace-Lorraine problem. In 1881, the Kaiser, in speaking ofthese provinces gave utterance to these words: "Germany would leave hereighteen army corps and her forty-two million people on the field ofbattle rather than surrender a single stone of the territory won in1871. " Because Mr. Daniel Blumenthal, who lived in Alsace all his life, was mayor of one of the important cities there and a member of theGerman Reichstag and the Alsace-Lorraine Senate for years, dared to tellthe world the truth about his country, he was condemned to death eighttimes. He lived, however, and then they imposed upon him sentences ofpenal servitude that aggregated more than five hundred years' time. This man finally got out of Germany and the whole world then listened tohis story. 

First, take a look at the provinces. They are located, as you know, atthe northeast corner of France. Together they are about as large as theYellowstone National Park, or the size of about six Iowa counties. Thesoil is the most fertile to be found in Central Europe. The hills arerichly wooded with fir, oak and beech, as well as other varieties. Corn, flax, tobacco, grapes and various fruits are grown. The great wealth, however, is in the minerals. Iron, lead, copper, coal, rock salt andeven silver are there. Manufacturers of cotton and linen are plentiful. 

In the old days this country was a part of ancient Gaul and the Romanshad it for five hundred years. When Rome broke up it became a part ofFrance, and so remained until about the middle of the tenth century, atwhich time it came under the jurisdiction of Germany. Later on Alsacebecame a part of the Holy Roman Empire. During these days it was made arepublic under the direction of a bishop and became a _decapole_, orprovince with ten free cities. This league of free cities had controlfor two hundred years, and with this in mind it is easy to see where andhow this principle of liberty and freedom was born in the hearts ofthese people. 

At the close of the Thirty Years War, at the Peace of Westphalia in1648, these provinces came back to France and constituted a part of thiscountry until the close of the Franco-Prussian War when Germany took it. The Treaty of Frankfort, which ceded this land to Germany was, as someone says, "not a treaty of peace but a treaty of hatred. " Bismarckdeclared that Metz and Strassburg had been an open door through whichFrance came again and again to invade Germany and he proposed to lockthe door and throw the key into the well. Of course he had an eye uponthe rich iron mines which were absolutely necessary to Germany in herpreparation for a world war. 

This country has been a battlefield for centuries. It was the religiousbattleground in the seventh century. The Thirty Years War devastatedalmost every foot of the territory. It is said that in one communitythere was not a wedding for twelve years and not a baptism for fifteenyears. Strassburg with its great university and priceless library wasburned. The writer of these lines passed through this country years agowhere it is said that there were two hundred square miles of cemeteriesinstead of farms. 

In 1870-1871 came the Franco-Prussian War and once more these provinceswere largely devastated. Somehow the people got an inkling that theirland might go to Germany and at once they were up in arms about it. Theysent a delegation of twenty-eight men to the national assembly atBordeaux with the following appeal: "Alsace-Lorraine are opposed toalienation. These two provinces, associated with France for more thantwo centuries in good and evil fortune and constantly opposed to hostileattack, have consistently sacrificed themselves in the cause of nationalgreatness; they have sealed with their blood the indissoluble compactthat binds them to French unity. With one accord, citizens who haveremained in their own homes and the soldiers who have hastened to jointhe colors, proclaim by their votes or by their action on the field, toGermany and to the world, the unalterable determination to remainFrench. "

When the decision was reached to give these provinces to Germany theysent the following appeal to the nations of Europe: "Europe cannotpermit or ratify the abandonment of Alsace and Lorraine. The civilizednations, as guardians of justice and national rights, cannot remainindifferent to the fate of their neighbor under pain of becoming intheir turn victims of the outrages they have tolerated. Modern Europecannot allow a people to be seized like a herd of cattle; she cannotcontinue deaf to the repeated protest of threatened nationalities. Sheowes it to her instinct of self-preservation to forbid such abuses ofher power. She knows too that the unity of France is now, as in thepast, a guarantee of the general order of the world, a barrier againstthe spirit of conquest and invasion. Peace concluded at the price ofcession of territory could be nothing but a costly truce, not a finalpeace. It would be for a cause of international unrest, a permanent andlegitimate provocation of war. "

Even after this wonderful appeal, still another final plea was made, butit did no good. The heartless Bismarck had France by the throat andother nations seemed afraid to champion the cause of these helplesspeople. Thus the whole world reaped the reward of silence when greatprinciples were involved. I have given the protest almost in full, quoting it from David Starr Jordan, that readers of this chapter canbehold the evil effects of accepting a peace when the rights of peopleare left out of the question. 

A provision in this Treaty of Frankfort allowed those who wished tocross the line into France to go. Of course this would involve leavingtheir homes, their farms, their old neighbors and everything else thatthey could not take along. More than a year was given for this and onthe last day of grace one author says: "All those who had means oftransportation rode in carts, wagons, carriages, running over the blackroads. Whole families drove their cattle. Old men dragged themselves on, leaning on the shoulders of young women who bore at the breast new-bornchildren. Sick men, who wished not to die German, were carried bodilythat they might draw their last breath on the frontier of Nancy andthank heaven to die on French soil. "

Then the Germans tried to blot out all traces of France. The Frenchlanguage was forbidden in schools, on advertisements or even on tombs. Police and secret service men watched the inhabitants and men wereimprisoned for any demonstration whatsoever that exalted France. Thefrontier was closed, all communication with France was cut off and noone could cross the border without a passport that was vized by theGerman Ambassador in Paris. This was done until the death of Bismarck. In spite of all this, whenever a chance was given for the people tochoose between France and Germany, they chose France. It must beremembered too, that a half million people crossed the line into Francewhile they could and that a half million German immigrants had takentheir places. 

All through the years France had mourned for her lost provinces andrefused to be comforted. Many times I have seen the mourning figure ofStrassburg, which is in the Place de la Concorde, in the heart of thecity of Paris. This statue represents the distress of Alsace-Lorraineand "around this figure the war spirit of France rallied for fortyyears. " It is said that flowers were placed at this figure every day forforty years. 

When General Joffre and the French army entered Alsace in August, 1914, the joy of the people knew no bounds. How they wept and rejoiced as thebands played the Marseillaise! French flags that had been hidden awayfor forty-three years were brought out and such scenes of rejoicing haverarely been witnessed. The same was true in Paris. A great company ofAlsatians formed a procession and marched to the Strassburg statue onthe Concorde. The procession was led by Alsatian women who carried palmbranches. All marched bare-headed to the statue. Ladders were placedagainst the monument. An Alsatian climbed to the top and wound a broadtri-colored sash around the statue. The crowd cried: "Away with thecrepe" and instantly all signs of mourning that had surrounded thestatue for forty-three years were torn away. 

As might be expected, when the French army was driven out of Alsacelater on, the people suffered untold misery. The Good Lord only knowswhat they went through. Thousands were condemned to prison for the awfulcrime of manifesting their French sentiments. A single word thatreflected upon what Germany had done in any way would send one toprison. A lawyer by the name of Berger was sentenced to prison for aterm of eight years for casually alluding to the invasion of Belgium. The number of women condemned to prison was enormous, for the women weremore outspoken and less respectful to the Germans than the men. 

Neither did prison sentences end it; sentences of death were very many. The press was not allowed to mention those who were shot. It wasreported that thirty thousand of the people in these provinces wereimported into Germany. But those days have gone by and it is certainthat never again will Germany wield the sceptre over these provinces. Ofcourse in this brief glimpse of Alsace-Lorraine many very importantmatters could not be mentioned at all, but these are sufficient to showwhy they could not help hating the people who have been heartless intheir effort to subdue some of their blood relatives. 

CHAPTER XIII

THE HOME OF THE PASSION PLAY--OBERAMMERGAU

Nestled at the foot of the mountains in the highlands of Bavaria, is thelittle village of Oberammergau, the home of the world-famous PassionPlay. Although of German extraction, these humble people were opposed towar with all their power, but when it came they were compelled tosubmit. One of the saddest pictures during the war was that of thesepeople as it was given by Madaline Doty, which was published in theAtlantic Monthly in 1917. 

This writer said: "The village was silent and the people were in greatdistress. There were no carriages or even push carts; no smiling people, no laughter, and no gay voices were heard. Old people sat about as ifdazed. Five hundred and fifty out of eighteen hundred population hadgone to war. " The village was bankrupt. There was no money. It was likea plague-stricken place. The theater building was locked up. The littlestores had nothing to sell. No person was allowed more than one egg perweek and but few could get that. People were on the point of starvation. 

During the season of 1910 the writer made the journey to Oberammergau onpurpose to see the Passion Play and this chapter is but a briefdescription of it. Journeying from Zurich, Switzerland, to Oberammergaua stop was made at Munich. From that place there is but one little dinkyrailroad and one of the greatest mobs I ever got into was at the depotin Munich. A thousand people were trying to get on a train that couldcarry only a few hundred. Finding a porter who was persuaded to open acompartment with a silver key a half dozen of us had a comfortableplace. The distance to the mountain village is less than one hundredmiles, but it took from five in the evening until midnight to reach it. 

Having purchased a ticket for the play on the following day weeksbefore, and with it lodging for two nights, a gentleman took me from thedepot to the home of one of the players and I went to bed. Early thenext morning while eating breakfast at the home, on looking through thedoor I discovered that one end of the house was a cow stable. Going fromthe house all that was necessary was to follow the crowd, for peopleseemed to be coming from everywhere. Passing through the winding, narrowstreets, soon the large theater building was reached. 

This building is one hundred and forty feet square. The roof issupported by six gigantic arches that are sixty-five feet high in thecenter. The floor is built on an incline so that every one of the fourthousand seats is a good one. The stage reaches entirely across thebuilding and is in the open air, the whole end of the building open. Ateach end of the stage are small buildings representing the Palace ofPilate and the Palace of the High Priest. Back about twenty feet fromthe edge of the stage is a covered stage with a curtain and in which thetableaus are arranged. There are fourteen entrances to the building. 

The large orchestra is just in front of the stage but lower than thepeople, so unless one happens to be near the platform the musicianscannot be seen at all. The end of the entire building being open, therain beats in and the cheapest seats are those where one is likely toget wet should it rain. The orchestra is kept dry by a large canvas thatis pulled out when the rain begins. Back in the inner covered stage is anetwork of ropes, pulleys, lances, arms for Roman soldiers, dishes forbanquets, costumes and wardrobes for the players, all in perfect orderand ready for use at a moment's notice. 

The play itself occupies about eight hours. There are six hundred andeighty-five people in it, but only one hundred and twenty speakingparts. The principal actors are not many, but during the play there aremany children as well as old men and women take part. There aretwenty-two tableaus; seventy-six scenes and in all eighteen acts. Thetableaus represent Old Testament prophecies of the events portrayed. Itmust be remembered, however, that the play represents only the eventsthat occurred during the last week of Christ's life. 

The music is simply wonderful. For generations these mountain peoplehave been developing a tenderness and pathos that really grips one'sheart. The music was composed by a man by the name of Dedler, about onehundred years ago, and while it gives expression to the composer'stender heart, yet experts say that it reminds them of Hayden and Mozart. The paintings in the building are those of great masters. It took anentire year to paint the scenery for the play in 1910, but they couldnot afford to spend so much upon it in 1922. The curtains and costumesare of fine material, nothing shoddy or cheap about it. 

The story of the beginning of the Passion Play is as interesting as anovel. It was in the year 1633. A pestilence was raging in the villagesin the mountains of Bavaria and death rode down the valleys like amighty conqueror. Hundreds were smitten and the hand of death could notbe stayed. Whole villages were depopulated and even the dead were leftunburied. For a while the village of Oberammergau was favored, whileneighboring villages were stricken. A line of sentinels were stationedaround the village and a strict quarantine was maintained. Finally, loveof home and the desire to see his family caused a laboring man, CasperSchushler, who was working in another village, to steal through the lineand spend an evening at his own family fireside. 

In a couple of days all was changed. The songs of the children werehushed in silence, for this man had brought the plague into the village. In thirty-three days eighty-four had perished and scores of others weresmitten by the hand of death. It was a great crisis and looked as thoughthat soon there would not be left among the living enough to bury thedead. A public meeting was called. It was a sad gathering of hollow-eyedmen and women. They spent the whole day in earnest prayer. They vowed tothe Lord that day that if he would hear their petition and save them, they would repent of their sins as a token of their sincerity, and thatthey would try to re-enact the scenes of Calvary and thus give an objectlesson of God's love for humanity. 

The chronicler says that from that moment the hand of death was stayed. Not another person in the village died from the plague. Every onesmitten recovered and by this they knew that the Lord had heard theirprayers. At once they set about to carry out their vow. From that dayforward they aimed to give the object lesson every ten years and havedone so except on occasions when they have been hindered by war, as twoyears ago. In 1910 a quarter of a million people endured the hardshipsand inconveniences of a long, tiresome journey, sometimes spending manyhundred dollars, to see the play. 

The day I spent there was one of the shortest days in my memory. Sermonsnot an hour long have sometimes seemed longer than this entire day. Astrange silence was everywhere. There was no gaiety such as one sees ata theater. There was no applause, no laughter. Criticise it if you will, condemn it if you like, yet the fact remains that it is the greatestobject lesson of the ages. It would be hard for any man to see it andnot come away with a more tender heart and a better appreciation of theworld's Redeemer. The late William T. Stead truly called this play "TheStory That Has Transformed the World. "

No other story so fills and thrills the soul. I saw non-Christian mensit trembling with emotion and great tears rolling down their faces. Sometimes one's indignation was so aroused that it was hard to sitstill. At other times the fountains of the great deep were broken up andone's heart would nearly burst. On this particular day every one of thefour thousand seats were taken and five hundred people stood up frommorning until evening. It is as impossible to describe the Passion Playas it is to describe a song. It is real life before your eyes. I havenever yet seen pictures of it that did not make me heart-sick, for it isimpossible to give a true picture of it on the screen. 

On years when the play is given it generally begins about the middle ofMay and closes the last of September. They give it regularly on Sundayand Wednesday of each week during this time. During the busy season itis often repeated for the overflow on Monday and Thursday andoccasionally on Friday. Tickets for the regular play are generally soldout beforehand but as usual a great many reach the place without ticketsand have to be accommodated in this way. 

All the years the highest ambition of the boys and girls in the villageis to so live that they will be chosen for some prominent part in theplay. No one can be chosen unless born in the village and this confinesit to the village. No one is chosen for a prominent part if there isanything against his character and that places a premium on rightliving. Hence one can easily see their reason for hating war with alltheir power. While narrow in their peculiar religious ideas, no doubt, yet a more consecrated and devoted class of people are perhaps not foundin another village on earth. 

All told there are nearly a thousand people who are connected in someway with the play and as the population of the village is less than twothousand, it practically takes in every family and sometimes everymember of the family. The choosing of the important players is always animportant event in the village. After a season closes no characters arechosen for seven years. At length the day arrives when the committee offourteen who are to choose the leading characters for the play threeyears hence is elected. It is a great day. The assembly meets in thetown hall. Every parishioner has a vote. The mayor of the village ischairman. 

After this committee of fourteen is duly elected a meeting is sooncalled. It takes several months to consider the problem. Every playermust sign a contract to carry out his part to the best of his ability. Offenders are punished with great severity. Married women are barredfrom the prominent parts. It is said that more than one hundredrehearsals are held before the opening day. 

The receipts for a season are enormous. The sale of post cards andsouvenirs greatly add to the sum. It is not surprising that these peopleare often accused for running the play for the money there is in it. Butthe leading characters only receive a few hundred dollars for theseason's work. The church receives a large amount. The theater buildingand upkeep represents a fortune. To care for the thousands who attend, the town must have a good water supply, an up-to-date sanitary system, and many things that would be uncalled for in an ordinary town. Locatedas it is away in the mountains, it is very difficult to have the thingsthat are necessary in the way of improvements. 

The people of Oberammergau are a humble, hard-working people. Their mainbusiness is wood carving and they are experts in this work. Without thePassion Play season the demand for their product would not be so great. As is said above these people are very religious. They have a veryexpensive church or two. On a peak of one of the highest mountains inthe vicinity is a gigantic cross. This is kept polished and when the sunshines upon it the sight is very beautiful. Many journey to the top ofthis mountain and the view richly repays one for the difficult climb. 

CHAPTER XIV

THE COUNTRY WHERE THE WAR STARTED--SERVIA

It was a Servian lad who started the war, or rather the fire was allready to start and he lit the match. Whether he was hired to do this ornot as has been reported may never be known as he died before theinvestigation had been completed. Nevertheless, this deed aroused theinterest of the world in a country that was almost unknown before thewar. 

Servia is not quite as large as the state of Indiana. The population isabout double that of Indiana and the climate about the same as thisstate. The northern boundary is, or was at the outbreak of the war, theDanube river, on the east Bulgaria, on the south Greece, while on thewest were Albania, Montenegro and Austria. She was shut away from anyseaports all the years, and most of the time surrounded by enemies, thegreatest of these being Austria on the west and Turkey to the east. 

In natural resources Servia is one of the richest countries in Europe, being productive of soil, good climate, well watered and having largemineral wealth. The Moravia river runs across the great plain in middleServia and is to the country much the same as the Nile is to Egypt. Cornis cultivated everywhere in the country and is perhaps the greatestcrop, while wheat also is largely raised. While various fruits arewidely grown the plum orchards are the most numerous. Grapes also aregrown extensively. Gold, silver, copper, iron and coal are found in manyparts of the country. It is interesting to know that a Belgian companyhas perhaps the largest anthracite coal mine in Servia. Also, there arethree and one-half million acres of forests in this small country. 

The Servians are a race of peasant farmers, eighty per cent of thepeople being tillers of the soil. Most of the farms, however, are verysmall. The average farm is less than twenty acres. Servia perhaps leadsthe world in home owners according to population. Nine-tenths of thefarmers own their farms. This is largely due to laws and old customs. The law allows a man a minimum farm of five acres with a team of oxenand farming implements and no one can take these from him for debt nomatter how just may be his claim. Another law requires everyone tocontribute a certain quantity of corn or wheat each year to a municipalinstitution to be lent in time of need or for seed to anyone and at avery moderate rate of interest. 

Another old custom among the Servians is for the entire community to goand help any man, who may be unfortunate, harvest his grain. This ismade a great day and singing and laughing can be heard all day long inthe fields, and in the evening they have certain religious ceremonieswhich end in a feast with music and dancing. These are great events forthe young folks. It is a custom among the girls for those who are openfor engagement to wear a red feather in their hair. Of late years thefarmers have an organization that is not unlike the grange that we usedto have in this country. Through this they get better markets for whatthey have to sell and lower prices for what they have to buy. Many whoread these lines can call to mind some of the great times that peopleused to have in the meetings and great days in granger times. 

The Servians have some queer customs in regard to death and funerals. Almost every Servian prepares boards with which to make his own coffinand keeps them in a dry place ready for use when he dies. Old women saveup money and sew it in their dresses, to be used to pay their funeralexpenses. If a farmer is able to afford it he generally keeps a barrelof whisky in his cellar, to be drunk at his funeral. 

When the body of a dead person is in the house no one eats anything andthe floors are not swept. After the funeral the floors are swept and thebroom thrown away. For a day after one dies a little bread and a glassof wine are kept in the room with the dead body. They believe the soultarries awhile and might want to eat and drink. They also believe thatthe soul lingers on earth forty days after death, visiting old familiarplaces and on the fortieth day ascends to heaven. 

On the day of a funeral an animal, likely a sheep, but never a goat, iskilled at the grave in the presence of one holding a wax candle. Thisanimal is then roasted and those attending the funeral have a feast, theguests each bringing something to eat with the roast. Women never singor wear flowers or jewelry during the first year of mourning. 

European civilization owes much to the Servians. For hundreds of yearsthese people have fought to save Europe from invasion. They have beenthe bulwark of Christendom against the unspeakable Turk and hisreligion. The bitter trials and hardships of the Servians have made thembrave, heroic and self-sacrificing. This is especially true of thewomen as the following incident among many will show. 

After all the hardships of the Balkan War, when diseases and sufferingwere everywhere; when the land had been left uncultivated and hungerstalked across the country and the women in both town and country hadtoiled unceasingly; after all these days of misery, when Austria wasmentioned to a peasant woman she declared that she was ready for freshsacrifices. Being reminded of what it would mean to have war again shesaid: "What matters the leaves and twigs that fall, provided the treeremains standing. "

There has been a very bitter feeling in Servia against the Austrianssince 1908. In that year Austria had trampled under foot her sacredtreaties and by brute force annexed Bosnia and Herzegovnia, Servia'sneighbors, and had threatened the very existence of Servia herself. Inthe streets of Belgrade, their capital city, on that occasion there wasa vast demonstration held almost in silence and every Servian pledged todo or die at his country's call. They well knew that a conflict wascoming. In that war they had done a noble part but when it came to thesettlement Austria practically refused to allow Servia an Adriatic portand other advantages she had justly earned. 

From that day until the world war broke out, Austria backed and assistedby German secret agents, tried to stir up Albania and Bulgaria againstServia. Turkey too was only waiting for a chance to plunder thiscountry. But worst of all and greatest of all, Servia had the audacityto block the Kaiser's Berlin to Bagdad railway scheme which was to gothrough Belgrade. 

Now the time had arrived when something must be done to provoke a warwith Servia and annihilate her. The self-appointed world ruler ofGermany had decreed it. As he was dictating the policy of Austria shemust find some excuse to do the job. Then came the fateful day, July 29, 1914. On that day the Crown Prince of Austria and his wife wereassassinated at Sarajevo by a Servian youth. 

Not a thing was done openly for twenty-four days. At once on theassassination of the Austrian Grown Prince, the Kaiser called in his warlords and financiers and other great men of his coterie. He asked if allwere ready for war. The army and navy men said they were readyinstantly. The financiers said they could be ready in two weeks. Theywere told to get ready. While this was being done the Kaiser with theAustrian war lords worked out a plan by which the act of this Servianyouth could be laid upon the nation and be made an excuse for war. So onthe twenty-fourth day after the assassination came the ultimatum fromAustria. It came as a thunderclap out of a clear sky. 

The little country was only allowed forty-eight hours to concede theunheardof demands. Diplomats tried to get Austria to extend the time, but she refused to do so. Sir Edward Grey of England led in an effort tobring about arbitration after Austria had declared war, and he all butsucceeded for Austria and Servia both agreed to submit their differencesto arbitration and Russia agreed to this. But just here Germany openlybutted in and declared that she would not arbitrate anything and thusthe war went on until it had involved nation after nation andpractically the whole world was into it either directly or indirectly. 

When the declaration of war came to Servia, their old king was in badhealth and was at a sanitarium. He had appointed his son to the regency. But at the word of war, old King Peter left the watering-place andstarted for the front. With flag in hand he came to the troops andaddressed the men saying: "Soldiers, your old king has come to die withyou; if there be any who are afraid let him turn back. " It is easy toimagine the result. Not one of them turned back, and they easily routedthe enemy and swept all before them. But the story of these terribleyears can only be mentioned. The year 1914 was a year of victory for theServians. But later on came the tremendous reverses, the awful typhusfever and the heroic retreat over the mountains. This retreat is one ofthe saddest and yet one of the most heroic pages of history. FinallyFrance was able to come to the rescue and the Servians found a refuge onthe island of Corfu. Had it not been for France the Servian nation wouldhave been all but annihilated. 

While Servia has never made a contribution to civilization as hasBelgium, she has played such a noble part that she will always have alarge place in the heart of mankind. She has kept the Turk from invadingEurope for centuries and it is hard to realize just what that means. TheTurk has always been a plunderer and has cursed everything he touched. But his cup of iniquity has been filled to overflowing and the deathrattle is in his throat. 

Providence has thus used Servia in a most wonderful way. Her greatvision has been a united country with all the Servians included, wherethey can work out their own problems and live in peace and harmony. These people are devoutly religious, most of them belonging to the GreekOrthodox church. They have great respect for learning. They are a mosthospitable people and any foreigner is always made a welcome guest. Theyare well read in history but have never been favorably inclined towardeither German education or language. They admire and love the French andinvited the French Government to open a school in Belgrade. They havetheir own literature and folklore, their own popular music and nationalsongs. The following are some of their bright proverbs of which theyhave a great many:

"It is better to serve a good man than to give orders to a bad man. 

"It is better to suffer injustice than to commit it. 

"It is better to die honestly than to live dishonestly. 

"It is better to have a good reputation than a golden belt. 

"As long as a man does not dishonor himself no one can dishonor him. 

"Debt is a bad companion. 

"He who wishes to rest when he is old must work when he is young. 

"The lie has short legs. 

"An earnest work is never lost. 

"The unjustly acquired wealth never reaches the third generation. 

"A kind word opens the iron door. 

"God sometimes shuts one door that he may open a hundred other doors. 

"It is better to weep with the wise than to sing with the fool. 

"In the forest a tree leans upon tree, in a nation a man leans on man. 

"Where there is no fear of God there is no shame of man. 

"Where there is no wife there is no home. 

"Where the devil cannot cause mischief he sends an old woman and shedoes it. 

"Work as if you are to live a hundred years, pray to God as if you wereto die tomorrow. "

CHAPTER XV

A WORLD-FAMOUS LAND--PALESTINE

The most fascinating and lureful land on the globe is the little countrywe call Palestine. Since it was wrested from the unspeakable Turk duringthe world war, the eyes of the world have been focused upon it to agreater degree than ever. It is the dearest spot to civilization. Fromit have gone the greatest and most powerful influences for good thatever affected humanity. It produced the one great character which istoday the great center of history. The date of his birth is therecognized beginning of the greatest era in the history of mankind. Thecalendars of the world have been changed by the Galilean carpenter. 

Palestine is less than one-eighth as large as Wisconsin. Smaller thanGreece or Italy or England or even Belgium, it has a greater historyperhaps than all these combined. The book it produced is the foundationof history, literature and law. The hills and valleys, mountains andrivers are hallowed by the memory of him who wore the crown of thorns. The writer of these lines will never forget the tender memories arousedwhen standing on the sacred spots in this world-famous land. 

The man who said: "Palestine is the world in a nutshell, " told the exacttruth. Between snow-capped Mount Herman on the north, which is tenthousand feet above the ocean, and the Dead Sea on the south, which isthirteen hundred feet below the level of the ocean, are found all thezones and climates that can be found on the globe. The geologist findshere not only all the formations of rock found on the earth, but allthe geological periods and ages. The botanist finds here about all theplants, shrubs and flowers; the zoologist finds most all the animals andthe ornithologist finds most all the birds, while the ichthyologistfinds all the fishes. 

It used to be thought that there was at least one exception to the abovenamed rule: that there was at least one type of fish that could not befound in Palestine. The exception was a type of fish found by DavidLivingstone in an inland lake in tropical Africa. Nature has providedthe male of this peculiar fish with a large head and made him theprotector of the school of little fishes when they are first hatched outso that in time of danger he opens his gills and the little ones swiminto his mouth where they will be safe. The habit is unheard of andunparalleled among any fish in the world, so it is said. While for yearsit was supposed that this family of fish was found only in tropicalAfrica, yet some years ago one of this very type of fish was caught inthe sea of Galilee. 

It was the privilege of the writer to visit Palestine some years agowith a converted Jew as a guide. We fell in together on an Italiansteamship on the way from Italy to Egypt. On account of the bubonicplague which was raging in Egypt at the time we were thrown togetheragain unexpectedly, leaving Egypt on the same ship bound for Syria. Wewere quarantined together on a ship in a Syrian harbor and became sowell acquainted that he was persuaded to act as my guide throughPalestine. 

Our first landing place on this sacred soil was at the city of Haifa, which is located at the foot of Mount Carmel near the northern part ofthe country. Haifa is a small city of some ten thousand people and tovisit the market place in the early morning makes one think that thepeople are very much alive. Not far from the city are shown somerock-cut chambers in Mount Carmel that are said to be the very roomswhere Elisha conducted his school for the young prophets. 

On the top of this mountain perhaps four or five miles from Haifa is asort of a natural amphitheater and in this an old, old, rock-cut altarthat is pointed out as the place where Elijah and the prophets of Baalhad the great test to see whose god would answer by fire. At the foot ofthe mountain is a large mound which is to this day called the "Priest'sMound" and which is the traditional burial place of the false prophetswho were slain at that time. 

From Haifa we went to Nazareth which is about eighteen miles in aneastward direction. We traveled for several miles along a railroad thatthe builders had started and then abandoned. The story told me at thetime as to why this project was abandoned became quite significant whenthe war broke out, although it was told me several years before thishappened. They said an English company secured the right to build arailway from Haifa to Damascus. About the time the work was started theKaiser came to visit Palestine. 

Great preparation had been made for this visit and as a worshipper (?)he visited all the sacred places. On his return he spent a week inConstantinople with the Sultan of Turkey and that immediately after thisvisit this Turkish ruler decided that this railway would give theEnglish too much power and the company was compelled to give up thework. Of course the railway was finished later on, but not by theEnglish. As it developed after the war broke out, the Kaiser and theSultan of Turkey had worked together for years. 

Stopping by the highway a Mohammedan woman was drawing water at a welland on request she cheerfully gave us a drink. These people never refuseto help even an enemy get a drink of water so I was told. The women domost of the hard work in Palestine. Where we stopped to pay thegovernment tax that was always collected from travelers, I saw a man andwoman building a stone wall. The only thing the man did was to sit onthe wall while the woman mixed the mortar and carried both it and thestone to him. She even had to lift the stone up on the wall without anyassistance from him, but he did manage to spread the mortar alone. 

Spread out before us was the great Plain of Esdraelon, which was oftenspoken of as the world's greatest battlefield. Here more battles thatdecided the destiny of nations have been fought than on any other spoton the globe. To behold the place where "The stars in their coursesfought against Sisera" and a score of other world-famous struggles was amarvelous sight to say the least. 

Nazareth is a beautiful little city on the side of a mountain. Thestreets are narrow, the paving stones are worn slippery, and the shopsare all open to the streets. In the Church of the Annunciation theypoint out "Joseph's Workshop" and "Mary's Kitchen" and with greatsolemnity show you the tools used by the Galilean carpenter and thecooking utensils used in the sacred home. There is in Nazareth onebuilding the walls of which perhaps were standing nineteen hundredyears ago. This old wall is hoary with age and the Hebrew charactersabove the door indicate that it used to be a Jewish synagogue. Possiblyit was the place where the great sermon was preached which so enragedthe people that they tried to mob the preacher, but he escaped fromtheir hands. 

An amusing experience was when we visited the Hall of Justice. Theofficials found that we had come into their city without permission fromthe authorities at Haifa. At once we were held up and fined. The finesand costs amounted to sixty cents each and I had to pay one dollar andtwenty cents for myself and guide. When this was paid they gave uspermission to proceed on our journey. That all might know that we hadthis permission it was so stated upon the back of our passports. 

The last thing I remember before going to sleep one night in the city ofNazareth was the loud talk of a crazy man in the street near the window. As there were no asylums for these unfortunate people they often justwandered around. I visited the only asylum for crazy people in all Syriaat that time, and Dr. Waldimier told me with his own lips that it tookhim nineteen long years to get permission from the Turkish government tofound the institution. 

From the top of the mountain near Nazareth one has a wonderful view ofthe entire country. As Palestine is less than one hundred and fiftymiles long and but one-third as wide one can see almost entirely overthe land from some high elevation. To the east and southeast of the topof this mountain lies the great Jordan valley with the mountains of Moabin the background. It was from one of these peaks, Mount Nebo, thatMoses viewed the landscape o'er. Only about fifteen miles to thenortheast lies the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias andLake of Gennesaret. One cannot see the water in this lake, but thedepression where it lies is very marked. 

To the north is the "Horn of Hattin, " where the famous Sermon on theMount was given to the assembled multitude. Still further is MountHermon which was the scene of the transfiguration. Still farther awayare the mountains of Lebanon. To the west is old Mount Carmel and beyondthat the great Mediterranean Sea. Stretched out to the southwest is thePlain of Esdraelon, and beyond that the mountains of Samaria. Just eastof this plain are Mount Tabor and Gilboa. One can stand for hours andnot get tired of looking for every foot of the ground is historic. 

CHAPTER XVI

A WORLD-FAMOUS CITY--JERUSALEM

The history of the world is largely the story of the rise and fall ofgreat cities. In these great centers one can feel the heart-throb ofcivilization. Some of the great cities of today are famous for theirsize, such as New York and London; some for their beauty, like Paris andRio Janeiro; some for their culture and learning, as Boston and Oxford;some for their manufacturing and commercial supremacy, as Detroit andLiverpool. But there is one city on the globe not nearly as large as DesMoines, not at all beautiful, its people neither cultured nor learned, has no factories and one narrow gauge railway takes care of most of itscommerce, and yet it is by far the most famous city of all time. It isthe city of Jerusalem. 

The site of the city was once owned by a farmer whose name was Oman. Hehad a threshing floor on the top of Mount Moriah. The city as it istoday is on top of two mountains, but the valley between has been filledup so that it is almost like one continuous mountain top. Highermountains are practically on every side so that the moment one sees thecity he thinks of the scripture, "As the mountains are round aboutJerusalem, so is the Lord round about his people. "

To get an idea of the city as it was when the war broke out you mustimagine a city of about sixty thousand people, without street cars, electric lights, telephones, waterworks, sewer system or any modernimprovements whatever. However, General Allenby's entrance into the cityin December, 1917, was the beginning of a new era. In three months theEnglish did more for the city than the Turk did in a thousand years. 

There is an old Arab legend which says: "Not until the River Nile flowsinto Palestine will the Turk be driven from Palestine. " Of course thiswas their way of saying that such a thing would never come to pass forthe Turk actually believed that he had such a hold on that country thatthere was no power on earth that could make him give it up. But when theEnglish started from Egypt they not only built a railroad as they wenttoward Jerusalem, but not far from the Nile they prepared a greatfiltering process to cleanse the water, and then laid a twelve-inch pipeand brought the pure water along with them for both man and beast. 

Wherever they stopped for a length of time in the desert, "the glowingsands became pools, " as the prophet had forecasted, and the desert beganto "blossom as the rose. " Sixty-five days after General Allenby enteredthe Jaffa Gate into the city of Jerusalem the water pipe or system wasbrought into the city and the Canadian engineer had made the Arab legenda reality, bringing the sweet waters of the Nile, a hundred and fiftymiles away, into the City of the Great King. 

Jerusalem is to this day a walled city. The walls average some thirtyfeet high and are about fifteen feet thick at the top. It is a littleless than two and one-half miles around the city wall, but the cityitself has outgrown these limitations, quite a portion of it being onthe outside of the wall. The hotel at which the writer stopped whilevisiting the city some years ago, was located outside the wall, as aremany of the best buildings. The streets are narrow, the houses haveflat tops and many of them are but one or two stories high. 

There was a time, however, when this city boasted of having the finestbuilding ever erected by the hands of man, viz: Solomon's Temple. Thiswas built on Mount Moriah which was a great flat mountain top of unevenrock. Great arches were built around the sides and then the top leveledoff until the large temple area was formed. Below the sides of this areaare still seen the massive rooms that are called Solomon's stables. Thewriter rambled for hours through these great underground vaults and sawthe holes in the stone pillars where the horses were tied. Heremultiplied thousands took refuge during some of the memorable siegesthat the city went through. 

Not far away are the great vaults known as Solomon's Quarries. Here iswhere the massive stones were "made ready" and the master builder'splans were so perfect that, "there was neither hammer nor ax nor anytool of iron heard in the temple while it was in building. " The marks ofthe mason's tools and the niches where their lamps were placed can beseen to this day. It is a remarkable fact that in sinking shaftsalongside the temple wall, great stones have been discovered but nostone chips are found by them. There are numerals and quarry marks andspecial mason marks on some of these stones but they are all Phoenician, thus confirming the Bible account that Hiram, the great Phoenicianmaster builder prepared the stones and did the building for KingSolomon. 

Jerusalem has several large churches the most noted of which is the onebuilt over the traditional tomb of Christ. It is called the "Church ofthe Holy Sepulchre. " For sixteen hundred years there was no questionbut what this tomb was the identical one in which the body of Christ waslaid. This church as it stands today is a magnificent building with twogreat entrances. The sad thing about it is the fact that it is dividedup into various chapels, each held by sects of so-called Christians, anda large-armed guard has to be kept in the church to keep these fanaticalpeople from killing each other. Before soldiers were placed there, scenes of conflict and bloodshed were very common indeed--a sadspectacle for Jews and Moslems and other enemies of the Christ to gazeupon. 

In the Church of Pater Noster I counted the Lord's Prayer in thirty-twodifferent languages inscribed on marble slabs so that almost any personfrom any country can read this prayer in his own language. In thisconnection it is interesting to note that at the gate entrance to thePool of Bethesda the scripture story of the healing of the impotent manis written, or rather inscribed, beneath the arch, in fifty-onedifferent languages. 

One of the large churches in the city was dedicated by the ex-kaiserwhen he visited the city in 1898. It was later found out that thisGerman church was built for military purposes. During the war a wirelessoutfit and great searchlights were found in its tower. Thisself-appointed world ruler is represented on the ceiling of the chapelof a building on Mount Olivet in a companion panel with the Deity. Inthis same building the ex-kaiser is represented as a crusader by afigure and the Psalmist is painted with the moustache of a Germangeneral. When the ex-kaiser entered the city of Jerusalem, a breach wasmade in the wall near the Jaffa Gate, so instead of entering throughthe gate like an ordinary mortal, he went in through a hole in the wall. He would no doubt be glad now to go through another "hole in the wall"to have his liberty. 

To the writer, however, perhaps the most interesting place in or aboutthe entire city is the Garden Tomb and Mount Calvary. This is almostnorth of the Damascus gate and on the great highway from Jerusalem fromthe north. Mount Calvary is only a small hill. The Jews speak of it asthe Hill of Execution, or the Skull Place, as the outline of the hillseen from a certain direction resembles the form of a gigantic skull. Itis said that no Jew cares to pass this place after night and if hepasses it in daylight he will mutter a curse upon the memory of him whopresumed to be the King of the Jews. 

Near this Skull Place is an old tomb that just fits the Bible narrative, viz: "Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and inthe garden a new sepulchre wherein never man was yet laid. " This tombwas discovered many years ago by General Gordon and is often spoken ofas Gordon's Tomb, also called the Garden Tomb. When excavating about ita wall was found which proved to be a garden wall the end of which buttsup against Mount Calvary. One writer who has examined every nook andcorner says in regard to this tomb: "It stands in the mass of rock whichforms the northern boundary of a garden which literally runs into thehillside to the west of Mount Calvary itself. "

One of the first things noted as the writer went into this tomb was thefact that it is a Jewish tomb. They made their tombs different fromthose of any other people. That it was a "rich man's tomb" is also verycertain, as is the fact that it dates back to the Herodian period inwhich Jesus lived. There is also some frescoed work upon it showing thatit was held sacred by the early Christians. Then the "rolling stone" andthe groove in which it was placed is very interesting. This wassomething like a gigantic grindstone which rolled in the groove and waslarge enough to cover the opening when the tomb was closed. 

While in and about Jerusalem the writer visited the famous "Upper Room, "the "Jew's Wailing Place, " the "Mosque of Omar, " which stands upon thevery spot where Solomon's Temple used to stand, the "Way of Sorrows, "the "Ecco Homo Arch, " the "Castle of Antonio, " "Tower of David, " the"Pool of Siloam, " and a great many other interesting places. The Gardenof Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives as well as scores of other placeswere fascinating but it would take a large volume to describe them all. 

CHAPTER XVII

A WORLD-FAMOUS RIVER--THE JORDAN

The great Mississippi and Amazon rivers are noted for their length; theHudson and the Rhine for their scenery; the Thames and Tiber for thegreat cities on their banks; the Volga and the Dneiper for theircommerce; the Nile and the Yellow rivers for their annual overflow, theformer to give life and the latter to destroy; and the Euphrates andTigress for the ruins of mighty cities of other days. 

But this chapter is a description of a river only a little more than twohundred miles in length, no scenery to speak of near it, never a greatcity on its banks, no sail or steamboat for commerce ever traveled uponits waters, no one scarcely ever cared whether it was within its banksor not, and not even any ruins worth while along its shores; and yet itis today and has been for centuries the most famous river on the face ofthe earth. 

It is the River Jordan, and a glimpse of it brings forth some of themost wonderful characteristics possessed by any river, as well as manyhistorical events that make their memories dear to the hearts of men andwomen wherever civilization has found its way. Unlike all other riverswhich rise in some elevated place and flow toward the sea level, nearlyevery mile of this river is below the surface of the ocean. 

At the foot of Mount Herman in northern Palestine there is a spring ofwater that is almost ice cold. That spring is but a few hundred feetabove sea level. The water from this spring is joined by that of severalother springs and small rivulets caused by the melting snows on themountain, flows to the south a distance of a few miles, and forms asmall lake which is about three miles wide and four miles long. Thislake is just on a level with the Mediterranean Sea which is only aboutthirty miles to the west. This is spoken of in the Bible as "the watersof Merom. " From the southern end of this lake the Jordan begins. 

The first ten and one-half miles the water falls six hundred and eightyfeet to where it enters the Sea of Galilee. This pear-shaped body ofwater is a little more than a dozen miles long and half that wide and issurrounded by mountains. The river enters through a small canyon at thenorthwest and passes out through another canyon at the south end. Sometimes the wind will rush down the canyon at the northwest and in afew moments the waters of the lake are like a great whirlpool. Thesesudden storms often imperil any small boats which may be out on the seaas was the case in Bible times when the Master was sleeping and hisdisciples awakened him, saying: "Lord, save us; we perish. "

From this body of water to the point where the Jordan empties into theDead Sea is only sixty-five miles by airline, but the way the riverwinds like a gigantic serpent, one would travel twice that distance werehe to go in a boat. This Jordan valley is from four to fourteen mileswide and the mountains on each side rise to the height of from fifteenhundred to three thousand feet. 

Within this Jordan valley is what might be called an inner valley whichis from a quarter of a mile to a mile wide, and from fifty to somethinglike seventy-five feet deep. This might be called the river bottom andthe river winds like a snake in this smaller valley. That boy was awise lad who wrote a description of the Jordan as follows: "The Jordanis a river which runs straight down through the middle of Palestine, butif you look at it very closely, _it wriggles about_. " When the riveroverflows it simply covers the bottom of this inner valley. 

As noted above, the Sea of Galilee is six hundred and eighty feet belowthe level of the ocean. During this sixty-five miles (airline) to theDead Sea, it falls more than six hundred feet more, so that the Dead Seaitself is about thirteen hundred feet below the level of theMediterranean Sea which is only forty miles west. Should a canal be cutacross to the Mediterranean which would let the water through, not onlywould the Dead Sea and the River Jordan disappear, but the Sea ofGalilee be included in a great inland sea east of Palestine. 

While the Jordan as well as other smaller streams flow continually intothe Dead Sea, it is said that it never raises an inch. This, with thefact that this body of water has no outlet whatever, makes a problem towhich geologists and scientific men have failed to give a satisfactorysolution. Of course, the water evaporates very rapidly, but in thespring when the Jordan overflows and pours a much greater volume ofwater into it, how does it come that it evaporates so much faster thanat any other time in the year?

When the writer visited the Dead Sea the water was as smooth as glass. The water is so salty that a human body will not sink in it at all. Should the body go under it will bob up again like a cork. I have neverlearned to swim; in deep water simply cannot keep my feet up, but in theDead Sea they could not be kept down, and of course I could swim like aduck. Nothing grows near this body of water. Everything about it isdead. Like some people, it is always receiving but never giving. At themouth of the Jordan one can see dead fish floating on the water. Whencarried by the swift current into this salty water they soon die. 

The River Jordan runs very swiftly. It is about the size of the DesMoines river in northern Iowa, not nearly so large as this river in thesouthern part of the state. At the fords of the Jordan I waded out intothe stream but the current was so swift that I did not attempt to goentirely across. 

Here at this ford occurred some of the greatest events of Bible history. On the plain just east of the river the Children of Israel were encampedwhen Moses went up on Mount Nebo, looked over the Promised Land, foldedhis arms and peacefully passed into the great beyond. It must have beenan exciting day for the entire camp when they last saw their greatleader become a mere speck on the mountain side and finally disappearaltogether. They not only never saw him again but they never were ableto find a trace of his body. 

There must have been much speculation among these people as to whatbecame of Moses until in some miraculous way Joshua was informed thatthe great leader was dead and that he must now take charge and lead thepeople across the Jordan into the Promised Land. After thirty daysmourning for Moses, the great company marched down to the river; it wasopened for them and they crossed on dry ground. The record also statesthat this crossing was at the time when the river was out of its banksand this whole bottom, nearly a mile wide, was a rushing torrent. Perhaps this accounts for the fact that the enemies who had takenpossession of the Promised Land were totally unprepared for theircoming, feeling secure while the river was so high and dangerous. 

Another great event which occurred was when the old prophet Elijah andthe young prophet Elisha crossed the river together and the young mancame back alone later on for Elijah was taken up to heaven in awhirlwind. Now fifty young men had followed the two prophets to theriver and when Elisha came back alone and told them how the chariot offire came after Elijah they simply couldn't believe it and finally wentacross and searched the mountains for three days trying to find hisbody. Failing to find the body, together with the fact that they hadwitnessed the parting of the waters when the two men went over and thesame when Elisha came back alone, was sufficient evidence to them thatthe young prophet had told the truth. 

Evidently this event created a great impression all over the country andyoung men came to the school for the prophets which was located near, that the buildings had to be enlarged. Every student borrowed an ax andwent to work felling trees along the river bank. In one case the ax flewoff the handle and went into the water. The young man was greatlytroubled about this for it was a borrowed one. Word reached the prophetElisha and he came out and caused the ax to come to the surface. 

But perhaps the greatest of all events that occurred at this place wasthe baptism of Christ. John the Baptist must have been the Billy Sundayof his day for the crowds that came to hear him were immense. One dayamong others who came was a fine looking young man who asked forbaptism. But the preacher knew him and refused, saying that he wasunworthy to do this, but the young man, who was no other than the Masterhimself, explained the situation and the preacher hesitated no longer. 

In connection with the River Jordan and the bodies of water at each end, it is interesting to note that the first man to take the level and giveto the world the remarkable facts about the physical characteristics ofthis wonderful and world-famous river, was an American. His name wasLynch and he was a lieutenant in the American Navy. At the close of theMexican War, our Government permitted Lieutenant Lynch to take tenseamen and two small boats and make this exploration. The boats weretaken overland to the Sea of Galilee and launched and this man and hishelpers went down the river to the Dead Sea in them, and thus gave tothe world the remarkable facts about this wonderful country. 

CHAPTER XVIII

THE PLAYGROUND OF MOSES--EGYPT

Next to Palestine, Egypt is perhaps the most interesting country on theglobe to visit. For great antiquity and splendor no land surpasses thiscradle of civilization. The science, art and architecture of theEgyptians is the marvel of leading men even to this day. The schools ofEgypt produced the greatest characters of all ages before the coming ofChrist. The wisdom of this ancient race as well as some of theengineering feats command the respect of these modern days. 

Take a map of Texas and California together, place a map of modern Egyptupon it and you will have enough left to make West Virginia. AncientEgypt was only about one-fourth as large as modern Egypt. The greaterportion of the land always has been and is today a desert. The thirteenmillion people practically live on the narrow valley of the Nile in astrip of territory from five to fifteen miles wide except down near thesea. 

Not far from Cairo is a place called Fayoum. The name means "A ThousandDays. " A missionary told me how it got this name. When Joseph was an oldman some of the younger officers wanted him deposed and they said thathe was no longer fit to be at the head of affairs. They said that nearthe city was a great swamp and if he were capable he would have drainedthis land. They, of course, did not think this was possible, hence thesuggestion. 

Putting their heads together they went to the old councillor andpersuaded him to put the impossible task up to Joseph believing that hisfailure would be so ignominious that he would be deposed. At onceJoseph called Egypt's greatest civil engineers, outlined his plan, tookhundreds of laborers, went to work and in sixty days the swamp wascompletely drained. When the old adviser was taken out to see how wellthe work was done, he was so amazed that he exclaimed: "That would havebeen a mighty work for a thousand days, " and it is called Fayoum to thisday. Today the gardens and orchards of Fayoum are among the finest andmost productive in all Egypt. 

No one can go over this land without walking in the footsteps of Moses, for Egypt was his playground. Of course I was shown the exact (?) spotwhere the little ark was found among the bullrushes in the River Nile. When Pharoah's daughter saw the little child she was touched and thusthe destiny of a nation hung on the cry of a little child. Miriam, thesister of Moses appeared just in the nick of time and when the princesstold her to call one of the Hebrew women her feet hardly touched theground in her effort to get her mother to the spot. When the littlehands were held out toward the joyous mother she was told to take thechild and nurse him and thus she was paid wages for bringing up her ownchild upon whom the sentence of death had been pronounced. 

Not far from the spot mentioned above is the famous Nilometer that Moseslooked upon many a time. As I went down the steps to get a nearer viewof this measuring apparatus a panorama of the old days seemed to comebefore my eyes. The very life of the people depended upon the overflowof the Nile. June 17th was one of the great days for on that day almostas regular as the sunrise the upper Nile began to rise. A few days lateran anxious crowd gathered to see the water mark on the Nilometer beginto come up. About July third the criers started on their daily roundsthrough the city announcing the measurement. If it was up to normal thepeople were happy and if not they were sad. When the rise was abouttwenty feet the "Completion" or "Abundance of the Nile" was announcedand preparation was made for the opening of the canal which time was aregular jubilee among the people. 

All night long before this ceremony rockets were fired at intervals andin the morning at the appointed time the governor and those with him"cut the dam" and the inundation started. For more than a month thecanals were full, and the fields were flooded and a thin coat of finepulverized soil was spread over the ground like a carpet and when seedwas placed in the ground it grew like in a hothouse. At Cairo the Nilewould often rise twenty-five feet. 

During these days a great deal of irrigating is done all through theseason. In some places ponderous machinery is used but to this day alarge portion of work is done by hand. One of the most common sightsalong the Nile is the shadoof. This is a long pole with a weight on oneend and a bucket on the other. Hour after hour half dressed men andwomen will dip up water and pour it into irrigation ditches. Greatwooden waterwheels are also used and an ox or donkey or man or woman ora blinded camel will go round and round and you can hear this woodenwheel squeak for a mile. The little buckets on the waterwheel keep analmost endless stream flowing into the irrigation ditch. 

Another method is a sort of a paddle wheel on a windlass upon which anative will walk hour after hour. This turns a kind of an endless chainsomething like the old-fashioned cistern pump with which we are allfamiliar. In Egypt nearly everything is done by hand as man power ischeaper than machinery. I saw them grading a railroad with wheelbarrows, not even a cart or a donkey on the job. The great bridge across the Nileused to be opened by hand and boats pulled through by hand. It was amost interesting sight to the writer for a hundred or more men to gethold of a large rope and begin to heave-to. Soon the boat would begin tomove slowly. 

As a rule people in Egypt are very poor. The plague of flies has not yetceased in Egypt. Children are dirty and often diseased and the streetsof the old portion of the city of Cairo literally swarm with them. Whilethe people generally look quite hearty and well fed, yet beggars areeverywhere. "Backsheesh" is about the first word the little child learnsto speak and the last word an old beggar lisps before he dies. From noonuntil two-thirty or three o'clock shops are closed and thousands ofpeople drop down where they are and go to sleep. Riding through oldCairo at this time of day my donkey had to pick his way, often steppingover people who were sound asleep. 

Many of the customs of Egyptians always have been different from thoseof other nations. Here women seldom pray to any god but men pray to allof them. Women carry burdens on their shoulders while men carry them ontheir heads. Women buy and sell in the market while their men sit athome and spin. The daughter instead of the son is supposed to care forthe old folks when they become feeble and helpless. In kneading doughthey use their feet while in handling mud they use their hands. Otherpeoples consider themselves above the beasts but the Egyptians made godsof the beasts and worshipped them. When an ancient enemy attacked Egypt, dogs, cats, and other beasts were driven at the head of the army and theEgyptians would surrender rather than run the risk of killing theirsacred animals. 

The people in Egyptian cities do not eat their evening meal until fromeight to ten at night. The restaurants have their tables in the streetsand the people eat and shop at the same time. Watching the people at alarge restaurant in Cairo, one night, I wrote down a list of thearticles offered for sale while they were eating their evening meal. Here is the list: Alarm clocks, nuts, bread, lead pencils, fish, knives, cards, live chickens, cigars, cigarettes, cakes, eggs, mutton, matches, melons, watches, flowers, rugs, fancy boxes, stands, socks, perfumes, balloons, fruits of all kinds, slippers, canes, neckties, whips andguns. 

In addition to these venders, blind beggars and cripples, travelingmusicians, gamblers with all kinds of devices, fortune tellers withwheels of fortune and many others were among the people all the time. After eating, many of the people drink wine and play cards until theearly morning. All this time nearly everybody was talking at once and itwas a regular circus to watch them. Several times hot words were passedbut as a rule the people were in good humor and seemed to be having agood time. 

One of the much used and often abused beasts in Egypt is the camel. Riding a camel for the first time is quite an experience. The beastwill lie down, but it is continually snarling and when it gets up you gothrough all kinds of motions. As I rode around the great pyramid andsphinx on one of these beasts the swing was not unlike that of a greatrocking chair and while this ship of the desert did not seem to be goingfast I noticed that the driver was running and the donkey alongside wason the gallop most of the time. 

At the time I was in Egypt one could purchase a fairly good camel for alittle less than one hundred dollars. These beasts can live on next tonothing. They will strip a shrub of leaves and stems. A camel can eatand drink enough at one time to last it a week or ten days. The nativessay that it lives on the fat of its hump. When a camel is weary from along march across the desert the hump almost disappears and then as iteats its fill the hump becomes strong and hard again. It will carry aburden of from five to six hundred pounds. 

The city of Cairo is full of interesting sights. The streets of thebetter portion of the city are well paved and the buildings substantialand several stories high. The streets are sprinkled by hand. These mencarry a skin of water--often half a barrel--and by means of a nozzlethey throw it everywhere. There are many beautiful parks and drives inand about the city. The wonderful palms and other trees furnish shadeand although the sun shines very hot it is quite cool under these trees. 

Runners go ahead of carriages containing prominent persons tellingpeople to get out of the way for so and so is coming. Many people stopand look as they go by. An interesting sight was a wedding procession. It was headed by a band and an enclosed carriage with a black clothover it contained the bride while the groom walked alongside holding onto the carriage. Following along behind on foot were the relatives andthe rabble of the streets. My guide explained that when a wedding takesplace a cloth is hung from the window and kept there for three days soone can go through the city and pick out the homes where they have had awedding within that time. 

One of the lost arts is the Egyptian method of embalming the bodies ofthe dead. It seems that they believed that the spirit will return to thebody in the course of time and they undertook to preserve the body asnear perfect as possible until that time arrived. There are multipliedthousands of these mummies in Egypt. In the great museum in Cairo themummy of the Pharoah who made the burdens of the enslaved Hebrewsheavier can be seen today. Little did he think that in thousands ofyears the descendants of these people would spit in the face of hismummy, but they often do that very thing. 

In the old days it is said that they used to license robbery and governit by law. The spoil was taken to the robber chief and the victim couldgo and claim his property and by paying a certain per cent of its valuerecover the property, after which the man who did the stealing couldsecure from the chief his portion of the proceeds. We laugh at this buthow much worse is it than some of the things we license today?

I had a most pleasant visit in the home of Dr. Ewing, a UnitedPresbyterian missionary. The United Presbyterian people have done andare doing a most remarkable work in Egypt. A visit to their mission inCairo was wonderfully interesting to say the least. I was presentedwith some coins there, the smallest of which was worth, at that time, one-sixteenth of a penny, but the missionaries assured me that thosecoins were seldom used except in church collections. 

CHAPTER XIX

A COUNTRY WITH A THOUSAND RIVERS--VENEZUELA

Years ago two miners worked together for months and finally came to knoweach other as Tom and Jack. One day Tom was not well and could not domuch but watch Jack dig. After noting some movements of the body thatseemed familiar he said: "Jack, where did you come from?" The two mensat down and talked of boyhood days and found that they were born in thesame community and had played together when they were small boys. Herethey had worked together for months without knowing that they wereneighbors; they actually got up and shook hands with each other. 

Venezuela is our nearest neighbor to the south. This country is nearerto Florida than New Orleans is to New York and yet we have lived side byside for four hundred years and hardly knew we were neighbors. We mighthave been friends and greatly assisted each other all these years. Is itnot about time we were getting acquainted and shaking hands with eachother?

It is surprising to know that Venezuela is as large as Maine, NewHampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, the two Virginias, North and SouthCarolina and Georgia combined. It is a country that has a thousandrivers. In some parts of it you can travel for days in regions where asyet no white man has ever set his foot. One writer says that of all thecountries in the world Venezuela is the one for which God has done themost and man has done the least. 

This great country has been called the hunting ground of South America. This is not so much because of the abundance of game, although all kindsof wild animals are plentiful; it has been given this appellationbecause of its unstable government. Its treasury has been looted againand again. Even the president of Venezuela was for years a criminal. Herobbed merchants of other countries who tried to do business with hisgovernment. He imprisoned those who refused to assist him and ran thingsin a high-handed way. Business firms of other lands found this out anddid not care to do business with such a country or help develop itsresources in any way. 

We are not ashamed of our revolution in 1776 for its purpose was to gainour independence. During the past seventy or eighty years Venezuela hashad more than a half hundred revolutions but generally they were gottenup to give an excuse for pillage and robbery rather than to make abetter country or government. Things are better now, however, and a newday is dawning for these unhappy people. 

The main port or entrance to this country is La Guaira and sailors sayit is about the worst port to enter in the world. This port citycontains about fifteen thousand people and has but a single street. Thehigh mountains are so near the sea that there is only a narrow strip ofland at the foot and on this narrow strip the city is built. The sea isnearly always rough and the weather always hot. How people can enduresuch extreme heat all the time is a mystery. 

All along this coast strip of Venezuela are plantations generallycovered with cocoa trees. From the beans of this tree are made cocoa andchocolate. Coffee is also a staple crop. At the piers will be noticedbags of coffee and cocoa beans, great quantities of rubber and piles ofhides. As we are nearer to them than other foreign countries we now usemuch of their products. The population of this great country is only alittle more than that of the state of Iowa. 

Back only six or eight miles, in a direct line, from La Guaira and theblue waters of the Caribbean sea, high up in the mountains is a greatvalley in which is located the capital city of Venezuela. This city, Caracas, is about as large as Sioux City, Iowa, but to get to it is somejob. It is only about twenty-five miles by rail and this railroad wasabout as difficult to build as any of our mountain railroads. The trackscling to the mountain sides almost like vines cling to brick walls, andthe curves are so short that one riding in the end coach can nearlyreach the engineer. One can look hundreds of feet into caverns andgorges that seem almost like the bottomless pit. 

Venezuela got its name from Venice, Italy, in the following way. One ofthe earliest explorers sailing along the coast saw the Indian villagesbuilt on piles in the water along the shore and was reminded of theItalian city and called the country Venezuela, which means "littleVenice. "

Here lived Las Casas, a priest who was the Indian's greatest champion inthe early days and who is said to be the father of African Slavery inthe new world. It was he who suggested that negroes be imported to laborin the fields and mines that the Indians might have an easier time. Brought from Africa to work that the Indians might rest, these blackpeople became the slaves of all. 

Venezuela was the birthplace of the great Simon Bolivar and otherpatriots who were fired with enthusiasm against Spanish oppression andliterally gave their lives that the colonies might be free. Even thecoins of the old days were stamped with Bolivar's name and everywhere heis revered as the George Washington of that country. 

In one of the large museums is a room in which are kept the greatliberator's clothing, saddle, boots and spears and these things are assacred to them as the Ark of the Covenant was to the Jews. In this sameroom is a portrait of Washington upon which is the inscription: "Thispicture of the liberator of North America is sent by his adopted son tohim who acquired equal glory in South America. "

Through this country runs one of the world's greatest rivers, theOrinoco, which with its tributaries furnishes more than four thousandmiles of navigable rivers. This great river system drains a territory ofthree hundred and sixty thousand square miles. 

It is rather strange that in this country with lovely and productivevalleys whose irrigated orchards and gardens make a regular paradise, that the farming classes should be poor and ignorant, without ambitionor education and be satisfied to live in comfortless, tumble-down hutswithout furniture or any of the improvements that make life worthliving. But such is the case. Here where there are millions of coffeetrees, fields of sugar cane and orchards of oranges, lemons and allkinds of tropical fruit, where the farmer could be happiest, he isabout the most miserable creature that could be found. In his miserablehome he has no lamp or candle, no books or papers of any sort. 

While Venezuela is rich in mines and forests, grain and livestock, coffee and rubber, dyes and medicines, gold and copper, lead and coal, to say nothing of tropical fruits and vegetables, she has anotherproduct that makes her known the world around. This is asphalt, ormineral pitch as it is sometimes called. This makes the smoothest streetpaving of any material known. It is also used extensively for calkingvessels, making waterproof roofs, lining cold storage plants, makingvarnishes as well as shoe blacking as well as in a hundred other ways. 

At the mouth of the Orinoco river is the Island of Trinidad upon whichis the famous pitch lake. This is the most noted deposit of asphaltknown. This lake is a mile and a half across and looks, from a distance, like a pond surrounded with trees. Nearing it, however, one soondiscovers that it contains anything but water. 

This material is of a dark green color and at the border is hard andstrong enough to bear quite a heavy weight, but near the center it isalmost like a boiling mass. The asphalt is dug from the edges of thelake, loaded on carts, hauled to the port and from there shipped tonearly every country on the globe. Two hundred thousand tons per yearhave been taken from the lake and yet there is no hole to be seen. Negroworkmen dig it to the depth of a couple of feet and in a week or so thehole is level with the top again. 

The government of Trinidad has leased the asphalt lake to an Americancompany and the income amounts to nearly a quarter of a million dollarsper year. Nobody knows how deep the asphalt bed is for borings have beenmade a hundred feet or more deep and there was no bottom. The heat isintense all around this lake. 

About fifty miles from the coast in Venezuela there is another asphaltlake and the material in it is of finer quality than at Trinidad, but itis hard to reach. Some believe that the two deposits are connected by asubterranean passage and supplied from the same source. It was from thisinland lake of asphalt that the material was procured to protect the NewYork subway tunnels from moisture, so it is said. 

In the central part of Venezuela are the llanos which are said to beabout the best pasture lands in the world. The chief industry here iscattle raising. More than two million head of cattle feed, upon thesellanos, but they are capable of feeding many times that number. 

One reason why the people of this country have no ambition to lay up forthe future or even get large herds of cattle has been because of thenumerous revolutions of the past. Every time they have succeeded ingetting large herds of cattle or stores of grain a revolution would comeand their property be seized and often destroyed. 

No people can be prosperous and happy without a stable government, schools and colleges and the influences that are uplifting. This is thegreat need of many of the countries of South America today. Just here itis well for the farmers of this country to congratulate themselves. Thewriter of these lines has traveled nearly all over the world and havingbeen a farmer all his early life it is only natural that he would tryto study the problems of the farmers in all lands. 

It is therefore with pride that one can say that considering all thecomplex problems with which the American farmer has to grapple, he is ahundred times better off than his brother farmers in any country in theworld. He is more independent, has more privileges, more opportunitiesfor making the most of life, has higher ideals, and lives better thanthe tillers of the soil in any other country on earth. 

CHAPTER XX

A LAND OF GREAT INDUSTRIES--BRAZIL

You could take a map of the whole United States, lay it down on Braziland still have room for England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Denmark andSwitzerland left. Walk around Brazil and you have traveled a distanceequal to two-thirds of a journey around the globe. If every man, womanand child in the United States were placed in Matto Grasso, the state inBrazil where Roosevelt discovered the "River of Doubt, " in 1914, thatstate would not have as many people to the square mile as England has atthis moment. If all the people on earth were placed in Brazil thepopulation of that country would not be as dense as that of Belgiumtoday. 

Brazil could produce enough rubber to supply the whole world withautomobile tires for generations and never have to plant another rubbertree to do it, that is, of course, if all her rubber forests could beutilized. From a single Brazilian port is shipped one-fourth of all thecoffee used in the whole world. In a single Brazilian state there areten thousand coffee plantations that have more than fifty thousand treeseach and six hundred of them have more than one hundred thousand treeseach. 

Brazil might be called the "jewel box" of the world. Her diamond fieldsrival those of South Africa. Her mines produced a single stone that soldfor fifteen million dollars. One writer says: "Of all the fabulous talesrelated of bonanza princes the palm for extravagance belongs to theearly mining days of Brazil, when horses were shod with gold, whenlawyers supported their pleadings before judges with gifts of whatappeared at first sight to be oranges and bananas, but proved to besolid gold imitations, when guests were entertained at dinner withpebbles of gold in their soup and when nuggets were the most convenientmedium of exchange in the money market. "

Would you like to go nutting? Brazil has the greatest groves on earth. Some of these nut trees grow to a height of a hundred and fifty feet andhave a girth of twenty feet, fifty feet up from the ground. A singletree is said to produce as many as three tons of nuts during a season. In the trees of Brazil are found sixteen hundred species of birds. Thereare parrots galore and sixty-five varieties of woodpeckers have beencatalogued. One family of birds in Brazil are said to be devoutChristians as they never work but six days in the week. 

One would naturally suppose that in Brazil the weather would beextremely hot as the equator runs across the great Amazon valley. Butthe nights are cool and sunstroke is unknown. Frost can be seen in thehighlands at certain times in the year. While fevers rage in parts ofthe land, yet most of the country is conducive to good health. The verydangerous parts of the Amazon valley are limited to certain parts of thecountry. 

Some years ago at a contest in Paris between twelve hundred children thefirst prize for healthy appearance was given to a boy born in Manaos ofAmazonian parents. This city is in the very heart of the jungle in theAmazon valley. There is one authenticated case of a man in this valleywho lived to be one hundred and forty-five years old. 

In the dense forests of the uplands of Brazil there are people who areliving in the stone age of culture. They are practically wild tribes whoknow nothing about the use of metal, in fact, they know but little aboutcivilization. They are said to be ignorant of common food such asbananas and rice. They seem to have no idea of a supreme being, believein a soul that goes wandering about after death. 

In some parts of Brazil rice is cultivated quite extensively and itmakes a cheap food. It is said that in one place a man from Louisiana isrunning an experimental rice farm showing the Brazilian farmers how tocultivate Japanese rice. Rather strange, isn't it, that United Statesfarmers should be teaching the Brazilian farmers Japanese agriculture?

A peculiar thing about the land of Brazil is the absence of earth worms. In our country these worms improve the physical condition of the soilbut there this lack is made up by the multiplied millions of ants thatburrow down deep into the earth. In our country, too, the chemicalchanges of winter help prepare the soil for the coming crops, but inBrazil there is no winter season when the land "sleeps" and it does notseem to be necessary. 

While in the great rubber industry of Brazil the trees grow and producewith but little if any cultivation, this is not true of the coffeetrees. They have to be cultivated and carefully looked after. Insectpests that are so destructive to coffee trees in many countries, arealmost absent in Brazil and this fact has not a little to do with makingthis the greatest coffee country in the world. In the state of SaoPaulo almost the entire energies of the people are absorbed in thecoffee industry. 

This state is a little larger than Colorado and is the most powerfulstate of the twenty that make up the United States of Brazil. The nameof the capital is the same as that of the state and the city of SaoPaulo is about as large as Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is noted for itsbeauty and industry. The climate is delightful, always cool, but neverfreezing cold. With more than one hundred elementary schools besidesnumerous high schools and colleges it is perhaps the greatesteducational center of the country. Near this city is the largest coffeeplantation in the world. It contains something like eight million treesand takes about eight thousand people to run it. This one plantationproduces twenty million pounds of coffee annually and there are thirtyrailroad stations upon it. 

A well kept coffee tree is about twelve feet high when full grown. Theleaves are a shiny green, a little like holly. The trees bloom inSeptember and fill the air with fragrance. As the white blossoms fadethe berries begin to form. May is the harvest time. Harvest hands comein large numbers as they do in Kansas or the Dakotas during the wheatharvest. Workmen are paid according to the amount they gather and someof them gather fifty pounds a day. 

The coffee berries are first stripped from the tree then raked and piledinto baskets. Next they are run through a machine that takes the beanout of the covering, then into tanks of water where they are thoroughlywashed and then comes the drying process. It used to take weeks to getthe coffee beans well dried and men had to watch and keep stirring thepiles continually, but quite recently a new process was discovered bywhich they are dried by steam. 

After the coffee beans are thoroughly dried they are run through rollersthat break the skin covering and great ventilators blow the chaff away. Then the beans are poured into a gigantic sieve with different sizedholes which are chutes in reality and from which endless streams ofcoffee graded according to size run into a large room. At each streamstand women who pick out imperfect or damaged grains. The coffee is thensacked and is ready for shipment. The ordinary bag of coffee weighsabout one hundred and twenty pounds. Santo is the great coffee port andhere can be seen ships from every civilized land taking on cargoes ofcoffee. If it is well kept coffee gets better with age, so it can bepiled in great warehouses for months or even years and not deteriorate. Nearly a dozen million bags of coffee are shipped from Santo annuallyand as we are the greatest coffee drinkers in the world about half ofthe entire crop comes to us. 

Formerly many of the coffee plantations were worked by slaves. Negroeswere brought from South Africa, as they were brought to work in thecotton fields in the south in anti-slavery days. In the year 1888 Brazilfreed her slaves and the sudden freeing of a half million slaves almostdemoralized the coffee and sugar industries of the country. Many ofthese negroes thought that freedom meant that they would never have towork any more and they became loafers and often criminals. Of coursethousands of them drifted to the great centers of population and Brazilhas had and is still having her share of race troubles. 

Many of the workers on the coffee plantations at present are Italians. They come in large numbers to work on these estates. Each family isgiven a certain number of trees to look after; sometimes a single familywill take care of several thousand trees. They have to do a lot ofhoeing and weeding. The soil is almost red and these workmen take onlargely the color of the soil as their faces and clothes are stainedwith red dust and water. Families are furnished houses to live in andthey live their own lives as if they were in their home country. 

After coffee and rubber comes sugar. For many years Brazil furnishedmore sugar than any other country; now there are a half dozen countriesahead of her in the production of sugar. This is largely accounted for, not so much because of inability to produce, as because of theantiquated methods in use. There are places in the country where it issaid that the same variety of sugar has been grown for two hundred yearsand that without any attempt on the part of the planters to restore thesoil. 

One of the first things ever exported from Brazil was tobacco. This weedhas been grown there ever since the country was discovered. Modernmethods of culture are now being used so more of it will be producedthan ever. They say, too, that Brazil produces as fine a quality oftobacco as Cuba. Cotton is also produced in large quantities. 

The Brazilians are an interesting people. I like them. They are alwayscourteous and polite. Men often tip their hats to each other and kisseach other's hands. In Rio de Janeiro nearly everyone is well dressed. The women are good looking. The Brazil people are more friendly thanany other South American people. The language, except among the Italiansand other foreigners, is largely Portuguese while in practically allother South American countries the people speak Spanish. 

Although Brazil has millions of acres of the best timber in the world Inever saw a wooden building in their great capital city. In Rio, nearlyevery automobile factory in the United States is represented. In thisland of rubber they have no manufacturing plants to utilize it. Wagesfor common laborers are low and yet the people only work part of thetime. In coaling a ship the men will work like beavers for a couple ofhours and then sit down and smoke and talk as long and no urging them towork seems to do any good. One can make a living there with half thework it takes here and that is all they care for. 

The Brazilians have some odd customs. People always carry their burdenson their heads. Baskets as large as barrels are carried in this waywithout a bit of trouble. They say that four men will carry a heavypiano on their heads but I never saw them moving one. On almost everystreet there are venders of sweetmeats, vegetables, brooms, baskets andfurniture. I saw one vender with two dozen brooms, a dozen mops, twochairs, and a lot of other truck on his head. He had the chairs hookedon the brooms, baskets on the chairs and a lot of other stuff piled upso that he looked like a moving express wagon. 

Streets in Brazilian cities are often named for days or months. Inoticed one of the prominent streets in Rio named "13th of September, "another "15th of November. " Rio de Janeiro means "River of January. " Inever saw a chimney in the city, yet the streets and many of the housesare washed every night. Everything is shining. They seem to have awonderful appreciation of beauty and never in any other city in theworld have I seen more beautiful or artistic shop windows. 

Everybody seemed to be in a good humor. Policemen are small of stature, but they direct the street traffic in a most wonderful way. Everybodysmiles and there is no loud talking, or drunkenness. The national drinkis coffee and there are coffee shops with tables and cups everywhere. Men often drink a cup or two of coffee a dozen times a day. There arehundreds of coffee shops in Rio. Of course, liquor is sold in manyplaces, but it is mostly drunk by foreigners. I never saw a Braziliandrinking liquor in their capital city. 

CHAPTER XXI

URUGUAY AND PARAGUAY

Uruguay is the smallest of the South American republics. It is just alittle larger than the state of Oklahoma. It is a little wedge betweenBrazil and Argentina and is, all in all, the most advanced country inSouth America. At the time of the visit of the writer it was the onlycountry in South America whose dollar was worth a hundred cents. Thepopulation is about a million and a quarter--eighteen to the squaremile. The principal industry is stock raising. The country has somethinglike nine million head of cattle and fifteen million head of sheep. Themeat packing business is enormous for such a small country. 

Fray Bentos, a town near Montevideo, boasts of the largest establishmentin the world for the preparation of beef extract. The tall chimneys ofthis great factory make it look like a large city. The employees numberthousands. They are well cared for and contented. There are no strikesthere. They are well paid while able to work and pensioned when theyreach old age. 

Thus, the Leibig company, has given all South America an example of thebetter way to treat men and women who toil. Schools are provided for thechildren. The religious nature is looked after, the company furnishing achurch building. The company also provides hospitals for the sick. Thecottages of the working people are supplied with electricity and arequite comfortable. 

This company has its own gas and water systems. In the great slaughterhouse many hundred head of cattle are killed each day. It only takeseight minutes from the time an animal is killed until it is in therefrigerating rooms ready to be made into beef extract. Every drop ofblood is saved in this factory, being dried and made into chicken feedor something else that is useful. Chicago, however, goes Fray Bentos onebetter for there you know the squeal is caught by the phonograph and therecords sold for grand opera. 

This establishment is not the only one of its kind in Uruguay. There aremany other great plants where meat is chilled or frozen in the mostmodern, up-to-date way. In no country in the world is meat morecarefully or scientifically cared for than in these great establishmentsand no one need be afraid to eat the meat that comes from Uruguay. Theinspection is said to be the most rigid of any packing plants in theworld. 

The Uruguayan boasts that every acre of ground in his country isproductive. The grass is green the year around and stock does not haveto be housed and fed in winter as in our country. All the grains andvegetables that will grow in our middle west will grow in Uruguay andthere the farmers never have such a thing as a killing frost. 

The greatest city in Uruguay is Montevideo, the capital city. It islocated on the Rio de la Plata river, which really seems more like a seathan a river, being sixty-two miles wide at this place. Buenos Aires isbut a hundred and ten miles away and to reach it you just go anglingacross this great river. Montevideo is larger than Kansas City, Missouri. It has many splendid buildings, but no skyscrapers. The parksor plazas as they are called, are as pretty as nature and the hands ofman can make them. 

These people claim that Montevideo is the most healthful city on theglobe, but the traveler often finds the same claim made for othercities. Most of the streets are narrow but are well paved and generallyquite clean. Their street car system is certainly a good one. When thestreet is wide enough for a double track the tracks are laid close tothe sidewalks which leaves the center of the street free for autos andother vehicles. This plan could certainly be adopted by the cities inour country and be a blessing. I had no idea that any city contained somany beautiful homes and flower gardens until I took a ride into thesuburbs of this city. Almost every home, or villa, has a rose garden andthere must be many wealthy people for it takes a tremendous amount oflabor to keep these wonderful flower gardens in such good order. 

The people of Uruguay as a whole are better educated and brighterlooking than the people of most other South American countries. Theirschools and colleges are said to be the very best. The people, as arule, dress well and seem to be prosperous and happy. A ramble throughthe streets and plazas lingers in one's memory like a pleasant dream. 

Away to the north in the very heart of the south central part of thecontinent is the country of Paraguay. While nearly twice as large asUruguay it has but few more than half as many people and a majority ofthem are women. This ought to be called a bachelor's paradise. 

Paraguay came to be a woman's country in the following manner. Years agoParaguay got into trouble with Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, all herneighbors, at the same time. These countries combined their forces andall but annihilated the Paraguayan army. As all the able bodied men werein the army they were nearly all killed. It used to be said that therewere five women to every man in Paraguay and from all reports conditionshave not greatly changed yet. It is almost dangerous for an unmarriedman to show his head. 

The country is naturally divided into two parts, eastern and western. The most of the people live in the eastern part for the western part isflat and the rivers overflow, covering a great portion of the country. No wonder that great swarms of ferocious mosquitoes make parts of thecountry almost uninhabitable, fever-infested and unhealthy. Besidesthese unpleasant features the heat is often almost unbearable. 

The summer in Paraguay lasts from October to March and the winter fromApril to September, July and August being the coldest months. The Paranariver takes to the sea a greater volume of water than our greatMississippi. Near the place where the Iguassu river empties into theParana are the famous Iguassu Falls which are twice as wide and fiftyfeet higher than Niagara Falls. 

In the eastern part of Paraguay are great orange groves and all kinds oftropical fruits. The oranges are delicious and are so plentiful thatthey are fed to the pigs. As many as thirty are sometimes sold for apenny. Wheat and corn are grown and tobacco and cotton plantations arenumerous. 

They say that in Paraguay a great many of the women smoke, but I imaginethat this is greatly exaggerated. The same has been said of other SouthAmerican countries but after traveling more than twelve thousand milesin and around this country I here record the fact that in not more thana case or two did I see a woman smoking. My traveling company only sawtwo or three cases so we are forced to think that many talk who do notknow. For if any large number, as is often reported, used the weed inthis way we would have discovered it. 

There is a very valuable tree that grows in Paraguay that is not oftenfound in other countries. It is called the quebracho tree. The namereally means "ax-breaker, " and the wood is almost as hard as iron. Aquebracho log will not float upon water, but will sink like iron. Thiswood makes the most valuable railroad ties known. 

But a certain variety of the quebracho tree is much more valuable foranother purpose, viz: the tanning of leather. For ages the world's greattanneries used the bark of oak, hemlock and other trees for thatpurpose. But it was discovered that not only the bark of this tree butthe wood itself makes better tanning extract than any other bark or treeknown. 

In the heart of the continent there is a vast plain that takes in notonly western Paraguay but reaches into Brazil and Bolivia on the northand Argentina on the south. This is called the Gran Chaco and it isnearly as large as the state of Texas. Most of this region is as yetunexplored. In parts of it are tribes of wild Indians as well as wildand ferocious beasts, alligators and snakes that are usually found intropical jungles. In other parts are grassy plains suitable for cattleand other livestock. Already there are many ranches here, one of thelargest of which is run by a stockman from the United States. 

Here in this far away and unknown country are millions of acres ofquebracho forests in which this tanning extract is already being made. Thousands of men are employed in the forest to cut the trees and otherswith oxen haul them to the factories where hundreds of expert workmenare making this extract and shipping it to all parts of the world. It issaid that a single one of these companies owns two million acres of thisforest land. More than ten thousand men are employed by this one firm, so it is said, and as might be expected it is a United States company. 

But perhaps the greatest industry in Paraguay is the tea called by thename of the country. In their country they call it "mate. " It is muchmore valuable than ordinary tea. It is a stimulant that leaves no badeffect and is said to be more healthful than the tea we use. People whohave a good supply of this tea can work harder and with less fatiguethan by using any other stimulant known. 

The plant or tree from which this "mate" is secured often grows as largeas an orange tree and the leaves are green and shiny. There arethousands of acres of this growing wild and the product made from thatin the wild state is as good as any. Thousands of Indians, as well aswhite people, are engaged in the harvesting and shipping of this tea. 

The largest city in Paraguay is Asuncion, the capital city. It is nearlyas large as Des Moines, Iowa, and a portion of it is simply the ruins ofthe ancient city that was ruled by tyrants. One can see the massiveuncompleted tomb where the last of these rulers expected to be buried. The two million dollar palace in which he lived in luxury andunspeakable vice can also be seen. But another part of the city ismodern and up-to-date. 

Before closing this article at least one man noted in the story ofParaguay should be mentioned. He was the first of the tyrants that ruledimmediately after Paraguay freed herself from Spanish oppression. Hisname was Dr. Jose R. G. Francia and, according to the historian, fortwenty-five years he was the government of Paraguay. In all history noman ever so dominated and controlled a nation as did he. He had noconfidants or assistants. No one was allowed to approach him on terms ofequality. He neither received nor sent consuls from or to any foreigncountries. He was the sole foreign merchant of his country. 

This man was gloomy and peculiar and assumed supreme power withoutmarrying, was against the educated classes and ordered wholesaleexecutions. So fearful was he of assassination that he lived in severalhouses and no one but himself knew where he would sleep at night. Whenhe walked the streets guards walked both in front and behind him. Thevery news that he was out was sufficient to clear the streets. And yet, powerful and cruel that he was, the humblest Indian could receive ahearing and justice from him. He was modest in a way, abstemious andnever used his power for selfish indulgence. He was one of the wondersof history. 

CHAPTER XXII

THE WONDERFUL ARGENTINE REPUBLIC

The wonderful Argentine Republic is a little world in itself. Take allthe United States east of the Mississippi river, add the state of Texas, place them in the Argentine Republic and there will be room for more. Here you can find some of the highest and most rugged mountains and thenyou can travel two thousand miles and hardly find a hill worthy of thename. 

From the torrid heat of the north you can go to the cold, bleak glacialregions of the south, all in Argentine. The seasons are just theopposite from ours. July is their coldest month and the hottest time inthe year is in January. The north side of the house is the sunny side. In the Argentine there are some of the finest forest regions imaginableand then you can travel a thousand miles across level plains and neversee a tree. 

The southern part of Argentina used to be called Patagonia. This is theAlaska of South America. The extreme southern point is the island ofTierra del Fuego, which is divided between Argentina and Chile. Argentina's part of the island is as large as the state ofMassachusetts. 

Argentina has nearly five hundred million acres of ground that can becultivated and this great area is extended over well watered plains, allof which are so accessible to the sea that the simplest railwayconstruction is all that is necessary. Of this vast area only aboutone-fifth has as yet been cultivated or brought within the presentrailway area. 

At present the country has less than one-tenth as many miles of railwayas the United States and what they have is practically under Englishcontrol. Engines and cars are all of English pattern. Americanlocomotive works make engines for some of these lines, but everyone ofthem must be made strictly according to the English pattern. 

One-fifth of the eight million people in the Argentine live in BuenosAires, the capital city. This city is the Paris of South America and isone of the great cities of the world. Here can be seen more extravaganceperhaps than in any other city in the world. The advertised rates in thebest hotels are from twelve to sixty dollars per day and these hotelsare nearly always crowded. The writer attended a luncheon given by theUnited States Chamber of Commerce at the Hotel Plaza. The price wasthree dollars and a half per plate; there was scarcely anything to eatand the waiters expected a dollar tip from each man. 

These people buy their clothes in Paris and are only satisfied with thelatest fashion. They drink French liquor in French style and demand thebest Parisian comedy and opera in their theaters. The Colon theater isfiner than anything in New York, and rivals any playhouse in Europe. Itseats thirty-seven hundred and fifty people and I am told that a mancannot get in unless he is dressed in an evening suit. 

Buenos Aires boasts of the greatest newspaper on the globe and surely noother paper rivals it when it comes to service to its patrons. Thatpaper is the La Prensa and it is housed in a beautiful building. Theoffice of its editor in chief makes one think of a king's palace. Thispaper provides a company of the best physicians and surgeons whominister to all who apply free of charge. Its expert lawyers givecouncil and advice free, its skilled teachers of music instruct all whoenter one or more of the five series of classes. The prizes givenannually by this journal for altruistic acts and deeds of heroism areworth a large sum. The chemical, industrial and agricultural bureaus area boon to those interested in such subjects. 

This city also has the greatest race tracks in any land and the weeklyraces are generally attended by from thirty to fifty thousand people. The money bet on a single day's races often runs into hundreds ofthousands of dollars, and the Jockey Club that owns the race tracks isso rich that it is embarrassing to get its money spent. 

Of all the cemeteries the writer ever visited, the aristocratic buryingground in Buenos Aires caps the climax. To be laid away in this groundcosts a fortune. The tombs, many of them, are above the ground andnearly every family tomb is a little chapel. Here the living friendsgather on certain days, visit, drink tea, and smoke cigarettes withcoffins all around them. In many of these tombs chairs are always inorder with flowers arranged, kept so by the servants of the tomb. 

There are thirty-six public markets in the city, some of which are verylarge. The wool market alone covers thirty acres of ground and the ironand steel building cost four million dollars. In it are seventy-twocranes and elevators and fifty million pounds of wool can be stored atone time. Not far from this building is another almost as large wherethe sheep are killed. The arrangements are so complete and the men soskilled that it is said a single man has killed as many as six thousandsheep in a day. 

Buenos Aires is a city of locked doors. People never think of leavingtheir homes even for a few moments without locking the doors. If abusiness house or hotel has a rug at the door on which to wipe the shoesit will be chained fast. Stealing and pilfering is carried onextensively all over the city. Shippers claim that there is aninternational organization for stealing at the port cities all along thecoast and it is hard to get at. In one shipment of thirty automobilestwenty-nine of the boxes had been opened and the set of tools taken. Itis the custom at that factory to pack the set of tools in a certaincorner of the case. A hole was cut exactly in the right place and theset of tools neatly taken out. In two instances that I was told about adrygoods firm had shipments opened and ten thousand dollars worth ofsilks and velvets taken. 

Near the city is said to be the largest dairy in the world. They milkseven thousand cows and this is done with the latest and most up-to-datemachinery. At an annual stock show recently the crowds were so densethat men paid five dollars each to get near enough to the judges to seethem do their work. The sale at the close was attended by five thousandpeople. The champion shorthorn bull sold for more than forty thousanddollars of American money. The champion Hereford sold for $32, 737. 00 anda two-year-old bull sold for $23, 643. 00. One ram sold for more than fourthousand dollars. 

The Argentine could be made a great sugar producing country, but forsome reason this industry is not being developed very rapidly. Duringthe war special inducements were offered but the 1919 crop was butlittle more than that of 1913. There are only forty-three mills andrefineries in the whole country and the surplus for exportation for1919 was only three hundred thousand tons and that is insignificant whenone thinks of the possibilities of this great industry. 

But one can hardly think of Argentina without thinking of cattle ranchesand wheat fields. It is in these industries that she shines. She now hasthirty million head of cattle, but strange as it may seem she had asmany ten years ago. She has thirty million sheep which makes her thegreatest wool producing country on earth except Australia and if I amcorrectly informed she is not far behind that country. 

In Argentina the country is called "Elcampo" and the large farms"Estancias. " These great estancias often consist of thousands of acres. A single one of them is said to be as large as the state of RhodeIsland. The owners generally have good houses but do not live in themmuch of the time. They are in Buenos Aires, or traveling in Europe, andtheir children are in the colleges and universities. A number ofoverseers look after the farm but the work is largely done byforeigners, mostly Italians. Their lives are far from easy. 

The homes of these workers are generally made of mud. The floors areoften nothing but the bare ground. These people are generally calledcolonists and work the soil on shares. They are in debt to start on; theoverseers generally manipulate things so that they often never do getout of debt. The poor man's children do not have much in common withthose of the rich. They are generally kept entirely separate from eachother. 

While the cities are filled with beautiful parks and clinging roses arenearly everywhere, yet I never saw a country town with any thingbeautiful in sight. The streets of these towns are either mud holes ordust piles, no work whatever being done upon them. The houses and storesare one-story buildings and often look like hovels. The one exception isthe railroad station and often that is quite well kept. 

There are no four-wheeled wagons like ours in this country. All thehauling is done on large lumbersome carts often pulled by oxen. But theysure load them heavy; how they get so much stuff on them is a mystery. Much of the farming is slovenly done. While England produces thirtybushels of wheat per acre the rich fields of Argentine only produceeleven bushels per acre. This is but little more than half as much peracre as is raised in Saskatchewan and Argentine soil is fully as rich asCanadian grain fields. 

I crossed the great Argentine plain in October. Wheat was just beginningto head. Corn planting was in progress. Alfalfa fields were green whileboth trees and flowers were in bloom. But in riding six hundred mileswithout a hill, or tree except those planted by the hands of man, thejourney soon became monotonous. Thousands of acres were almost coveredwith cattle and sheep. 

On Sunday men and women were in the fields almost the same as any otherday. At the towns almost the entire population came down to see theInternational train go through. This train only runs twice a week. Theyoung women were dressed in their best but they were never with theyoung men. They would parade up and down the platform while the youngmen would go in the other direction and the lads and lassies hardlyseemed to notice each other. 

The train ran almost on the dot. A hotbox delayed it thirty minutes onone occasion but it was carefully watched. At every stop for hours thetrain would hardly come to a standstill before a couple of men were atthat box. The engines have no bells on them and the whistle is blownjust before the train starts rather than before it stops as in ourcountry. The train was largely made up of sleepers and a diner. The carswere quite comfortable. The berths are crosswise rather than lengthwiseas in our sleepers. Everything on this train, however, from fare to eatswas very expensive. 

On many of the larger farms the better breeds of stock are being raised, agricultural schools are springing up and scientific farming is beingtalked about. The government is taking a hand along many lines. Some ofthe great estancias are being divided and subdivided. The Welch peoplehave a large settlement where better methods are being introduced. TheJews have a large colony and even the Italians are looking forward to abetter day. Men from this country are entering in small numbers but withideas that will revolutionize things, and especially the school house. An Englishman truly said: "Wherever the Germans go you find the arsenal;wherever the French go you find the railroad; wherever the British goyou find the custom house, but wherever the Americans go you find theschool house. "

CHAPTER XXIII

YANKEEDOM OF SOUTH AMERICA--CHILE

On account of their energy and enterprise the people of Chile have beencalled the Yankees of South America. They are a quick tempered peoplebut often show a disposition to be whiter than their skin would signify. 

On a railroad train I saw a well-dressed young Chilean raise the carwindow. Behind him was an elderly man who did not like the wind blowingin and he evidently made some sign to the conductor, who simply put thewindow down. 

This angered the young man who raised the window again. A little laterthe conductor came back and said something to the young man who loweredthe window immediately. The old gentleman had moved by this time and Isupposed that the incident was closed. 

A little later the young man called the conductor and had him go andapologize to the old gentleman who came and sat down in the seat withthe young man. Then they settled their differences, smoked and visitedtogether like old friends. I felt a sort of admiration for these menthat they would settle their difference on the spot and became friends. Such a procedure is much better than carrying a grouch. 

The country of Chile is a narrow strip of land from fifty to two hundredand fifty miles wide, but so long that if one end were placed at NewOrleans the other end would reach to the Arctic Circle. The mighty ridgeof the Andes mountains extends almost the entire distance. One of thesepeaks in Chile is nearly five miles high--the highest on the globeexcept Mount Everest. 

In Chile there are many rich valleys yet much of the land is a desolatedesert. One writer suggests regarding this awful silent region that theDesert of Sahara is a botanical garden in comparison with it. I traveledfive hundred miles along this desert without seeing a tree or a blade ofgrass. This was in the northern part where it never rains. Much of thesouthern part is covered with water-soaked forests. 

Yet this Chilean desert is almost as valuable as a gold mine. Here arethe only large deposits of nitrate of soda in the world. While no plantsof any kind grow in this desert yet from it is obtained the product thatfarmers all over the world use for fertilizer. Plants of all kinds musthave food to make them grow and this Chilean desert alone furnishes thisfood in abundance and in suitable form. 

Many millions are invested in establishments to get this nitrate, orsaltpeter as it is often called, from the worthless material with whichit is mixed and railroads to carry it to port. Little towns have sprungup along the seashore where the nitrates make up cargoes of hundreds ofships which carry this fertilizer to all parts of the world. 

A gentleman who lives in Santiago told me how he could set out tomatoplants in the best soil, take a little handful of nitrates that looklike common salt, dissolve it in water and pour it on the soil and thedifference it would make is almost unbelievable. But a spoonful droppedon the plant will kill it. It never rains on these nitrate beds--if itdid they would be worthless. 

Of course, the people who do the work in these deserts or in the littleports along the shore have a hard life. No green lawns or trees adorntheir villages. The dust is irritable and the people are a hard-lookingclass. In one of these towns which I saw, Antofagasta by name, the waterthe people use is brought nearly two hundred miles. The people used todrink champagne mostly for it was cheaper than water. 

Not far from Antofagasta are the great salt plains, said to be largeenough to supply the whole world with this commodity for generations. The real nitrate beds are from fifteen to fifty miles from the ocean andat least three thousand feet above sea level. The largest beds are fromfour to five hundred miles in length so the supply is practicallyinexhaustible. When the nitrates are richest they are mixed withrock--about half and half. It is blasted out with dynamite, loaded oncarts and dumped into great machines that grind it to a coarse powder, then thrown into immense tanks of boiling water where it forms incrystals on the sides and bottom. The water is then drawn off, the whitesparkling stuff shoveled onto drying boards and when thoroughly dry issacked and shipped. 

The liquid that is drawn off from these vats is made into iodine, whichis so valuable that a cask of it is worth several hundred dollars. Chileowns about all the nitrate deposits yet discovered. She exports millionsof tons of it annually, levies a tax on every ton of it and thus thegovernment receives an immense income each year from this one industry. 

In addition to the nitrate industry, Chile has immense stores of copper, tin and other metals. At one port where the ship stopped a small boatbrought out a few sacks of copper ore. It took but a few minutes to putit on board but one of the officers said it was worth thirteen thousanddollars. At another Chilean port six hundred tons of tin were added toour cargo. Chile is about the only country in South America where coalis found in anything like large quantities. 

Of course such a mountainous region is volcanic. There are manyearthquakes but they seldom do much harm. My first night in Chile wasspent in Los Andes and I had not been in bed five minutes until anearthquake shock made it tremble like a leaf. But the people are so usedto it that they pay no attention whatever to these minor quakes. At thetime San Francisco was ruined, Valparaiso was all but destroyed but youwould never know it by a visit to the city now. 

Chile includes a large part of the island of Tierra del Fuego. At thevery southern tip of this is Cape Horn. This is a gigantic rock fourteenhundred feet high that juts out into the ocean and the great waves thatcontinually lash against it make it perhaps the most dreaded spot bysailors in all the trade routes of the world. On all sides are wreckedvessels and this rock has been named the Giant Headstone in the Sailor'sGraveyard. 

It was the famous Magellan who discovered the water passage above CapeHorn and it is called the Strait of Magellan. While safer than the routearound Cape Horn, yet many are the stories of shipwreck, hunger andsuffering told by those who went this way during the earlier days. Hereare some of the names of places along the Strait: "Fury Island, " "FamineReach, " "Desolation Harbor, " "Fatal Bay, " "Hope Inlet, " and "Last WreckPoint. "

No one lives down at this point but tribes of Indians. It was thesignals and campfires of these Indians that caused Magellan to call theisland "Tierra del Fuego. " The name means "Land of Fire. " These Indiansare said to be one of the lowest classes of human beings in existencetoday. Although the weather is very cold these savages wear but littleclothing--in fact, they wore none until of later years they begangetting cast off garments from wrecks and are now making some of theirown clothing from the skins of animals. 

On this strait is located Punta Arenas, which is the southernmost townin the world. It is directly south of Boston and farther south of theequator than Winnipeg is north of it. Only about a thousand people livehere. Many of them are rough characters and live hard and comfortlesslives. This town is the only port within a thousand miles. 

Although cold and cheerless most of the time, yet millions of sheep areraised in this southern land and Punta Arenas is the shipping point. Akind of coarse grass grows here that is nourishing and sheep thrive andlive for weeks alone on the open plains. Wool, hides and meat arebrought to this port and shipped to the outside world. Of course allclothing, building material and machinery must be brought in for thereare no factories in Punta Arenas. 

Santiago, the capital of Chile, is located in a valley that has beencalled the "Garden of South America. " This valley is seven hundred mileslong, fifty or sixty miles wide and hundreds of feet above sea level. Onthe east are the snow-capped Andes and on the west the coast ranges. Onthe mountain slopes on either side are the great herds of cattle andsheep and lower down the rich fields of alfalfa and grain, fruit andflowers. 

Strange to say the farming is nearly all done with oxen. I counted sixyoke of oxen in a ten-acre field. Women as well as men work in thefields. The fences are made of stone but in many parts of the valley younever see a stone in the field. If they have any modern farm machinery Idid not see it. All the fields are irrigated, as it seldom rains in thisvalley in the summer time. 

Most of the best land is owned by wealthy men who live in the city. Those who do the work are mostly Indians or half breeds, and they havebut few of the comforts of life. Many of the farms are great tracts andthere is a store where the worker can purchase what he needs but theprices are high and he is kept in debt. A country can never reallyprosper where the tillers of the soil are ignorant and have no say inthe affairs of the government. 

It is in this valley where most of the Chileans live. While in otherparts of the country there are but two people to the square mile, herein this valley there are seventeen to the square mile. Here are most ofthe schools and colleges, cities, railways and manufacturing plants. When about sixty per cent of the people are illiterate and this class isalmost entirely the laboring class it does not look as if conditionswould be changed very soon. 

I saw more drinking in Chile than in any other South American country. Aportion of the city of Valparaiso seems to be given over almost entirelyto the liquor dealers and the people who throng that district arehard-looking folks. The fag ends of civilization seem to have gatheredhere. This is the only city in South America where I was accosted byboth men and women and they almost try to hold one up in the streets inbroad daylight. 

Nearly all the Chilean women dress in black. A black shawl is worn andyou would think they are all dressed in mourning, but they are not. Thisblack cloth is called a manto and all women, both rich and poor, wearthem. The business portion of the city of Valparaiso is built on anarrow strip of land at the foot of a high hill. 

All along there are elevators or lifts as they call them. For a coupleof pennies you can step into one of these lifts and be taken up ahundred feet or more. While one lift goes up another comes down as theyare always built in pairs. There are winding ways where horses anddonkeys can walk up but no wheeled vehicle can be taken up or down forit is too steep. 

For this reason the dairymen and venders all have donkeys or smallhorses. A dairyman will have a couple of large milk cans, one on eitherside of the beast, or perhaps a small barrel on the top of a frame orsaddle. The man leads or drives the animal and they are so sure-footedthat they can go up a place so steep that one not used to climbing couldnot make the ascent. 

There are but few North Americans in Chile. I had breakfast (they callthe noon meal breakfast) with the American Club. There were buttwenty-five or thirty present, mostly business men. But few of these menare satisfied to stay long in Chile. 

The American Y. M. C. A. Is doing some good work in Valparaiso, as inall other South American cities. The rooms are well patronized and itwas homelike to see the leading magazines of the United States upon thereading table. The Sunday afternoon program that I attended was wellgotten up and very interesting. 

While in Chile you see more to remind you of the United States than inany other South American country but I was not favorably impressed withthe people. They will not compare in looks or actions with the peopleeast of the Andes. Lack of education, culture and refinement arenoticeable everywhere. Religion and morality are conspicuous by theirabsence and one cannot but pity those who live among them although onesees some good traits in many of them. 

CHAPTER XXIV

THE SWITZERLAND OF SOUTH AMERICA--BOLIVIA

In the very heart of the South American continent there is a vasttable-land nearly as large as the great Mississippi valley, that sometitanic convulsion has boosted up nearly three miles in the air. Thisgreat plateau is hemmed in by mountains, the coast range on the west andthe main range on the east. 

These mountain peaks rise as high as twenty-two thousand feet. In theseheights, two and one-half miles above sea level is Lake Titicaca, whichis one hundred and sixty miles long and thirty miles wide. This lake, which is the highest body of water in the western hemisphere, is fed bystreams of water from the Andes and is so cold that ice is formed alongthe edge every night in the year although the lake itself is neverfrozen over. The lake has no outlet and the color of the water is asteely blue. 

This lake forms the northwestern border of Bolivia. Situated as it is, including both mountains and table-land, Bolivia has been called theSwitzerland of South America. It is more than twelve times as large asthe state of Iowa and is the cradle of the ancient civilization thatmade up the world-famous Inca empire which existed many centuries ago. 

The people of Bolivia today have the blood of this ancient race in theirveins and they are an industrious people. Visiting a mission school inBuenos Aires I was much impressed by one young man who seemed to be thepeer of the two hundred students in the school. 

On talking to this young man I found that he was from Bolivia. How heheard about this mission school I have forgotten, but the story of howhe tramped two hundred miles over the mountains and then across thegreat Argentine plains determined to reach this school and work his waythrough, could not be forgotten. On Sunday morning I went to theAmerican church and this fellow was at the door as an usher and thefriendly greeting and winning smile he had for everyone gave me greatrespect for him and his people as well. 

Portions of this great Bolivian plateau are very beautiful. One notednaturalist coming from Paraguay said as he beheld this region, "Iftradition has lost the records of the place where Paradise is locatedthe traveler who visits these regions of Bolivia feels at once theimpulse to exclaim: 'Here is Eden. '"

Here grows the famous chincona tree from which we get quinine. Also thecoca plant from which we get cocaine. Perhaps when the dentist pulledyour tooth he used cocaine that came from this country. The natives chewthe coca leaf as a stimulant. It is actually said that by the use ofthis leaf a man can go for many hours without food and perform feats ofendurance that seem to us impossible. 

The cultivation of the coca plant is one of the important industries ofeastern Bolivia. The plant grows as a shrub and must not be confusedwith the cocoa tree from the beans of which our chocolate and cocoa aremade. The Bolivians produce eight to ten million pounds of coca leavesannually. The telegraph system of portions of this region is made up offleet-footed Indians and it is said that with a supply of coca leavesand parched corn they can run fifty miles a day. 

Here too grows the quinna which is not only a substitute for wheat butmore nutritious and easier raised if reports are true. Cotton and sugarare produced in Bolivia as are the nutmeg and castor bean. Oranges andall such fruit are also grown in some parts of this country. But thesupply and variety of medicinal plants is remarkable. The list includesaconite, arnica, absinthe, belladonna, camphor, cocaine, ginger, ipecac, opium, sarsaparilla and a lot of others. 

But this great inland country is noted the world around for its richmines. Mount Potosi is often spoken of as a mountain of silver. It issaid that not only millions but billions of dollars worth of silver havebeen taken from this one mountain. There are said to be six thousandabandoned mines on its slopes to say nothing of the hundreds that arebeing worked today. The city of Potosi used to be the largest city inthe western hemisphere and was ten times its present size when the earlysettlements of the United States were but small villages. 

While the silver in this mountain is not nearly exhausted by any means, yet it was discovered that deeper down is a mountain of tin. Bolivia hasbeen furnishing more than one-fourth of the world's supply of tin formany years. 

On the hills back of the city of Potosi can still be seen the thirty-twolakes or reservoirs that used to furnish water for the city and mines. It took half a century to complete this great ancient water system. Thelargest of these lakes is three miles in circumference and thirty feetdeep. Each lake is surrounded by five sets of walls and two of thesereservoirs are sixteen thousand feet above sea level. All this mightywork was done before railroads were ever dreamed of. Only recently arailroad was built into this mining city and many of these abandonedmines are being opened again. 

The capital of Bolivia used to be Sucre. In fact, it is still thenominal capital of the republic. Here live many of the wealthy mineowners of the region. The Supreme Court is held here and the newgovernment palace is a stately building. The richest cathedral inBolivia is here and the image of the Virgin in it is made of solid goldadorned with jewels and is worth a million dollars. 

There are nine public parks or plazas in the city of Sucre and throughone of these flows two streams of pure water. The one on the north sideruns north and finally reaches the Atlantic Ocean through the greatAmazon river while the other flows southward reaching the sea throughthe Rio de la Plata river. 

The capital of Bolivia as we know it is La Paz, but only the legislativeand executive departments are in this city. Although La Paz is more thantwelve thousand feet above sea level it is located in the bottom of adeep canyon. Back of the city is the giant peak of Mount Illimani whichpierces the sky at the height of twenty-one thousand feet. While theweather is always warm in the day time it gets very cool at night, sometimes freezing cold. As they have no heating stoves it is veryuncomfortable to sit quiet. 

The farmers of Bolivia live in little villages as a rule and know butlittle of the comforts of life. Their houses are built of mud and bothpeople and animals often live in the same room. Their farms have to beirrigated and the people are skilled in this work. The plows used arewooden sticks and generally pulled by oxen. As in other South Americancountries the land is mostly owned by wealthy men who let it out onshares to common farmers who are generally kept in debt and have butlittle independence. 

The question of fuel for cooking purposes is one of their greatproblems. As our early settlers on the western plains had to use buffalochips for fuel, these people use a great deal of donkey and llama dungfor the same purpose. They bake their bread in small community ovensthat are built something like a large barrel with a dome shaped top. Onbread baking day they build a fire of moss, bushes and dry dung and heatthe stove oven. Then they remove the coals, put their bread in and whenit is baked you may be sure that it does not smell very good. 

The great beast of burden in Bolivia is the llama, which looks somethinglike a cross between a camel and a sheep. Like the camel it can go fordays without food or drink. It can be turned out and will make itsliving browsing on coarse grass, moss and shrubs that grow on themountains. It is an intelligent animal and if loaded a little tooheavily will lie down and refuse to budge until the load is lightened. 

The women of these Indian farmers and herders dress rather queerly. Theyput on many bright colored skirts all of a different hue. As the daygrows warmer they remove a skirt showing one of a different hue. Theyare proud of their skirts and take much pride in showing each othertheir fine clothing. 

These women too are nearly always at work. If they are walking alongdriving llamas they are working as they walk winding wool into yarn orknitting some garment. With juices from plants the yarn is colored andby means of a loom which any woman among them can make they weave thisyarn into a kind of cloth. 

In Bolivian cities there are large markets to which these Indian womenespecially resort. On the ground are little piles of fruit, coca leavesand other products. They have no scales and sell by the pile. Thegardeners will sell their products of onions, beans, parched corn andall such stuff in this way. 

Thus the people of this great inland empire live above the clouds. Oneof their railroads is a half mile higher than Pike's Peak in places andone of their cities, Aullagus, lacks but a hundred feet of being as highas this. They have four cities more than fourteen thousand feet abovesea level, twenty-six above the thirteen thousand foot line, andseventy-three cities above the twelve thousand foot line. Of the onehundred and fifty-one cities in Bolivia most every one is above theeleven thousand foot line. Truly this land is the "Switzerland of SouthAmerica. "

CHAPTER XXV

THE LAND OF MYSTERY--PERU

When we reach the backbone of Peru we are not only above the clouds asin Bolivia, but we are surrounded by mystery. Here can be seen today theruins of temples that were richer perhaps than any of those of thecountries with which we are all so familiar. This article, however, willlargely have to do with the Peruvian country as it is today. You couldtake a map of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma, place them all on themap of Peru and have territory left. 

The country runs largely north and south, having some fourteen hundredmiles of sea coast. In the north is a great desert plain, but in thisalmost lifeless desert there is a great valley in which is a mostinteresting city. The name of this city is Piura and it is on a smallriver bearing the same name. This river is more like the Nile in Egyptthan any other river known. Up and down this river are farms andplantations with irrigation ditches leading to fields of rice and grain, sugar cane and cotton as well as other valuable farm products. 

But upon the rise of the water in the river depends the life andprosperity of the people. Like the people of Egypt and the Nile, thesepeople look upon this river with feelings of reverence. They have agreat feast day for the river. In their spring time when the snows meltthe river gradually rises, spreading over the valley bottom and fillingall the low places and irrigation ditches with water. 

As the time for this rise approaches every traveler from upstream isquestioned and on the day the big rise is due the great feast day isproclaimed and the people, generally five thousand or more, march towardthe coming tide to meet the water. If there is an abundance of waterthey are sure of a great harvest. With fife and drum they meet theoncoming flood and go back with it; if it is a great flood they arehappy and merry, but if the tide is low they are sad and gloomy for theyknow that many will be hungry. 

It rains here about once in seven years and these are called the sevenyear rains. Following the showers there is a wonderful burst of lifeeverywhere. Quick growing grasses cover the land with a carpet of greenand fragrant blossoms fill the air with sweetness; but in a short time, except where the irrigation ditches reach the land, the entire regiononce more becomes a yellow, parched desert. 

In this valley grows the best cotton that is produced anywhere. It is awell known fact among cotton growers that Piura cotton has a peculiarstrength of fiber that makes it sell for nearly double the price of thatgrown in our southern states. As goats can live where other animals willstarve, this valley is also noted for its great goat herds which maketheir living on the dry mountain sides. 

The greatest seaport of Peru is Callao. If the sea were rough this wouldbe a dangerous harbor for all ocean liners must anchor far from thedocks as only very small ships can approach them. I counted forty-twoocean liners in the harbor so you can imagine that it is a busy place. These liners represented nearly every sea-faring country on the globe. 

The city of Callao has had its ups and downs. Some one has said that thechief product of Peru is revolutions and Callao has had its share ofthem. Also, nearly every earthquake along the coast gives this city ashaking up. At one time many years ago when the city had a population ofsome six thousand people there came an earthquake followed by a mightytidal wave that only left two persons alive. The very site of the citysunk beneath the waves of the ocean and never came up, the present citybeing built upon a new site entirely. 

The short ride from Callao to Lima, the capital city, is interesting. Here one is introduced to the famous "mud fence, " as the fences are allmade of mud. Little patches of ground are tilled and bananas, pears, oranges, and all kinds of fruit and vegetables as well as corn and othergrain grow in abundance. Everything looks ancient. The ground is plowedby oxen hitched to a wooden stick. The mud huts and houses of thefarmers are almost as bare of furniture as a hen coop and almost asdirty. It hardly seems possible that people so near the port as well asthe capital city could be so far behind the times. 

The railroad runs along the Rimac river, but this is nearly dry much ofthe time, the water being used for irrigating purposes. Everythingsmells bad and the people are even dirtier than in Chile. Of course, there are some beautiful spots in the country and plazas in the cities, but all this gush about the beauty and loveliness of things in generalmakes one tired. 

I saw more turkey buzzards and vultures in ten minutes in the city ofLima than I ever saw before all put together. At the slaughter house onecan see a stream of blood running in the open soil and I suppose theoffals are dumped out for the vultures to devour. The RockefellerFoundation has set apart twenty-five million dollars, so I understand, to be spent in twenty-five Peruvian cities for the purpose of cleaningthem up and providing sanitary systems for them. The leaders of thisfoundation have certainly found an appropriate place to spend money. Ihave seen four or five of the cities that are to benefit by thisappropriation and they all sure do need cleaning up. 

In Lima, of course, I went to the great cathedral. Everybody does thisfor it is about the most outstanding thing to be seen. It is said to bethe largest cathedral in South America. The corner stone was laid by thegreat Pizarro himself in 1535. His bones are in the cathedral now. I sawthem. They are in a coffin the side of which is made of glass. The veryholes that were made in the bones when they tortured him can be seen. The guide declared that such is the case and of course he would not yarnto a stranger in a sacred church. 

The houses in Lima are, as a rule, only one story high. The tops areflat and many of them are almost covered with chicken coops. They saythat many a rooster is hatched, grows up to old age and enters theministry without ever having set foot upon the ground. 

The small plaza in front of the cathedral is really beautiful and thereare some good substantial buildings around it. The large depot is amodern, well built stately building. The streets are narrow and the shopdoors are open to the street. The doors of these shops are corrugatediron and are raised up like the cover of a roll-top desk. Above theshops are the residences of the more well-to-do class. Little balconiesare built out over the sidewalk and here the "idle rich" ladies sit andwatch the crowds below. 

To me a very interesting place was a building that used to be a sort ofa place of refuge something like the cities of refuge we read about inthe Bible. In the wide door, so they say, there used to be a chainstretched across and any man who could reach this was safe regardless ofthe crime he had committed. No officers or law could touch him. Ofcourse, he was in the power of the keepers of the refuge. They couldenslave him for life or kill him and no law could touch them. At leastthis is the story told me by a resident of the city. 

But the briefest article about Peru should not leave out at least amention of the wonderful mountain railways of the country. The CentralPeruvian railway tracks reach the dizzy height of 15, 865 feet above sealevel, which is almost a mile higher than the famous Marshall Pass inthe Rockies. This railroad too is a standard gauge. To reach thisaltitude the train passes over forty-one bridges, one of which is twohundred and fifty feet high. It passes through sixty tunnels, thehighest one of which is the Galeria tunnel, which is 15, 665 feet abovethe sea. 

This railroad, perhaps the most wonderful ever constructed, was built byHenry Meiggs, an American contractor from New York. Some eight thousandmen were employed in the construction and in some places in order togain a foothold to begin their work they had to be swung down fromdizzy heights above and held while they cut a safe place in the rocks. 

As might be expected many men were killed during the building of thisrailway. Once a runaway engine crashed into a derrick car on the top ofa bridge and the debris can be seen in the valley below to this day. Several Americans lost their lives in this one accident. It is quiteremarkable, however, that there has not been a single accident where alife was lost since the construction was completed years ago. This lineis two hundred and fifty miles in length and every mile cost a snugfortune. It takes a train almost ten hours to reach the summit and theaverage rise the entire distance is twenty-seven feet per minute. 

Near Callao are some islands which are very interesting to tillers ofthe soil especially. In passing them I noticed millions and millions ofbirds. For many centuries these islands have been the nesting places forthese sea fowl. Not only have these birds lived and died here butmultiplied thousands of seal have come here to breed. The droppings ofthese millions of birds and animals and the accumulating bodies of thedead have decayed and made a kind of grayish powder. This substance iscalled guano and it is hundreds of feet thick. 

Hundreds of years ago it was discovered that this substance is the bestfertilizer known. In the early days the Incas took every precaution todistribute this guano to agriculturists in the country. Districts ofthis deposit were allotted to certain territories and the boundaries ofeach district were clearly defined and all encroachments upon the rightsof others were severely punished. No one was allowed to go about theseislands during the breeding season under pain of death and the samepenalty was meted out to any man who killed either birds or animalshere. 

Of late years millions of dollars worth of this guano have been shippedto all parts of the world. While the islands are closed to shippingduring the breeding season and it is thought that many of the birdsespecially have been frightened away, yet they come in such numbers attimes that it is said that the sky is darkened as they fly over. 

CHAPTER XXVI

THE WORLD'S GREAT CROSSROAD--PANAMA CANAL

Perhaps the greatest achievement of history, both in length of time ofconstruction and in service to humanity, stands to the credit of theUnited States. The Panama Canal was dug in less time than it took tobuild the causeway in Egypt to get the stone from the quarries to whereit was wanted for the big pyramid. This canal, too, is wholly anAmerican achievement. It was planned by American brains, constructed byAmerican engineers and with American machinery, and paid for withAmerican gold, and every American has great reason to be proud of it. 

We paid the Republic of Panama ten million dollars for the lease on thezone through which the canal passes, and are now paying the samegovernment two hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year to keep themin a good humor. We bought the ground again from individual owners andhave agreed to pay Colombia twenty-five million dollars to keep her fromraising a racket. We paid the French forty million dollars for the workthey did and the machinery they left so the whole thing, lock, stock andbarrel, ought to be ours without any question. 

It was published on supposedly good authority that some of the machinerywe used was purchased from Belgium, that we could not make it inAmerica. While visiting Mr. P. B. Banton, the chief office engineer, some time ago I asked him about this and he said the only machineryBelgium furnished was to the French. We tried to repair and use part ofthis but it had to be discarded entirely. 

We purchased two gigantic cranes to use in the work from Germany, butone of them collapsed and both had to be rebuilt by American machinistsbefore they would do the work they were guaranteed to do. The only partsused in the canal that were not made in America, according to Mr. Banton, are some gigantic screws which were made in Sweden. It sohappened at that time that Sweden was the only country that hadmachinery to make such screws, and while we could have easilyconstructed such machinery, it was cheaper to get them from Sweden andthis was done. After making this statement, Mr. Banton got the drawingsand explained them, and later on I saw some of them in the Gatun-Locks. If I remember correctly they are about eight inches in diameter andforty or fifty feet long. 

Speaking of drawings and blue prints this official said: "There are morethan eighty thousand drawings in this one room. " Of course, the originalblue prints and complicated drawings of the canal are sealed up in agreat bomb-proof vault, kept dry by electricity. Although I had passedthrough the canal on a ship and rode up and down it on the train it wasonly after talking an hour with this engineer and then going into thecontrol station tower and watching boats taken through the Gatun locksystem, going into the tunnels below and watching the gigantic cogwheels and wonderful machinery, that I began to appreciate the realingenuity and brain work of this colossal achievement. 

On his last voyage to the new world Columbus visited Panama and was toldby the Indians that beyond a narrow strip of land was the "Big Water. "He sailed up the Chagres river a distance, failed to find it, and diedbelieving that they were mistaken. About ten years later Balboa climbedto the top of a tree not far from where Culebra Cut is located and sawthe "Big Water. " Four hundred years later almost to the day the waterwas turned into the canal and thus America united the world's greatestoceans. 

After completing the Suez Canal and thus uniting the world's greatestseas, the French people believed they could dig across the Isthmus ofPanama, but digging through Culebra Cut thousands of miles from home wasmuch different from digging across the level plain of Suez only a fewhundred miles away. A canal without locks is entirely different from onewhere great ocean liners must be lifted eighty-five feet above sealevel. 

Then Panama was a jungle, where disease-carrying mosquitoes wereswarming in districts where heat was almost unbearable. True, theirmedical skill was the best and their hospitals of the latest design, butwhere they cured hundreds thousands died like flies. Added to all thesedisadvantages was extravagance and waste, greed and graft, mismanagementand misappropriation of funds to say nothing of palaces and princelysalaries for officials. 

The result was that after spending more than two hundred million dollarsof the people's money, the whole scheme collapsed, and the work stopped. De Lesseps himself was arrested, disgraced, and imprisoned and died witha broken heart a little later in an insane asylum. The French had workedseven years, and now for four years not a wheel turned. Then theyorganized a new company and worked at intervals ten years more until1903, when we bought them out. During these years a half dozen nationsdeveloped projects and made surveys but no digging was done except bythe French until we took charge in 1904. 

The Canal Zone is a strip of land ten miles wide across the Isthmus ofPanama, the distance being about forty miles from shore to shore. It isless than this, however, in a straight line. The canal runs fromnorthwest to southeast, the Atlantic end at the north being abouttwenty-two miles west of the Pacific end at the south. This seems ratherstrange but we must remember that the Isthmus is in the shape of theletter S and it so happens that the shortest point runs in the directionnamed. 

Of course it would have been impossible for us to have dug the canalwithout a tremendous loss of life had it not been for the advance ofmedical science. Until we took charge this was one of the worstfever-infested districts on the globe. But just about this time it wasdiscovered that the mosquito carries the germ of yellow fever and othercontagious diseases. These pests breed in stagnant water and it wasdiscovered that kerosene on the water forms a film on the surface thatmeans death to the newborn mosquito. Then began one of the greatestbattles of all history, the fight to eradicate the mosquito pest. 

Colonel Gorgas had charge of the forces and he was determined to do thejob well. Tracts of the jungle were burned over, ditches to drainstagnant pools were dug, and every barrel was looked after. Hundreds ofNegroes with oil cans sprayed almost every nook and corner of the Zonewith kerosene. Houses were screened, every case of sickness was lookedafter, and the result was soon manifest. A mighty victory was won byGorgas and today the Canal Zone is as healthful as any tropical countryon earth. Of course, people criticized and joked about the mosquitobrigade, but the colonel went ahead pouring oil upon the water, cleaningup filth, and compelling sanitary measures, paying not the slightestattention to the harping critics. 

At the north end of the Zone are the cities of Cristobal and Colon, thelatter in Panama. The fact is they are practically one city, therailroad being the dividing line. While Cristobal is clean and beautifulmuch of Colon is dirty and rum soaked. Somebody said to me: "Colon isthat part of the city where you can buy a drink, " and it sure looks it. 

While it is only about forty miles across the isthmus yet the canal isfifty miles long. The fact is they had to dredge out to deep water whichis about five miles at each end. Entering the channel at the north it isabout seven miles to the Gatun locks. There are three pairs of theselocks and they lift the vessel to Gatun Lake, which is eighty-five feetabove sea level. It is twenty-four miles across this lake to CulebraCut, which extends about nine miles through the hills, and to the firstlock on the Pacific side. This lock lowers the ship about thirty feet toMiraflores Lake, which is a little more than a mile in length. Here aretwo pairs of locks which lowers the ship to sea level and then it isabout eight miles or a little more to deep water. Counting all thedistance occupied by the locks we have the fifty miles. 

Gatun Lake was made by a great dam across the Chagres river. This dam isa stupendous piece of work, being a half mile wide at the bottom, a mileand a half long, and more than one hundred feet high. A giganticspillway allows the surface water to run over. During the dry season, about four months, the river does not supply enough water to run thelocks so Gatun Lake must furnish the supply. This lake at present coversone hundred and sixty-four square miles, and last year it was loweredfive feet during the dry season. The land has been purchased for theextension of the lake and the great spillway can be raised twenty feethigher if necessary so that a shortage of water is practicallyimpossible. 

Each lock in the canal is a thousand feet long, one hundred and ten feetwide, and the average height about thirty feet, so they hold atremendous amount of water. Every ship passing through empties two lockchambers full of water into the ocean at each end. It is an interestingfact that at the Atlantic the tide only makes a difference of two and ahalf feet, at the Pacific side the difference is more than twenty feet. While the low lock gates at the Atlantic side are sixty-four feet highthe low lock gates at the Pacific side are eighty-two feet high. 

I was permitted to go into the control station tower at the Gatun locksystem and see three ships taken through, also into the tunnels below tosee the machinery in operation and it is a sight never to be forgotten. To take a ship through these locks the operator sets in motion twiceninety-eight gigantic electric motors and it is all done without anaudible word being spoken. Every possible emergency has been providedfor. Could an enemy ship by any manner of means get into the canal andundertake to ram the gates it would be helpless as far as any damage isconcerned. Mighty chains guard the gates and it is impossible to getthe gates closed without these chains being raised to their places. Emergency gates are provided so the water can all be shut off, the locksemptied and repairs made in the bottoms of the lock chambers, ifnecessary. 

At the continental divide the Culebra Cut is almost five hundred feetdeep and more than a half mile wide at the top. The channel itself isthree hundred feet wide and forty-five feet deep. There have been half ahundred slides and a single one of them brought down an area ofseventy-five acres. Think of a seventy-five acre field all sliding in atonce, every foot of which had to be dug out!

The worst trouble was when the bottom bulged up from below. Some littletime before my visit a large tree came up from the bottom. It had beenrolled in by one of those fearful slides and long afterwards came upfrom the bottom. Somebody has figured out that if all the dirt that hasbeen taken from Culebra Cut was loaded on railroad cars they would, ifcoupled together, make a train that would reach around the world fourtimes. 

The canal cost about four hundred million dollars. The tolls now amountto almost a million dollars a month so it is more than paying expenses. The ship upon which I passed through paid seven thousand dollars toll, but it was one of the largest ships that pass through. Now that thedanger from slides is practically over and trade routes are beingestablished it ought to be a paying investment. 

CHAPTER XXVII

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

A few years ago the editor of one of the great magazines of America sentout a thousand letters to as many scientists and great men scatteredamong all civilized nations in an effort to get the consensus of opinionas to what might be called the seven wonders of the modern world. Aballot was prepared containing fifty-six subjects of scientific andmechanical achievement and blank spaces in which other subjects might bewritten. Each man was asked to designate the seven he felt were entitledto a place on the list. He, of course, was not confined to the printedlist and could write in others that were better entitled to a place thanthose on the printed list. 

About seventy per cent of these ballots were returned properly markedand the result was most interesting indeed. At once it was discoveredthat a complete change in human intelligence or judgment has taken placesince the ancient Greeks made their list of the seven wonders of theworld. Today the standard of measurement as to what should be classed insuch a list is _service to humanity_, while in the old days the standardof measurement was or at least had largely to do with brute force. 

It is not surprising, therefore, that wireless telegraphy should havethe highest place on the list. Guglielmo Marconi is far more worthy tobe remembered than the king who built the great Pyramid in Egypt. Thisbrilliant Italian, when but fifteen years of age was reveling in thedreamland wonders of electricity and when but twenty had the theorypractically worked out and his patience and enthusiasm were simplyamazing. He actually tried more than two thousand experiments along asingle line before he was able to demonstrate the truth of one of hisown theories. 

No one crosses the Atlantic Ocean these days who is not impressed withthe marvels of this wonderful discovery. Through it the seven seas havebecame great whispering galleries. One of the greatest races the writerever saw he did not see at all. For three days and nights two greatocean liners raced across the deep and never came in sight of each otherat all. Yet every few hours we all knew just which ship was gaining andit was really a most exciting race. A few hours after Roosevelt was shotin Milwaukee I heard the news by wireless although I was on board a shipin the China Sea on the other side of the world. 

The telephone was given second place in the list of modern wonders. Itis hard to realize that the telephone only dates back to 1875. It wasduring that year that Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, were making experiments in a building in Boston. Mr. Watson wasin the basement with an instrument trying without success to talk withMr. Bell in the room above. Finally the latter made a little change inthe instrument and spoke and Mr. Watson came rushing upstairs greatlyexcited, saying: "Why, Mr. Bell, I heard your voice distinctly and couldalmost understand what you were saying. "

The next year the imperfect telephone was exhibited at the Centennial inPhiladelphia, but for a time it was the laughing stock of most peopleand hardly anyone ever dreamed that it would ever be more than a mereplaything. One day Dom Pedro, the Emperor of Brazil, who knew Mr. Bellpersonally, came in. With him was Sir William Thompson, the greatEnglish scientist. The emperor was given the receiver and placed it tohis ear and was suddenly startled, saying: "My God, it speaks. " Thisamused all, but greatly interested the man of science and thus thetelephone was brought into prominence. While at the World's Fair in SanFrancisco I sat with a receiver and heard a man speaking in New York asplainly as though he were in the next room. Sitting within the sound ofthe waves of the Pacific, I was connected up with Atlantic City andheard the waves of the Atlantic. 

The third largest number of votes were given to the aeroplane and sincethe birdmen played such a part in the world war these scientists werecorrect in giving the flying machine a place among the wonders of themodern world. The fourth place was given to Radium, the fifth toAntiseptics and Antitoxines, the sixth to Spectrum Analysis, and theseventh to the marvelous X-Ray. Had eight subjects been called for thePanama Canal would have had a place, for it lacked but eleven votes oftie for seventh place. It can, therefore, be called the eighth wonder ofthe modern world. 

How different were the ideas of men during the days of ancient Greece. It is a remarkable fact that among the seven wonders of the ancientworld only one of them was of any real service to humanity. True, one ortwo of them served as tombs for the dead and one of them was a sort of apleasure resort, but it proved a curse rather than a blessing. The oneof real service was the Pharos, or lighthouse, at Alexandria, Egypt. This was a gigantic structure more than four hundred feet high on thetop of which a great fire was kept burning at night, thus serving as alighthouse. The structure was so large at the base and the windingroadway so spacious that it is said a team of horses could be driven tothe summit. The entire building has long since disappeared, but while inAlexandria its location was pointed out to me. 

In the list of ancient wonders, however, the Pyramids of Egypt weregiven first place. There are seventy-seven of these pyramids altogether. Three of them are located less than a dozen miles from Cairo, the othersbeing up the river Nile a half day's journey. The largest is known asthe Pyramid of Cheops and is nearest Cairo. It covers thirteen acres ofground and is four hundred and fifty feet high. My first sight of it wasa disappointment for after all it is nothing but a pile of stone, andseems smaller to the eye than it really is. When one walks along by itsside and begins the ascent to the top, however, its immensity begins togrow and impress the mind. 

Heroditus, the Father of History, says a hundred thousand men worked onthis pyramid at one time and that it took twenty years to build it. Itwas scientifically and mathematically constructed ages before modernscience or mathematics were born. The one who planned it knew that theearth is a sphere and that its motion is rotary. It is said that in allthe thousands of years since it was built not a single fact in astronomyor mathematics has been discovered to contradict the wisdom of those whoconstructed it. 

On the north side of the pyramid, about fifty feet up, there is a narrowtunnel that runs down at an angle of twenty-six degrees to the center ofthe field that forms its base. The tunnel is so true that from thebottom one can see the star, that is near the North Star, which issupposed to have been directly in the north when the structure wasbuilt. After you have descended eighty-five feet in this tunnel there isanother tunnel that runs up to the center of the structure where thereare some large rooms or chambers. The pyramid was supposed to have beenbuilt for a tomb and these rooms are called the king's chamber, thequeen's chamber, etc. In these rooms there are large mummy cases, butthey are empty at the present time. One great satisfaction for me invisiting the pyramids was the fulfilling of a life-long desire to seeall that is left of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 

The third ancient wonder was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Thesegardens were in reality a great artificial mountain built upon massivearches. It was four hundred feet high and terraced on all sides andaccording to historians beautiful beyond description. Not only werebeautiful flowers and shrubbery kept growing, but large forest trees aswell. On approaching it this great mountain seemed to be suspended orhanging in the air--hence the name. Water was brought from the river andthe ruins of these vast waterworks are said to be the marvel of civilengineers even to this day. 

It seems that these hanging gardens were built to please the wife of oneof the most powerful monarchs of the old days. This queen had beenbrought up among the hills, and as Babylon was located on a great levelplain she was dissatisfied and pined away for the hills and forests ofher home land. To please her the king accomplished this mighty work. Today the whole thing, in fact, the entire city of Babylon, is nothingbut a pile of ruins. Portions of the city have been excavated, however, and old records have been found in the ruins that throw light on manycustoms and phases of life in those days. Even the paving brick werestamped with the name of the king and anyone who visits the BritishMuseum in London can see samples of them today. 

The next in the list of ancient wonders was the Temple of Diana atEphesus. It is said that this temple was two hundred years in building. It was more than four hundred feet long and half as wide. The foundationwas made earthquake-proof. The temple proper was supported by onehundred and twenty-seven columns which were sixty feet high. Each ofthese columns was a gift from a king. They tell us that the greatstairway was carved from a single grapevine and that the cypress wooddoors were kept in glue a lifetime before they were hung on theirhinges. 

The image on the top of this temple was said to have fallen from heaven, but in reality it was carved from ebony and the men who did the workwere put to death so they could not deny its celestial origin. It issaid that around this image stood statues which by an ingeniousinvention could be made to shed tears. Another invention moistened theair in the temple with sweet perfume. The treasures of nations and thespoil of kingdoms were brought here for safe keeping and criminals fromall nations fled to this temple, for when they reached it no law couldtouch them. No wonder that when the preaching of the Apostle Paulinterfered with the business of the tradesmen who sold souvenirs of theimage that they gathered up a mob and cried out for the space of twohours: "Great is Diana of the Ephesians, " and ran the apostle from thecity. Today this temple with the city itself is nothing but ruins. 

Passing not far from the Island of Rhodes some years ago I tried to atleast imagine that I could see the great statue called the Colossus ofRhodes which was given a place among these seven ancient wonders, but asnot a vestige of it remains on the island it required a great stretch ofthe imagination to behold it. But although given this prominence it wasnot as large or as beautiful as the Statute of Liberty that graces NewYork harbor. It only took twelve years to build it and after standingfifty-six years it was overthrown by an earthquake and after nearly athousand years the metal was used for other purposes. The other ancientwonders were the Statue of Jupiter that was made of ivory and gold byPhidias, and the Mausoleum of Artemisia. Both of these have long sincepassed out of existence. 

Brute force is no longer the measure of power or influence. Neither aretowering structures or mighty tombs. The standard of measurement thesedays is the ability to serve. We are learning that the Galileancarpenter told the truth when he said: "He who would be great among youlet him be servant of all. " Service is one of the greatest words inhuman language. The man, or the institution, or the magazine that canrender the greatest measure of service to the largest number of peopleis more powerful and influential than all the seven wonders of theancient world put together.