Identifier: glimpseofislesof00whee (find matches)
Title: A glimpse of the isles of the Pacific
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Wheeler, William Webb, 1845- (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: (St. Joseph, Mo., Hardman press)
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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mbers whowould have been reached in no other way. There is asmall hotel here, where Europeans or Americans may stop,but the best plan is to go up on the river steamers in thenight, see the city during the day, and come down the nextnight to Hong Kong; you will see all you wish of Cantonin one day. The river steamers are very good and giveone good meals going either way, and leaving Canton atfive p. m. you have a view of the rice fields along the river,and many pagodas. Their story is that whenever aChinaman gets enough of this worlds goods, he undertakesto do good to his fellow men by building a pagoda, andbuilds it as high as his money will go; this has the effect ofbringing a blessing to his countrymen in that vicinity bykeeping ofT the insects from their crops. In harbor at Hong Kong, a joss boat passed us, gailydecked with Chinese flags, colored papers and flowers, theyfired a few firecrackers, had some Chinese music, and oneman on the bow of the boat danced. After the dancing 151
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stopped, another burnt some paper in a small bowl held onthe end of an iron rod; this is supposed to scare the evilspirits away. In the Chinese quarter of Hong Kong, where thepeople are very much crowded, one Chinaman was sittingwith his feet in the stocks, and a placard on his breast, onwhich was written the offense for which he was beingpunished. For minor offenses, this may be more effectivethan our plan of jail sentence, as public opinion evidently isa matter of much importance in China, as well as in ourown country. Then as a punishment for serious offenses,they simply cut the head off. While to us that looks likea ghastly and uncivilized way of dispatching criminals,I am not sure but it has a better effect than our way ofpunishment. *. We sailed on the good ship Eastern, May 5th, fromHong Kong for Moji, Japan. Sorry that we did not havean opportunity to stay longer in Hong Kong, but duringour short time in China, and our observation of theChinese there and elsewhere, for he is i

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