We wuz a goin' to stop for a day or two at Shanghai and I wuz real
glad on't, for I felt that I must see the Empress, Si Ann, without any
more delay, and I hearn she wuz there visitin' some of her folks.
Yes, I felt the widder Hien Fong ort to hear what I had to say to her
with no further delay, I felt it wuz a duty that I owed toward the
nation and Josiah.
The voyage from Yokohama to Shanghai is very interesting, a part of it
is through the inland sea, mountains and valleys on both sides, many
islands and large and small towns all along the shores. Our hull party
kep' well and all enjoyed all the strange picturesque scenery, most as
new to us as if we wuz on another planet. Yes, I d'no as Jupiter would
look any stranger to us than the country did, or Mars or Saturn.
We wuz over a day crossin' the Yaller Sea, well named, for its water
is as yaller as the sands on its shores. I'd hate to wash white
clothes in it. And as we drew near Shanghai it wuz all alive with
Chinese junks full of men, wimmen and children. The children here on
these boats seem to be tied up with ropes, givin' 'em room to crawl
round, same as I have tied up Jonesville hens that wanted to set.
Shanghai means, "approaching the sea," and I spoze it might just as
well mean approaching from the sea, as we did. Old Shanghai is
surrounded by a wall and moat and is entered by six gates, the roads
are only ten feet wide and dirty and bad smellin', and most of its
houses are small, though there are a few very fine buildings,
according to their style, lots of little piazzas jutting out
everywhere with the ends turned up, that seems to be their taste; why
a ruff or a piazza straight acrost would have been a boon to my
Jonesville trained eyes. The houses on the principal streets are used
for shops; no winders on the first floor; they are all open in front
during the day and closed by heavy latticework at night.
The favorite carriage here is a wheelbarrow, the wheel in the centre
and a seat on each side. Josiah and I got into one, he carryin' Tommy
in his lap, but he sez with a groan:
"I never spozed that I should git down to this, Samantha, to ride in a
wheelbarrow. What would Ury say! I am glad he can't see it, or Deacon
Henzy or any of the other Jonesville brothers and sistern."
The furrin suburbs are laid out like a European city, with broad
streets, well lighted and clean. We went on the Bubbling Well Road,
named from a boiling spring a few miles out. The road is broad and
smooth as glass with beautiful villas along the way; we also passed a
great number of small burying places. They have to bury folks
according to the rules of Feng Shui. If Feng Shui should order a
burial place in a dooryard it would have to be there. It rules
buildings, customs, laws, everything. I asked a Chinaman who could
talk English what this Feng Shui wuz that they had to obey it so
strictly, and he described it as being like the wind and water: like
wind because you don't know where it come from nor when it would go or
where; and like water because you could never know how to grasp it, it
would elude you and slip away and you would have nothing in your hand
to show. Miss Meechim cried out about the enormity of such a law and
laid it to the evil doin's of furriners, but Arvilly said that it wuz
some like the laws we had in America, for we found out on inquiry that
money would most always appease this great Feng Shui and git it to
consent to most anything if it wuz paid enough, just as it did in
America.
Josiah said he had a good mind to set up some such thing in
Jonesville when he got back, sez he, "I wouldn't name it Feng Shui
just like this, I might call it Fine Shue or sunthin' like that. And
jest see, Samantha, how handy it would be if the meetin' house went
aginst me I would jest git up and lift up my hand and say, 'Fine Shue
has decided. It will be as I say.' Or on 'lection day, if I wuzn't put
up for office, or when they elect somebody besides me, or at the
cheese factory if they put up another salesman, or on the beat, if
they wanted another pathmaster, I'd jest call on the Fine Shue and
there I'd be. Why, Samantha," sez he, gittin' carried away in his
excitement, "I could git to be President jest as easy as fallin' off a
log if I could make the Fine Shue work."
"Yes," sez I, "but that is a big if; but do you want to, Josiah, turn
back the wheels of our civilization that are creaky and jolty enough,
heaven knows, back into worse and more swampy paths than they are
runnin' in now?"
"I d'no," sez Josiah, "but it would be all right if it wuz run by a
man like me; a Methodist in full standin', and one of the most
enlightened and Christian men of the times."
But I lifted my hand in a warnin' way and sez, "Stop, Josiah Allen, to
once! such talk is imperialism, and you know I am sot like a rock
aginst that. Imperialism is as much out of place in a republic as a
angel in a glue factory."
Well, I am in hopes that ten thousand milds of travel will jolt some
idees out of his mind.
Being in Shanghai over Sunday, we attended service held by a
missionary. It wuz a beautiful service which we all enjoyed. The words
of this good Christian man in prayer and praise sounded to our ears as
sweet as the sound of waters in a desert land. Over a hundred wuz
present, and after service the pulpit wuz moved off and several wuz
baptized in water jest as they do in America.
The rich and poor seem to live side by side more than they do in our
country, and rich merchants live over their shops; mebby it is to
protect them from the Feng Shui, for if that gits on track of a rich
man a great part of his wealth is appropriated by the government; it
very often borrys their money--or what it calls borryin'.
Shanghai wuz the first place where I see men carryin' fans. When
they're not fannin' themselves they put the fan at the back of their
neck, for a ornament I guess.
Josiah made a note in his pocket diary: "Mem--To git a fan the day
after I git home, to carry it to Jonesville to meetin', to fan myself
with it on the way there before Elder Minkley and Brother Henzy.
Mem--A red and yaller one." But of this fan bizness more anon.
There are not many wimmen in the streets here. The poorer class of
Chinese let their feet grow to the natural size; it is only the
aristocracy who bind up their feet.
But my mission to the Empress wore on me. I felt that I must not delay
seekin' a augience. And, as it happened, or no, not happened--it wuz
to be--one day whilst Josiah and Arvilly and Tommy and I wuz walkin'
in a beautiful garden, the rest of the party bein' away on another
tower after pleasure and instruction, Josiah and Tommy had gone to see
the fish in a fountain a little ways off, and Arvilly wuz some
distance away, when all of a sudden I heard a bystander say in a low,
awe-struck voice, "There is the Empress."
She wuz walkin' through the garden with two ladies-in-waiting, and a
elegant carriage wuz goin' slow a little ways off, givin' her a chance
for excercise, I spoze. She wuz dressed in a long, colored silk
night-gown--or it wuz shaped like one--though they wear 'em day times,
all embroidered and glitterin' with precious stuns. She didn't have
her crown on--mebby it wuz broke and away to be fixed--but her hair
wuz combed dretful slick and stuck full of jewelled pins and stars,
etc. I knowed her by her picture, and also by my feelin's, and I sez
to myself, Now is the time for me to onburden myself of the important
mission that had been layin' so heavy on my chist. Yes, Duty's apron
strings jest drawed me right up in front of her, and I advanced,
holdin' out my hand in as friendly a way as if she had come for a
all-day's visit to me in Jonesville. Her ladies-in-waitin' kinder fell
back, and as I advanced I bowed real low--as low as I dasted to, for I
felt that I wouldn't have ketched my feet in the facin' of my dress
and fell down at that time for a dollar bill. She's smart; she
recognized my lofty sperit, and her greetin' wuz considerable cordial,
though held back by her Chinese education.
Sez I, "Empress Si Ann (I d'no but I ort to call her Sarah Ann, that's
probable her name docked off by her folks to pet her. But I thought I
wouldn't meddle with a pet name; I'd call her Si Ann)."
Sez I, "I set out from Jonesville with a important message for you,
and I've bore it over the ocean on a tower and now I lay it at your
feet."
I here paused to give her a chance to wonder what it wuz, and get some
excited, then I went on, "I felt that I must see you on my own account
and Josiah's and the nation's, and tell you not to, oh, not to lay
that Piece Conference to us. I have laid awake nights worryin' about
it, for fear you'd think that Josiah and I, bein' prominent Americans,
had jined in and wuz tryin' to cut China to pieces. But we hadn't a
thing to do with it."
I meant to keep Josiah in the background, knowin' the Chinese aversion
to mix up the sects in company, but he'd come back and he had to put
in his oar here and sez he, "No, they couldn't git me to jine 'em. I
wuz down with a crick at the time and Samantha had to nuss me. We had
our hands full and we couldn't have jined 'em anyway," he sez.
I wunk at him and stepped on his toe, but nothin' could stop him, and
he went on, "I wouldn't have jined 'em anyway, Miss Hein Fong, I
wouldn't treat a neighbor so."
"Neighbor?" sez she wonderin'ly.
"Yes," sez he, "you know our land jines on the under side. China
jines my paster in the middle, though owin' to the way our land lays
we can't neighbor much, and," sez he, "you're enough sight better
neighbors than some I've got, your folks are old settlers and have
always tended to their own bizness and kep' their cattle and hens to
hum, which is more than I can say for all the neighbors whose land
jines mine."
But I could see that the ladies-in-waitin' wuz oneasy at havin' a man
talkin' to 'em so free and I kinder advanced in front of him and sez:
"Josiah and I wuz dretful tickled with the idee at first when we
spozed that conference meant real p-e-a-c-e and tryin' to bring the
most beautiful gift of God and joy of heaven nigher to earth. Why, it
jest riz us right up, we felt so highly tickled with it. But when we
see 'em begin to spell it p-i-e-c-e, and quarrel over the pieces, why,
then we turned right agin 'em. Why, good land! even if it wuz right,
Josiah has got all the land he wants to work and more too, and as I
tell him, what is the use of him or the nation havin' a great lot of
land to stand idle and pay taxes on, and keep a gang of hired men to
watch. Men and nations can git land poor, I believe."
I see she liked what I said about the Peace Commission, but I wuz
afraid she didn't git my idee jest right, so I sez, "I believe in the
first on't the Zar's idee come right down from heaven, filtered into
his comprehension mebby through a woman's apprehension. But you know
how it is, Si Ann, in the berry lot now if there are bushes hangin'
full of big ones jest over the fence and somebody else is gittin' 'em
all, you kinder want to jine in and git some on 'em yourself, though
you may be a perfesser and singin' a Sam tune at the time, specially
if the fence is broke down that separates you. I can see how it wuz
with that Piece Commission and make allowances for 'em, but we didn't
have a thing to do with it and we don't want any of the pieces." My
axent carried conviction with it; I see she looked relieved. She
didn't say it right out, but I felt that we hadn't fell in her
estimation, and I went on:
"And I don't want you to blame Uncle Sam either, Si Ann. I believe he
will help you all he can, help you in the right way, too; help you to
help yourselves. But your folks have got to brace up and do their
part; Uncle Sam will neighbor with you if you give him a chance. He's
real good-hearted, though bein' so easy and good-natered, he is
deceived lots of times and influenced and led around by them that want
to make money out of him, such as the trusts and the liquor power. But
he stands ready to neighbor with you, and don't turn your back on him,
Si Ann. Don't do anything to get him huffy, for though he hain't quick
to git mad, he's got a temper when it's rousted up."
She said sunthin' about Uncle Sam turnin' her folks out and not
lettin' 'em step their feet on our sile. I couldn't deny it, and it
kinder danted me for a minute how I wuz goin' to smooth that over, but
concluded that as in every other emergency in life, the plain truth
wuz the best, and I sez in a real amiable voice:
"Si Ann, there is two sides to that jest as there is to every national
and neighborhood quarrel. Uncle Sam hain't liked the way your folks
have acted with him, and though I dare presoom to say he's some to
blame, yet I can see where your folks have missed it. They would flock
right over to our place, crowdin' our own folks out of house and home,
and expect Uncle Sam to protect 'em, and then they would jest rake and
scrape all they could offen us and go home to spend their money;
wouldn't even leave one of their bones in our ground. They didn't want
to become citizens of the United States, they seemed to kinder want to
set down and stand up at the same time, which hain't reasonable if it
is done by an American or a Chinee."
She said sunthin' about the masses of other foreigners that Uncle Sam
allowed to crowd into our country.
"Well," sez I, "they're willin' to become citizens, the German and
English and Irish and Russian and Italian babies grow up Americans.
But it wuzn't so with your folks, Si Ann. From the children's little
pig-tails down to their little wooden shues they wuz clear China,
soaked in, dyed in the wool, born so, and as long as their bones hung
together and afterwards, clear China. They kep' themselves jest as fur
from American institutions and beliefs as ile stays away from water
and wouldn't mix any more. Their bodies stayed on our shores whilst
they could make money out of us. But their souls and minds wuz jest as
fur removed from our institutions and constitutions as if they wuz
settin' in Jupiter with their legs hangin' off. It wuz galdin' to
Uncle Sam and finally he had to stop it. But he didn't do it out of
meanness. He jest had to, for of course you know your own folks come
first."
And thinkin' mebby I'd been too hash describin' her folks I went on,
"I spoze mebby that high stun wall of yourn has kinder stiffened and
hardened the nature of your folks and made it harder for 'em to
change. But you're on the right track now, Si Ann, you have begun to
break down that big wall, you've begun to be more neighborly. And
don't you ever crouch down and hide behind that great stun wall agin;
you jest keep right on bein' neighborly and Uncle Sam will help you."
Si Ann looked real good and as if she took every word I said in good
part; bein' naterally so smart she would recognize the onselfishness
and nobility of my mission, but I see that there wuz a real pert look
on one of the ladies' faces as she said sunthin' to one of the other
ones, and I mistrusted that they didn't like what I had said about
that wall of theirn, and I went on to say to Si Ann:
"Of course you may say that a nation or a woman has a right to do as
they've a mind to, but common sense must be used if you are goin' to
enjoy yourself much in this world. Now, we had a neighbor in
Jonesville that sot out in married life determined not to borrow or
lend, dretful exclusive, jest built a high wall of separation round
herself and family. But after tryin' it for a year or so she wuz glad
to give it up, and many is the cup of tea and sugar I've lent her
since, and she borries and lends her washtub now or biler, or settin'
hens, or anythin'. And she sez that she and her family takes as much
agin' comfort now and are doin' as well agin', for of course the
neighbors didn't set so much store by 'em as they did when their ports
wuz open, as you may say, and they wuz more neighborly."
I could see by Si Ann's face that she not only enjoyed all I said, but
believed a good share on't, and bein' such a case for justice, I felt
that I ort to let her know I realized our own nation's short-comin's,
as well as hern. Sez I, "I hain't got a word to say to you, Si Ann,
about the different castes in your country, when the wimmen in my own
land build up a wall between themselves and their kitchen helpers
higher than the highest peak of your stun wall and harder to git over,
and I don't want to say a word about your folks bindin' down their
children's feet to make 'em small as long as our own females pinch
down their waists till they're in perfect agony and ten times as bad
as to pinch their feet, for the life, the vital organs don't lay in
the feet, or hain't spozed to, and so it don't hurt 'em half so much
to be tortured. And as long as they drag round yards of silk and
velvet through the streets to rake up filth and disease to carry home
and endanger their own lives and their families; no, as long as our
females do all this I hain't nothin' to say about your dress and
customs here, nor I hain't a goin' to cast reflections agin you about
your men wearin' night gowns and braidin' their hair down their backs.
Good land, Si Ann! you and I know what men be. We are married wimmen
and seen trouble. You couldn't stop 'em if you tried to. If Josiah
Allen took it into his head to braid his hair down his back, I should
have to let it go on unless I broke it up sarahuptishly by cuttin' it
off when he wuz asleep, but thank fortin' he hain't got enough so that
the braid would be bigger than a pipe stale anyway if he should let it
grow out, and he is so dressy he wouldn't like that. But I've tried to
break up his wearin' such gay neckties for years and years, and if he
should go out and buy one to-day it would most likely be red and
yaller."
[Illustration: I withdrawed him, bowin' very low and smilin' at
her.--Page 219.]
I felt that China hadn't been used exactly right; I knowed it. Younger
nations--new-comers, as you may say--had made light on her and abused
her, usin' the very type the Chinese had invented to say they didn't
know anything and usin' the gunpowder they had invented to blow 'em up
with. I had felt that the Powers hadn't treated 'em well, and I had
made up my mind some time ago that when I see the Powers I should tell
'em what I thought on't. Then there wuz the opium trade--a burnin'
shame! I wanted to sympathize with her about that, but thought mebby
it wuz best to not harrer up her feelin's any more, so I sez in a real
polite way:
"I have nothin' further to say now, Si Ann, only to bid you adoo and
to tell you that if you ever come to Jonesville be sure and come and
see me; I'll be proud and happy to have you."
Here Josiah had to put in his note: "Good-by, Widder!" sez he. If I
had had time I would have tutored him; he spoke just as he would to
widder Gowdey. I wanted him to act more courtly and formal, but it wuz
too late, it wuz spoke. "Good-by, Widder; we'll have to be a-goin'.
We've had quite a spell of weather, but it looks some like rain now,
and I have a important engagement to-night, and we'll have to be
gittin' hum."
But I gently withdrawed him, bowin' very low myself and lookin'
dretful smilin' at her.
Like all great monarchs, she wanted to make her visitors a present,
and she proposed to send us several drawin's of tea of the kind she
used, and a little hunk of opium, though, as I told her, I should
never use it in the world only to smoke in a pipe for the toothache;
and she also proposed to send us a china sugar-bowl and a piece of
the Chinee wall, which last I told her I should value high as a sign
that the old things wuz passin' away and better days comin'.
And then I made some more real low bows and Josiah did, bein' wunk at
by me, and we withdrawed ourselves from the Presence. But Josiah,
always overdoin' things, takin' out his bandanna and a-wavin' it
towards her as he bowed most to the ground. But what wuz my surprise
as we walked away kinder backward, Josiah mutterin' to me that he
should fall flat if he backed off much furder! What wuz my horrow to
see Arvilly advance with a copy of her books and present 'em to the
Empress. One of the ladies-in-waiting, who seemed to talk English
quite considerable, looked at the books and read their titles to her
Majesty, who immediately signified her desire to purchase 'em, and
before she left the group Arvilly had sold three copies of the "Twin
Crimes" and two of the "Wild and Warlike."
Poor Empress! Poor Si Ann! Well might she treasure the last-named
book, "The Wild, Wicked and Warlike Deeds of Men." Poor thing! I am
afraid she will see plenty of it herself. Them Powers, sometimes, when
they git to goin', act like the Old Harry.