Beauties of Kansu and the Moslem Threat in the West Frow en Ows Comnrstoxvest.
Lanchow, Kan., The northern part of Kansu consists of a fertile belt, in some places hundreds of miles wide, in others narrowing down to a few miles that lies to the north of the gr mountain chain known as the Nan Shan, and the wide open spaces and Jdeserts of Mongolia. This tract has all the weird beauties of desert areas, and may in some ways be compared to Egypt, or the edge of the great Sahara, "The same wonderful light effects in the sky, or fon the hills and billows foothills of the desert, that give blues and iks and yellows of indescribable beauty in the early hours of mornig, When the traveller hails the coming of morning after, it may be, hours of travel under' the lucid stars. Along the tract runs too the old great highway into Central Asi roadway of the highest importance in days gone by, and broken Jover and over again by wars, and rebellions of the fractious and un-july Moslems that have their settlements at so many places not far from the way to the northwest.
It is known to many that the chief Moslem centre in China Hochow, in Kansu, from which city their settlements und influence radiate out southwards to Taochow, and northward to Sining. But in recent years the policy of keeping the Moslems quiet by giving, their leaders high military commands various parts of the province, has resulted in Ma Fu-hsiang holds the reins in Chahar, the newly formed province in Toner Mongolia to the immediate north of Sha relative, Gen. Ma, holds the power in Ningsin. The next district of Hangchow is. ruled by the third son of the astute old Moslem Ma Han-ru, and to the westward of him again the supreme command lies in the hands of yet another Moslem, Ma Lin at Kanchow. While to the southward, and wedged between Hochow, Tibet, and the aforesaid four Moslem inders, Ma Chi is the despot So that it may be said that the whole of the northwest frontier of China lies at the mercy of a people of alien race and creed many of whom would as soon cut any Chinese throat as indulge in. other more common pastimes. Further, let it be remembered that beyond the boundary of China Proper lies Chinese Turkestan, where not only the majority, of the people are Moslem, but the chief power is also in Moslem hands, and it will be. seen that the materials for a conflagration, larger and more awful than any that has overtaken is distressful country for 50 years at hand.
Possibly the chief saving factor in the situation is that most of these Moslem leaders have large interests in the cities of Kansu, and that a devastating would probably injure them in the Jong run, so it serves them best to keep their soldiery for the present. from-breaking into open insurrection. But who will say what dreams the more ambitious gues among them may have of a great, Moslem empire, stretching from the Baikal to Tibet, and from Bokhara to Mongolia in the near future?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.